Free study resources

One-Pagers

One-page summaries of the topics exams test most, checked against current guidelines.

Exam guides

• NCLEX-RN Exam Guide2026 test plan: format, CAT pass rules, content weights, eligibility, an 8-week plan and test-day tips
• NCLEX-PN Exam Guide2026 test plan, adaptive format, eligibility and an 8-week study plan

Clinical Judgment & Management

• Next Gen NCLEX: Clinical JudgmentThe six NCJMM steps, NGN item types and partial-credit scoring on the 2026 NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN
• Prioritization and DelegationWho to see first, five rights, scope, SBAR and escalation for NCLEX-RN and PN
• NCLEX-PN: The LPN/VN RoleCoordinated Care, PN vs RN scope, what to report, working with UAP, and consent and client rights under the 2026 NCLEX-PN test plan

Fundamentals & Safety

• Infection Control and IsolationStandard and transmission-based precautions, PPE order, hand hygiene, neutropenic precautions, sharps and room assignment
• Isolation Precautions by OrganismStandard, contact, droplet and airborne precautions by organism, PPE order, N95 fit, AIIR, cohorting, transport, neutropenic precautions and visitor teaching
• Client PositioningPositions by situation: after surgery and procedures, breathing, shock, ICP, feeding, pregnancy, newborns, pressure injury, log rolling and traction
• Therapeutic DietsLiquid and IDDSI texture diets, sodium, renal and carbohydrate diets, special diets, drug–food interactions, nutrient-rich foods and NPO
• Diagnostic Tests and Procedure PrepBefore, during and after cath, thoracentesis, paracentesis, LP, biopsies, bronchoscopy, contrast CT and MRI, scopes and bowel prep, EEG, stress tests and PFTs
• Perioperative CareConsent, NPO times, home medications, checklist and time-out; PACU priorities and Aldrete; post-op complications by timing, dehiscence, malignant hyperthermia
• Fluids, IV Therapy and ElectrolytesIV fluids by tonicity, fluid deficit vs overload, infiltration, extravasation and phlebitis, six electrolyte pairs and safe IV potassium
• Oxygenation and Respiratory NursingHypoxia signs, oxygen devices and SpO₂ targets, lung expansion, suctioning, tracheostomy and chest tube care, and ABGs in four steps
• Normal Vital Signs by Age: Adult, Child and InfantHeart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, temperature and SpO₂ from newborn to adult, and when to report

Conditions & Basic Care

• Physiological Adaptation: Conditions at a GlanceCue cluster, first action, key drug, teaching and when to report, by body system, for the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN
• Mobility, Assistive Devices and ImmobilityCanes, walkers and crutches, transfers and safe handling, casts, traction, halo, amputation care and the hazards of bed rest for the NCLEX
• Elimination, Ostomy and Catheter CareStomas and pouching, high-output ileostomy, ileal conduit, irrigation, bowel programs, impaction, bladder training, catheters, CAUTI, specimens, sitz baths and PD sites for the NCLEX
• Hygiene, Sensory Deficits and Comfort MeasuresHearing aids, Deaf clients and interpreters, vision loss and eye devices, ear and oral care, bathing and diabetic feet, heat and cold, and communicating after a stroke for the NCLEX
• Nutrition, Tube Feeding and Medications by TubeTube placement checks, residuals, aspiration precautions, flushing, drugs through tubes, NG suction, PEG care, TPN basics and diets for GI symptoms for the NCLEX-RN and PN
• End of Life, Hospice, Pain and SleepSigns that death is near, comfort in the last days, around-the-clock opioids, fentanyl patches and PCA, pain without self-report, sleep, fatigue and postmortem care for the NCLEX

Pharmacology

• Pharmacology by Class and SuffixDrug-name stems, prototypes, the check before each dose, key adverse effects, teaching, antidotes and look-alike traps
• High-Alert Meds and InsulinISMP list, insulin timing, rule of 15, anticoagulants and reversal, digoxin, IV potassium, naloxone, safe orders and the rights
• Dosage Calculation for the ExamCore formulas, IV rates, safe-dose checks, NCLEX rounding and conversions
• Insulin Types Chart: Onset, Peak and DurationRapid, short, intermediate, long, ultra-long and premixed insulins with brand names, meal timing, mixing, hypoglycemia and NCLEX traps

Psychosocial & Legal

• Therapeutic Communication and Defense MechanismsTechniques vs blocks, defense mechanisms, relationship phases, crisis, suicide screening, de-escalation, grief and “best response” items
• Legal and Ethical TermsTorts, consent, advance directives, HIPAA, mandatory reporting, restraints, scope, assignments and ethical principles for the NCLEX-RN

Cardiovascular & Hemodynamics

• Shock Types at a GlanceHemodynamic patterns, exam findings and first treatments for each shock type
• Heart FailureHFrEF vs HFpEF, stages, GDMT pillars, warm/cold profiles, shock and diuretics
• Peripheral Vascular EmergenciesAcute limb ischemia, grafts and access sites, carotid procedures, DVT and PICC clots, VTE prevention, arterial vs venous care, compression stockings, Buerger and Raynaud
• Rhythm Gallery21 drawn strips: how to name each rhythm and the first move exams expect
• BLS, High-Quality CPR and ChokingRecognition, compressions, breaths and AED for adults, children and infants, choking relief, special cases and team roles (2025)
• Implanted Cardiac Devices: Pacemakers, ICDs and Wearable DefibrillatorsPacemaker codes and failures, ICD shocks, S-ICD and WCD limits, magnets, cautery and MRI, and discharge teaching
• NCLEX EKG Rhythms: What Nursing Students Need to KnowThe rhythm strips NCLEX expects you to recognize, how to remember heart blocks, and the nursing action for each

Respiratory & Airway

• ABG Interpretation in 6 StepspH, PaCO₂, HCO₃⁻, compensation, anion gap and oxygenation, with worked examples

Sepsis, Renal & Metabolic

• Sepsis and Septic Shock BundleSepsis-3 definitions, the Hour-1 bundle and SSC 2026 changes for exam review
• Electrolyte ImbalancesNa, K, Ca, Mg and phos: normals, ECG clues, safe replacement, hyperkalemia steps
• DKA and HHS2024 consensus criteria, treatment order, potassium, euglycemic DKA and monitoring
• Blood Products and TransfusionComponents, triggers, compatibility, reactions, massive transfusion, reversal
• Acute Abdomen and GI Surgical EmergenciesObstruction and NG decompression, ileus and Ogilvie, mesenteric ischemia, perforation, Whipple and bariatric leaks, dumping and Fournier gangrene
• Lab Values to KnowNormal ranges in US units, therapeutic drug levels, and acting on a critical result

Neuro, Sedation & Toxicology

• Toxidromes and AntidotesToxidromes, antidotes and decontamination for exam review
• Mental Health: Meds and CommunicationPsychotropic classes, serotonin syndrome vs NMS, therapeutic communication, suicide safety, restraints and alcohol withdrawal

Trauma & Emergency

• BurnsBurn depth, TBSA, fluid resuscitation, inhalation injury, special burns and ABA referral criteria for exam review

Skin & Wounds

• Pressure Injury Staging and Wound CareStaging in plain words, prevention, wound assessment, dressings by wound bed, healing, drains and wound vacuums, dehiscence and infection

Maternity & Pediatrics

• Obstetric EmergenciesPPH, preeclampsia and eclampsia, late-pregnancy bleeding, delivery emergencies and maternal arrest
• Labor and Fetal MonitoringStages of labor, FHR strips, VEAL CHOP, NICHD categories, postpartum checks and Rh immune globulin
• Postpartum and Newborn NormalsFundus and lochia, BUBBLE-HE, PPH, Rh and vaccines, newborn vital signs, Apgar, jaundice, glucose, screening and discharge teaching
• Newborn Care and ResuscitationApgar, NRP 9th edition steps, SpO2 targets and newborn vital signs for exam review
• Pediatric Assessment and EmergenciesPAT, vital signs, airway infections, febrile seizures, dehydration, arrest, choking and abuse
• Pediatrics: Growth, Vital Signs and ImmunizationsMilestones, Erikson and play, vital signs, vaccines, safety, pain scales and dehydration for NCLEX