HESI A2 Vocabulary Practice Questions
7 min read · Updated
Vocabulary is fifty questions, it is required by almost every program, and it is the section people most often decide is unstudyable. That is a mistake. The HESI does not test obscure literary words — it tests the vocabulary a nurse encounters in notes, handovers and patient instructions.
That makes it a defined, learnable list rather than the whole English language.
Question 1
The patient reported a distended abdomen. Distended most nearly means:
- ASwollen
- BPainful
- CDiscoloured
- DRigid
Explanation
Distended means swollen or stretched from internal pressure. It is a description of size and shape, not sensation, which is why 'painful' is wrong — a distended abdomen may or may not hurt. Rigid describes muscle tone and is a separate clinical finding.
Question 2
An occluded artery is one that is:
- AInflamed
- BBlocked
- CEnlarged
- DHardened
Explanation
To occlude is to obstruct or close off, so an occluded artery is blocked. Inflamed would be 'arteritis', enlarged would be 'aneurysm' or 'dilated', and hardened would be 'sclerotic'. Each of those has its own term, which is the point of the question.
Question 3
The medication should be administered before the patient becomes lethargic. Lethargic means:
- AConfused
- BFeverish
- CDrowsy and sluggish
- DAgitated
Explanation
Lethargic describes abnormal drowsiness and a lack of energy. It is often confused with 'confused', but those are different findings — a patient can be lethargic and perfectly oriented. Agitated is close to the opposite.
Wrong answers are usually real clinical terms
Notice that in each question above, every distractor is a genuine finding with its own proper name. The exam is testing whether you can tell them apart, not whether you can guess which word looks medical.
Question 4
A patient who is described as febrile has:
- AA fever
- BDifficulty breathing
- CLow blood pressure
- DA rash
Explanation
Febrile means having a fever; afebrile means without one. The prefix 'a-' meaning 'without' is worth knowing on its own, because it recurs across the exam: apnoea is without breathing, asymptomatic is without symptoms, afebrile is without fever.
Question 5
To exacerbate a condition is to:
- ADiagnose it
- BRelieve it
- CMake it worse
- DMonitor it
Explanation
To exacerbate is to worsen. Its opposite in clinical use is to 'alleviate', which relieves. Pairs like this are the most efficient way to study vocabulary — learning exacerbate and alleviate together takes barely longer than learning either alone.
How to study vocabulary efficiently
- Learn prefixes and suffixes first. 'Hyper-' and 'hypo-', 'a-' and 'an-', '-itis', '-ectomy', '-osis'. They unlock words you have never seen.
- Learn opposites in pairs: febrile and afebrile, exacerbate and alleviate, proximal and distal, dilate and constrict.
- Read the words in clinical sentences rather than on flashcards alone. The exam presents them in context and context is half the clue.
- Do not neglect ordinary words. The section is 'Vocabulary and General Knowledge', and plenty of items are everyday English used precisely.
Fifty questions in fifty minutes is a minute each, which is generous for vocabulary. If you know the word you will answer in fifteen seconds. This is the most improvable section on the exam, and the cheapest marks available.