Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams): practice questions with explanations

Also called: HESI A2-style vocabulary · medical word parts · medical terminology basics

Free Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams) multiple-choice practice questions with hints and explanations, at three levels: key terms and facts, applying the concepts, cases and analysis.

Free practice problemEasy

Which body part does the root derm/o or dermat/o refer to?

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What you practise

  1. Easykey terms and facts
  2. Mediumapplying the concepts
  3. Hardcases and analysis

How to solve Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams) problems

  1. Read the whole sentence and look for a context clue: a definition, a contrast, an example or a cause and effect.
  2. Split an unfamiliar word into prefix, root and suffix and translate each part.
  3. Read a medical term from the suffix back to the start (hepat-itis: inflammation of the liver).
  4. Put each option into the sentence and check that the meaning still fits.
  5. Choose the meaning used in this sentence, even if the word has another everyday meaning.

Common mistakes

  • Confusing pairs of opposites: hyper-/hypo-, tachy-/brady-, proximal/distal, acute/chronic.
  • Mixing up inter- (between) and intra- (within).
  • Choosing an everyday meaning when the sentence uses the medical sense (void, patent, approximate).
  • Ignoring a contrast word such as unlike or although.

Learn Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams) from scratch

1Why vocabulary matters

Entrance exams test words you will meet in nursing textbooks, care plans and conversations with patients. You do not need clinical knowledge; you need to know what the words mean and to work out unknown words from clues.

Two tools do most of the work: context clues in the sentence, and word parts (prefixes, roots and suffixes) inside the word itself.

Self-check What is the best first step when you meet an unfamiliar word on the exam?
  1. Choose the longest answer
  2. Look for clues in the sentence and break the word into parts
  3. Pick the word that sounds most medical
  4. Skip the question without reading it

Answer: Look for clues in the sentence and break the word into parts. Context and word parts usually reveal the meaning. Answer length and how “medical” a word sounds are not reliable clues.

2Context clues

  • Definition or restatement: “The patient was lethargic, drowsy and slow to respond.”
  • Contrast: “Unlike her chronic cough, the pain was sudden” → acute means sudden.
  • Example: “Sedentary habits, such as sitting all day, …”
  • Cause and effect: “The artery was occluded, so no blood could pass.”

Replace the word with each option and check that the sentence still makes sense.

Self-check “The fever subsided overnight, and by morning she felt much better.” What does “subsided” mean?
  1. Became less intense
  2. Became more intense
  3. Spread to others
  4. Started suddenly

Answer: Became less intense. Feeling much better by morning shows the fever went down. The other options contradict that clue.

3Prefixes

  • hyper- above normal; hypo- below normal
  • tachy- fast; brady- slow
  • a-, an- without; dys- difficult or painful
  • pre- before; post- after
  • sub- under; supra- above; inter- between; intra- within; trans- across
  • peri- around; endo- inside; bi- two; hemi- half; poly- many

Pairs of opposites help: hypertension and hypotension, tachycardia and bradycardia, proximal and distal, medial and lateral.

Self-check What does “intravenous” mean?
  1. Around a vein
  2. Between two veins
  3. Under the skin
  4. Within a vein

Answer: Within a vein. Intra- means within. Inter- would mean between, sub- under and peri- around.

4Roots and suffixes

  • cardi/o heart; pulmon/o and pneum/o lung; gastr/o stomach; hepat/o liver; nephr/o and ren/o kidney
  • derm/o skin; neur/o nerve; oste/o bone; arthr/o joint; my/o muscle; hem/o and hemat/o blood
  • erythr/o red; leuk/o white; cyan/o blue; rhin/o nose
  • -itis inflammation; -ectomy removal; -otomy cutting into; -plasty repair
  • -ology study of; -scopy viewing with a scope; -algia pain; -megaly enlargement
  • -emia blood condition; -uria urine condition; -pathy disease; -cyte cell

Read a long term from the end: hepat-itis = inflammation of the liver; gastr-ectomy = removal of the stomach; leuko-cyte = white cell.

Worked example

What does “pericarditis” mean?

1

Split the word

peri- + cardi + -itis.

2

Translate each part

around + heart + inflammation.

3

Put it together

Inflammation of the tissue around the heart, the pericardium.

Answer

Inflammation of the sac around the heart.

5Common healthcare words

  • acute (sudden) / chronic (long-lasting); benign (not cancerous) / malignant
  • adverse (harmful), contraindicated (not advised), compliance or adherence (following the plan)
  • ambulate (walk), void (pass urine), palpate (examine by touch), orally (by mouth)
  • patent (open) / occluded (blocked); dilate (widen) / constrict (narrow)
  • labile (changing quickly), insidious (gradual and hidden), transient (short-lived), latent (present but inactive)
  • prognosis (likely outcome), rationale (reason), exacerbate (make worse), deficit (lack)
Self-check A wound dressing must stay intact. What does “intact” mean?
  1. Loose at the edges
  2. Removed and replaced
  3. Wet and soft
  4. Whole and undamaged

Answer: Whole and undamaged. Intact means unbroken and complete. A wet, removed or loose dressing would not be intact.

6How exam questions look

  • Easy (key terms and facts): the meaning of common prefixes, roots and suffixes, and everyday healthcare words in a clear sentence.
  • Medium (applying the concepts): words such as lethargic, contraindicated, labile and patent in context, and less common word parts.
  • Hard (cases and analysis): building terms from several parts (osteoarthritis, hemiplegia), choosing the word that best completes a sentence, and words with a special medical sense (approximate, void).

Learn it step by step in the appLearn it step by step in the app

Example questions

Example 1Easy

Which body part does the root gloss/o or lingu/o refer to?

  1. ACheek
  2. BTongue
  3. CJaw
  4. DThroat
Show hints
  1. A sublingual tablet is placed beneath this part of the mouth.
  2. Two wrong answers are now crossed out. One of the remaining two is right.
Show the answer and explanation

Why this is the answer

Gloss/o and lingu/o both mean tongue.

Answer

B · Tongue
Example 2Medium

Choose the meaning of the words in bold: “The patient is terminally ill and is receiving hospice care.”

  1. AHas an illness that will cause death
  2. BHas a mild illness that will pass on its own
  3. CHas been ill for the first time
  4. DHas recovered from a serious illness
Show hints
  1. Terminal means at the end.
  2. Two wrong answers are now crossed out. One of the remaining two is right.
Show the answer and explanation

Why this is the answer

A terminally ill patient has a disease that cannot be cured and is expected to lead to death.

Answer

A · Has an illness that will cause death
Example 3Hard

Which word is the opposite of scarce?

  1. ARare
  2. BLimited
  3. CAbundant
  4. DMinimal
Show hints
  1. Three options mean nearly the same as scarce.
  2. Two wrong answers are now crossed out. One of the remaining two is right.
Show the answer and explanation

Why this is the answer

Scarce means in short supply, and abundant means plentiful.

Answer

C · Abundant

Questions and answers

What is Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams)?

Entrance exams test words you will meet in nursing textbooks, care plans and conversations with patients. You do not need clinical knowledge; you need to know what the words mean and to work out unknown words from clues.

Two tools do most of the work: context clues in the sentence, and word parts (prefixes, roots and suffixes) inside the word itself.

How do I solve Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams) problems step by step?
  1. Read the whole sentence and look for a context clue: a definition, a contrast, an example or a cause and effect.
  2. Split an unfamiliar word into prefix, root and suffix and translate each part.
  3. Read a medical term from the suffix back to the start (hepat-itis: inflammation of the liver).
  4. Put each option into the sentence and check that the meaning still fits.
  5. Choose the meaning used in this sentence, even if the word has another everyday meaning.
What are common mistakes in Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams)?
  • Confusing pairs of opposites: hyper-/hypo-, tachy-/brady-, proximal/distal, acute/chronic.
  • Mixing up inter- (between) and intra- (within).
  • Choosing an everyday meaning when the sentence uses the medical sense (void, patent, approximate).
  • Ignoring a contrast word such as unlike or although.
What do the Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams) exercises cover?
  • Easy: key terms and facts
  • Medium: applying the concepts
  • Hard: cases and analysis

Every question has four options, and only one is right. Stuck? Open a small hint first, and the full explanation only when you need it.

How practising works

  • Every question has four options, and only one is right.
  • Stuck? Open a small hint first, and the full explanation only when you need it.
  • Your progress, mistakes and saved problems are kept, so you can review before the exam.

Courses with this topic

TEAS-style practice questions (all four sections)TEAS-style English & reading practiceHESI A2-style practice: math, English, A&P, biology and chemistry

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Printable worksheet

Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams) worksheet with answers
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