Crafting Your Own NCLEX® Practice Test

• Creating your own NCLEX® practice test is one more way to enhance your knowledge heading into exam day. 
• Practice tests should have 165 questions —the same amount you could have on the NCLEX® itself. 
• Quality review programs like Slone NCLEX® can help you remediate your exam. 

Can I just do practice questions? Do I even need to make a test? What’s the best way to craft my own NCLEX® Practice Test? What should I include? How many questions should it be? Should I time myself? How do I remediate my exam? Why should I even do it? 

There are so many questions, all important and valid, but also completely overwhelming.  

Let’s break them down and answer each one so that by the time you are done reading this, you will be able to craft your own NCLEX® practice test.  

• Can I just do questions? Do I even need to make a test?  
  • You need to make a test! You want to duplicate the process of what your NCLEX® exam day will be like, and making your own exam will help you do that. 
  • Being familiar with the format and content of your practice questions can help reduce test anxiety on exam day. 
• What is the best way to craft my own NCLEX® Practice Test?  
  • The best way to craft your exam is to reference the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) NCLEX-RN® Test Plan and incorporate a variety of item topics and item types. 
• What should I include?  
  • To create an effective NCLEX® practice test, you should include a diverse range of nursing content and prioritize various question types, including traditional item types and the new next-generation item types. 
  • Each question should include detailed rationales for the answers.  
  • Aim to mimic the NCLEX® format by varying the difficulty levels.  
  • Consider using a question bank or study guide as a reference to ensure comprehensive coverage of key concepts.  
  • Incorporate real-life scenarios and critical thinking challenges to enhance the learning experience. 

• How many questions should it be?  
  • Aim to have 165 questions on your practice test. This matches the maximum number of questions you could have on the NCLEX®.  
• Should I time myself?  
  • Yes! You are timed in the NCLEX-RN® exam so the best way to prepare for that is to time yourself. Set your timer to five hours, and if you cannot complete your practice exam in that amount of time, you need to change the way you are testing to be more efficient and quicker. 
  • If you have testing accommodations that have been approved through your state’s nursing review board (NRB), ensure that you match your accommodations with the time you give yourself to test. 
• How do I remediate my exam?  
  • Review your report. What did you miss? Was there an area you missed more than others? 
  • Create a study plan associated with those weak areas and review it.  
  • This step is where it becomes invaluable to use a quality review program like Slone NCLEX. When you take an exam to test your readiness, prep programs like this one provide detailed feedback and rationales for your questions. This will help you not only understand the content you missed but also help you fill knowledge gaps in areas where you’re struggling. 
  • By identifying your struggles, you can formulate more questions to enhance your understanding. 
  • Use a platform that provides feedback on your performance, highlighting areas of strength and weakness.  
  • Remediate it until you get it (and until you feel comfortable with the information).  
• Why should I even do it?  
  • Have you ever heard the saying; you invest in what you value? That is why you should do it. You value your success. You value becoming a registered nurse. 
  • You must put the value and the time into preparing for the NCLEX®. You have worked so hard to graduate from nursing school, this is the last part of this journey. Value yourself and invest in it! 

The Bottom Line 

At the end of the day, designing your own NCLEX® practice test gives you the opportunity to tailor questions to reflect your unique strengths and weaknesses in nursing knowledge and skills. By identifying specific topics or concepts where you feel less confident, you can create a focused study session that targets these areas.

This personalized approach not only helps you engage more deeply with the material but also enhances retention and understanding. As a result, you can effectively track your progress over time and adjust your study strategy accordingly. In contrast to using generic practice tests, which may not address your individual learning needs, a custom exam can significantly increase your chances of success on exam day.