CNOR Practice Test: Free Certified Perioperative Nurse Exam Questions

250 practice questions for the CNOR (Certified Perioperative Nurse) exam, built on the subject areas and task statements in CCI's current handbook. They follow its 7 subject areas, weighted the way the real exam is, from Management of Intraoperative Activities (63 of 185 scored questions, in patient care and safety and in personnel, services and materials) and Infection Prevention and Control (30) to Pre/postoperative Assessment (28), Communication and Documentation (20), Emergency Situations (19), Plan of Care (15) and Professional Accountabilities (10), and cover every task under them. Most are OR moments: the count is off, the site mark is wrong, the end-tidal CO2 is climbing, the loaner tray shows up an hour before the case. Each is tagged to its task, so your score report shows exactly where you miss, and every answer explains why the best choice is best and names its public source.

The real test: 200 multiple-choice questions (185 scored, 15 unscored pretest) in 3 hours 45 minutes, at a PSI test center or by remote proctoring. It is scored from 200 to 800 and 620 passes, so there is no fixed percent. It covers 7 subject areas, with intraoperative care the largest. Our practice test is full length, 185 scored questions plus 15 unscored, split by the subject areas like the handbook, passing at 70% (130 of 185).

Here: 250 questions. Our own practice questions, built on the CNOR subject areas and task statements (CCI handbook, May 2026) and written from public sources (The Joint Commission, CMS, CDC, FDA, OSHA, NIOSH, the ASA, MHAUS, ASRA, the AHA and standard perioperative texts), with every answer's source named. Topics are the 7 subject areas of the outline. Not CCI's test questions. Free.

What's on the test

"On the test" is the rough share of a 185-question test for each topic, following the exam's published weights.

10 sample questions

1. Which pair is acceptable for confirming a patient's identity before surgery?

   • A.Room number and bed position
   • B.The surgeon's name and the scheduled procedure on the board
   • C.Full name and date of birth
   • D.Name and room number
   Show answer

   C. Full name and date of birth

   CNOR-1 · 1. Pre/postoperative Patient Assessment and Diagnosis

2. Which is a measurable expected outcome for a surgical patient?

   • A.No new pressure injury by discharge
   • B.The patient will feel good and be happy with the way surgery went overall
   • C.Surgery will go well
   • D.The nurse will do their best
   Show answer

   A. No new pressure injury by discharge

   CNOR-39 · 2. Individualized Plan of Care and Expected Outcomes

3. Which three elements make up the fire triangle in the OR?

   • A.Oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide
   • B.The ESU, the suction and the anesthesia machine
   • C.An ignition source, a fuel and an oxidizer
   • D.Oxygen, an alcohol prep and the drapes
   Show answer

   C. An ignition source, a fuel and an oxidizer

   CNOR-59 · 3a. Intraoperative Activities: Patient Care and Safety

4. Under CMS hospital rules, who may serve as the circulator in the OR?

   • A.A nursing student
   • B.The anesthesia technician
   • C.A qualified registered nurse
   • D.A surgical technologist working alone
   Show answer

   C. A qualified registered nurse

   CNOR-121 · 3b. Intraoperative Activities: Personnel, Services and Materials

5. Which belongs in the intraoperative nursing record?

   • A.The surgeon's start and stop times only
   • B.The nurse's opinion of the surgeon
   • C.A note that an incident report was filed, with a copy of the report attached to the chart
   • D.Positioning, return electrode site, counts, implants, specimens
   Show answer

   D. Positioning, return electrode site, counts, implants, specimens

   CNOR-144 · 4. Communication and Documentation

6. During room turnover between cases, what must be cleaned?

   • A.Nothing if the next case is the same type of surgery with the same surgeon
   • B.Only visibly dirty spots
   • C.Only the floor by the door
   • D.Surfaces touched by the patient or staff, and the floor nearby
   Show answer

   D. Surfaces touched by the patient or staff, and the floor nearby

   CNOR-171 · 5. Infection Prevention and Control

7. Anesthesia cannot intubate or ventilate the patient after induction. What should the circulator do first?

   • A.Document the time and wait
   • B.Call for help and bring the difficult airway cart
   • C.Leave the room to find the surgeon, then come back with the difficult airway cart
   • D.Start the skin prep
   Show answer

   B. Call for help and bring the difficult airway cart

   CNOR-212 · 6. Emergency Situations

8. What defines a registered nurse's legal scope of practice?

   • A.The surgeon's preference
   • B.The state nurse practice act and board of nursing rules
   • C.The hospital's parking and staffing policy for the operating room
   • D.The vendor's training
   Show answer

   B. The state nurse practice act and board of nursing rules

   CNOR-238 · 7. Professional Accountabilities

9. In the holding area, the patient's ID band shows a different date of birth than the chart. What should the nurse do?

   • A.Stop and resolve the mismatch before the patient goes to the OR
   • B.Change the band to match the chart
   • C.Proceed, since the name matches
   • D.Ask the surgeon to sign the chart and continue with the case as scheduled
   Show answer

   A. Stop and resolve the mismatch before the patient goes to the OR

   CNOR-2 · 1. Pre/postoperative Patient Assessment and Diagnosis

10. What makes an outcome statement useful?

    • A.It describes what the nurse will do
    • B.It is specific, measurable and time-bound
    • C.It uses medical jargon
    • D.It names the surgeon and the procedure date, and lists every medication given
    Show answer

    B. It is specific, measurable and time-bound

    CNOR-40 · 2. Individualized Plan of Care and Expected Outcomes

What the study guide does

• Short study rounds and flip cards.
• A practice test built like the real one: 185 questions, 130 to pass.
• Pass Meter: your chance of passing if you sat the test today, worked out from your own answers.
• An explanation for every answer.