NCLEX-RN® Practice Questions You Need to Know About

• Your NCLEX-RN® practice questions should focus on client need and clinical judgment categories. 
• Make sure to familiarize yourself with different question formats using programs like Slone NCLEX. 
• Practicing these questions enhances critical thinking skills, as the NCLEX® often presents complex clinical scenarios that require analyzing situations and prioritizing client care. 

One of the most effective strategies for success on the NCLEX® is to find the right NCLEX-RN® practice questions. We’ve emphasized this many times: the best preparation involves taking 200 to 400 practice questions each day leading up to the exam.  

Client Need Categories and NCLEX-RN® Practice Questions 

As you work through these questions, ensure that they test over the NCLEX® client-need categories. NCLEX-RN® practice questions that cover each of the client need categories include: 

• Management of Care 
  • Priority assessment, delegation, interprofessional collaboration, ethics, and client care coordination: A client with a new ileostomy needs their ostomy bag changed. Which of the following tasks can be delegated to universal assistive personnel (UAP)? 
• Safety and Infection Control 
  • Infection precautions, sterile procedure, PPE, waste disposal: A client with a new central venous catheter is exhibiting signs of infection at the insertion site. What is the appropriate nursing action?  
• Health Promotion and Maintenance 
  • Lifestyle practices, disease prevention, health screenings, nutrition, immunizations, risk factors, client education, managing chronic conditions: A client with a history of diabetes is unresponsive with a blood glucose level of 50 mg/dL. What is the most appropriate initial intervention?  
• Psychosocial Integrity 
  • Therapeutic responses, managing behavioral health disorders, crisis intervention, end-of-life care: A patient with a recent diagnosis of depression states, “I feel like there’s no hope for me.” Which response by the nurse is most therapeutic? 
• Basic Care and Comfort 
  • Assessing pain, client ADLs, communication, eating, and mobility: A post-operative client reports severe pain at the incision site despite receiving pain medication. What is the nurse’s priority assessment to determine the cause of the pain? 
• Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies 
  • Medication administration, safe dosage, medication side effects, critical medications and infusions, transfusion management, IV management: This can be presented as either a dosage calculation or a medication-specific/assessment-style question:  
    • A client is prescribed 500 mg of antibiotic medication. The vial contains 1 g/2 mL. How many mL should the nurse administer? 
    • The nurse is preparing to administer metoprolol to a client with a history of atrial fibrillation. Which assessment by the nurse is the priority? 
• Reduction of Risk Potential 
  • Identify situations and minimize risks and potential complications to the client: An elderly patient is at high risk for falls. What measures should the nurse implement to reduce the risk of falls? 
• Physiological Adaptation 
  • Managing medical emergencies, understanding and recognizing the body’s response to a disease, injury or environmental stressor: A client with severe burns is experiencing significant fluid loss. Which assessment finding most likely indicates the need for immediate fluid replacement? 

Clinical Judgment Categories and NCLEX-RN® Practice Questions 

You will also want to ensure that your NCLEX-RN® practice questions include each of the clinical judgment categories. Examples that cover each of the NCLEX-RN® clinical judgment categories are: 

• Recognize cues 
  • Relevant and important information from different areas, such as lab results and medical history: A client with a history of asthma presents with wheezing, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing. Which assessment finding is most concerning and requires immediate action? 
• Analyze cues 
  • Correlate and organize the identified important information to the client’s clinical presentation: A client with a history of diabetes reports feeling shaky and diaphoretic. What is the most likely cause of these symptoms?   
• Prioritize hypotheses 
  • Assess and rank hypotheses based on their importance: A client with a new surgical incision reports increasing pain, redness, and warmth around the site. Which assessment finding should be prioritized? 
• Generate solutions 
  • Identify expected outcomes and use hypotheses to define interventions for those outcomes: A client presents with sudden onset of chest pain, shortness of breath, and nausea. What is the priority nursing assessment?   
• Take actions 
  • Implement the solution(s) that address the highest priority issues: A client with a new diagnosis of pneumonia is exhibiting signs of respiratory distress. Which action should the nurse take first? 
• Evaluate outcomes
  • Compare the actual outcomes to the anticipated outcomes: A diabetic client has been educated on blood glucose monitoring and dietary changes. Which statement by the client demonstrates understanding of the teaching? 

Key Points to Remember When Practicing NCLEX® Questions

• Focus on priority actions: Many NCLEX® questions will ask you to identify the most important nursing intervention in each situation. Identify and select the answer that will keep your client safe and prevent harm to them, yourself or others. 
• Understand the rationale behind each answer: Don’t just memorize the correct answer; understand why it is the best choice. This will help you to not only understand the content, but also to retain and recall the information. 
• Practice and familiarize yourself with different question formats: The NCLEX® uses various question types, such as multiple choice, case studies, select all that apply, bowtie, and drag-and-drop. Make sure you take NCLEX-RN® practice questions in the traditional and next-gen (NGN) item types. 
• Utilize NCLEX®-specific practice materials: Use preparation programs like Slone NCLEX, study guides, and readiness tests that mimic the actual exam. 
• Focus on keywords: Pay close attention to words like “priority,” “first,” “most likely,” “immediate,” and “stable” in the question stem.  
• Analyze all answer choices: Carefully read all options before selecting the best response, considering the rationale behind each answer. 
• Apply the nursing process: Use the nursing process (assess, diagnose, plan, implement, evaluate) to guide your decision-making. 

The Bottom Line 

Engaging in NCLEX® practice questions is essential for exam preparation. It familiarizes you with the exam’s format, which is vital for navigating the test effectively. Practicing these questions enhances critical thinking skills, as the NCLEX® often presents complex clinical scenarios that require analyzing situations and prioritizing client care. Additionally, working on practice questions helps you identify areas needing further study. After practice assessments, you can evaluate your performance and create a targeted study plan to address knowledge gaps. Finally, immersing yourself in practice questions simulates the testing environment, boosting your confidence and reducing anxiety on your exam day.