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Exam prep · NCLEX-RN

NCLEX-RN flashcards built around the test plan

The NCLEX does not ask what you know; it asks what you would do. Flashcards still carry the load underneath: lab values, drug classes, priority rules, infection precautions. Study the decks below, then card your own review book so the content matches your program.

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Updated 2026-10-23. Decks are shared by Quizcard and its users; study them on the page or copy them into a free account.

NCLEX-RN at a glance

Format
Computer adaptive (CAT). The Next Generation NCLEX adds case studies and item types with partial credit: matrix, drag-and-drop, highlight, bowtie and trend.
Length
85 to 150 items, up to 5 hours, including three unfolding case studies of six questions each.
Scoring
Pass or fail. The computer stops when it is 95% confident you are above or below the passing standard, or when you reach the maximum.
Retake
Wait at least 45 days between attempts; most boards allow up to eight attempts a year.
Register
Through your state board of nursing and Pearson VUE. Your ATT (authorization to test) is valid for a limited window.

What the NCLEX-RN tests

  • Management of Care. 15 to 21%. Delegation, prioritization, advocacy, informed consent, confidentiality.
  • Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies. 13 to 19%. Drug classes, adverse effects, dosage calculation, IV therapy, blood products.
  • Physiological Adaptation. 11 to 17%. Fluid and electrolyte imbalances, hemodynamics, illness management, medical emergencies.
  • Safety and Infection Control. 10 to 16%. Precautions, error prevention, restraints, home and hospital safety.
  • Reduction of Risk Potential. 9 to 15%. Lab values, diagnostic tests, complications after procedures.
  • Health Promotion and Maintenance. 6 to 12%. Growth and development, prenatal and newborn care, screening.
  • Psychosocial Integrity. 6 to 12%. Coping, crisis, abuse, substance use, therapeutic communication.
  • Basic Care and Comfort. 6 to 12%. Mobility, nutrition, elimination, rest, personal hygiene.

Free NCLEX-RN flashcard decks

Missing a topic? Upload the chapter from your prep book and Quizcard builds the deck for you, grouped by topic, with figures kept from PDFs. How it works.

Test yourself: free NCLEX-RN practice quizzes

Each quiz scores you at the end and explains every answer. Redo it any time; the questions reshuffle.

Sample cards from “Nursing Pharmacology: Common Drug Classes”

Match insulin types to onset and peak.

Answer: Rapid (lispro): onset 15 min, peak 1 h. Regular: onset 30 min, peak 2–3 h. NPH: onset 1–2 h, peak 4–12 h. Long-acting (glargine): no pronounced peak.

Explanation

Hypoglycemia risk is highest at peak times.

What should be monitored with phenytoin?

Answer: Serum levels (10–20 mcg/mL), gingival hyperplasia, and signs of toxicity such as nystagmus and ataxia.

Explanation

Do not stop abruptly; good oral hygiene helps gums.

What range is therapeutic for lithium and what are signs of toxicity?

Answer: About 0.6–1.2 mEq/L; toxicity shows as coarse tremor, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, and ataxia.

Explanation

Maintain steady sodium and fluid intake; dehydration raises levels.

What dietary restriction applies to MAOIs?

Answer: Avoid tyramine-rich foods (aged cheese, cured meats, red wine) to prevent hypertensive crisis.

Explanation

Includes phenelzine and tranylcypromine.

What is serotonin syndrome and what causes it?

Answer: A dangerous excess of serotonin: agitation, hyperthermia, tremor, diarrhea; caused by combining SSRIs with MAOIs, tramadol, or other serotonergic drugs.

Explanation

SSRIs can take 4–6 weeks for full effect; monitor for suicidal ideation early.

What should patients avoid while taking metronidazole?

Answer: Alcohol, during and for 48–72 hours after, because of a disulfiram-like reaction.

Explanation

Metallic taste is a common side effect.

Showing 6 of 30 cards. Study the whole deck or copy it into your account.

A flashcard study plan for the NCLEX-RN

  1. Week 1: one full-length practice assessment (your school’s predictor or a question bank). Sort misses by client-needs category and card each one.
  2. Weeks 2 to 3: content. Lab values, drug classes and electrolyte signs every day from the decks below. Upload your pharm and med-surg review chapters and generate decks from them.
  3. Weeks 4 to 5: 75 to 150 practice questions a day. For every rationale you had to read twice, make a card. Study the “missed” deck each evening.
  4. Week 6: case studies and priority rules. Card the frameworks: ABCs, Maslow, nursing process, least-invasive-first, stable-before-unstable for delegation.
  5. Last three days: lighter. Flip the missed deck once a day, stop new questions 24 hours before, and rest.

How to write NCLEX-RN cards that work

  • Write cards as the exam asks: “Client on furosemide reports muscle cramps. Priority assessment?” rather than “What is furosemide?”
  • Lab value cards need the number, the units and the one thing you do when it is off. Potassium 3.5 to 5.0: below, check the ECG and hold digoxin.
  • One card per drug class suffix: -olol, -pril, -sartan, -statin, -prazole. Suffix on the front, class plus two side effects on the back.
  • Card the isolation precautions as a table: droplet, airborne and contact with example conditions on the back.
  • Keep nutrition and electrolyte foods together: “foods high in potassium?” is a classic.

Questions

Is NCLEX content the same as nursing school content?

The content is, but the questions are application-level. Study decks for recall, then do practice questions for judgment. Both matter.

Can I turn my review book or class notes into cards?

Yes. Upload the PDF, Word document or slides and Quizcard generates a deck grouped by topic, with tables and figures kept on the cards.

How many cards should I have before the exam?

Fewer than you think. A few hundred cards you have mastered, built from your own misses, outperform a 3,000-card deck you never finish.

Can my cohort share decks?

Yes. Publish any deck as a public page and classmates can study it or copy it into their own account.

Other exams

Official information: NCSBN: NCLEX test plans. Formats and weights change; check the official page before test day.

Try it with your own material

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