Why NCLEX Practice Questions Matter
In this article, we’ll discuss the how, why and where of free NCLEX practice questions. We’ll tackle how these will boost your NCLEX success and where to find them. Then, you’ll also know tips to maximize their use and their alternatives.
What is NCLEX in the first place? The NCLEX or National Council Licensure Examination, a standardized exam for nursing licensure, comes in two forms:
- NCLEX-RN for aspiring Registered Nurses
- NCLEX-PN for aspiring Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) or Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN)
We’ll focus more on the NCLEX-RN, but many of the tips here apply to NCLEX-PN, too.
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Why should you practice on free NCLEX practice questions in the first place? You’ll be more competent and confident in your test-taking ability because you’re:
- Becoming more familiar with the NCLEX’s format and difficulty
- Enhancing your critical thinking skills and test-taking strategies
- Getting detailed answer explanations for both correct and incorrect answers
So, if you want to enjoy these benefits, get NCLEX practice test free questions ASAP.
How Free NCLEX Practice Questions Can Help You Prepare
Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of answering NCLEX exam practice questions.
Improve Your Test-taking Skills
You become familiar with the NCLEX including its format and questions. Doing so means decreasing your test anxiety while increasing your confidence.
The NCLEX uses many question types to test different nursing knowledge and skills. Note that it isn’t about memory recall but real-world applications.
- Multiple-choice questions where you’ll select the best answer from many choices.
- Select-all-that-apply or multiple-response questions where you must select all the correct answers.
- Fill-in-the-blank calculation questions that test your ability for accurate dosage calculations.
- Ordered response questions where you arrange nursing actions in their correct order.
- Hot-spot and drag-and-drop questions are interactive questions.
With practice, you become more familiar and comfortable with these question types.
Enhance Your Critical Thinking Skills
Taking NCLEX practice questions with answers improves your critical thinking skills, too. The NCLEX tests your critical thinking skills through its Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT).
In CAT, the difficulty of succeeding questions is based on your previous answers. If you choose the correct answer, the next question may be more difficult. If you choose the incorrect answer, the next question may be easier. The format reflects your ability to apply nursing knowledge using critical thinking.
You’ll get useful insights into the reason for the correct answers. By reading the rationales, you’ll understand more about the whys and hows of nursing practices.
Identify Your Knowledge Gaps or Weak Areas
You can then focus on these areas and, thus, maximize your study time. Taking practice tests also encourages active learning and, thus, active recall.
Reinforce Your Ability to Keep and Process Information
Regular sessions with free NCLEX-RN questions boost the retention of key nursing concepts. Being able to remember also helps in processing information.
Boost Your Time Management Skills
You only have five hours at most to complete the exam. But it can be cut short depending on your correct answers. The NCLEX has between 85 and 150 questions. It will stop when the system determines with 95% confidence the pass/fail performance.
With timed practice sessions, you can pace yourself for the actual exam. You’ll also develop your stamina for it.
The bottom line: Maximize the use of free NCLEX practice questions with answers. You’re not only doing rote memorization – you’re preparing for nursing success, too.
Where to Find Free NCLEX Practice Questions with Explanations
You’ll find many places where free NCLEX practice questions with explanations are available. The trick is in choosing the best ones – free yet updated and reliable.
Check out these places for the best NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN practice test-free questions.
NCSBN NCLEX Test Plan
Go straight to the source – the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). The nonprofit organization develops and administers the NCLEX for RNs and PNs.
Check out its official website for free NCLEX study resources. You’ll also find a candidate tutorial, an information flyer, and a candidate bulletin.
The NCSBN NCLEX Test Plan is its official test plan. In it, you’ll find the exam structure and format, as well as sample questions. Note that it’s updated every three years, and new questions are regularly added. In April 2023, it was updated with New Generation NCLEX (NGN) questions.
UWorld
This is a popular NCLEX exam preparation site for aspiring RNs and PNs. You’ll find a large question bank with rigorous practice questions and explanations. Other features include NGN questions, performance tracking, and test simulation mode.
Kaplan NCLEX Prep
The extensive test review program features an extensive bank of nursing exam practice questions. You’ll learn the decision tree strategy in answering NCLEX-style questions. Other features are content review, full-length practice tests, and performance analytics. Live, instructor-led and on-demand, self-paced options are available.
Nursing.com
This is a popular platform with a free NCLEX test bank. You’ll find 6,000-plus NCLEX-style questions and explanations. The site emphasizes active recall and simplified learning techniques. There are full-length practice exams, visual learning tools, and performance analytics, too. You may access the site through your mobile phone.
BoardVitals NCLEX Question Bank
The site provides an extensive database of practice questions with rationales, too. Its adaptive learning technology enables aspirants to become familiar with CAT. You can create personalized quiz sessions from it, too. Other features include NCLEX study tips, mobile access, and performance analytics.
RegisteredNursing.org Free NCLEX Practice Test
Find NCLEX practice questions online for free access here, too. Every question comes with a detailed explanation of the answers. The practice questions test your knowledge of core nursing topics. There’s an instant scoring feature and feedback mechanism, too.
NursesLabs Free NCLEX Practice Questions
Test your clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills with the free NCLEX-style questions. You’ll find thousands of updated questions on diverse nursing topics. Every question has detailed rationales, too, which reinforce active learning. There are also useful tips on how to pass the NCLEX exam.
We cannot overemphasize the importance of choosing reputable. Doing so means that you’re:
- Getting up-to-date content based on the current NCLEX exam
- Practicing contemporary NCLEX-style questions and their detailed explanations
- Maximizing your study time and strategies to pass the NCLEX
- Building your confidence in trusted sources
Your ultimate goal in taking advantage of these resources is to pass the NCLEX. One part of it is their quality, reliability, and accuracy. Another part of it is your ability to take full advantage of their features.
Sample Free NCLEX Practice Questions with Answers & Explanations
Multiple-Choice Question
Question: A patient with heart failure is on furosemide (Lasix). Which of these findings demands immediate intervention?
A) Serum potassium level: 3.0 mEq/L
B) Presence of mild pedal edema
C) Blood pressure of 110/70 mmHg
D) Urine output of 300 mL over 8 hours
Correct answer: A
A) Serum potassium level: 3.0 mEq/L. This is a low level that can result in cardiac dysrhythmias.
B) The presence of mild pedal edema isn’t a priority over low potassium levels.
C) Blood pressure of 110/70 mmHg is within normal range.
D) Urine output of 300 mL over 8 hours isn’t critical, but it’s slightly low.
Select-All-That-Apply (SATA) Question
Question: A nurse wants to reinforce health education about peptic ulcer disease from Helicobacter pylori to a patient. Select the answers that indicate the patient’s correct understanding.
A) “I will take my antibiotics according to the doctor’s prescriptions.”
B) “I will drink milk to relieve my symptoms.”
C) “I must not take ibuprofen, aspirin, and other NSAIDs.”
D) “I will limit, if not avoid, drinking alcohol and eating spicy foods.”
E) “I will only take omeprazole in case of heartburn.”
Correct Answers: A, C, D
Explanation:
A) Proper intake of antibiotics will eliminate H. pylori infections.
B) Drinking milk increases acid production and worsens ulcers.
C) Taking NSAIDs worsens ulcers because these can irritate the stomach lining.
D) Both alcohol and spicy foods also irritate the stomach lining.
E) Omeprazole isn’t only for symptom relief – it’s to prevent worsening of symptoms.
Priority (Ordered Response) Question
Question: A patient has undergone a total hip replacement. What’s the order of priority that a nurse must take?
1. Help the patient in the proper use of the incentive spirometer.
2. Determine the need for drainage.
3. Give the prescribed pain medication via IV.
4. Encourage early ambulation.
Correct Order: 3 → 2 → 1 → 4
Explanation:
3. Give the prescribed pain medication via IV. Provide pain control first to aid in mobility and breathing.
2. Determine the need for drainage. Check for complications, including excessive bleeding after pain control.
1. Help the patient with the proper use of the incentive spirometer. It promotes lung expansion while preventing atelectasis.
4. Encourage early ambulation: Being mobile is crucial after surgery.
Dosage Calculation (Fill-in-the-Blank) Question
Question: A doctor prescribes 4 mg of morphine sulfate every four hours for a patient. If a vial contains 10 mg/ml, how many mL should a nurse give per dose?
Correct Answer: 0.4 mL
Tips for Maximizing Your NCLEX Practice Sessions
Based on the sample questions above, passing the NCLEX isn’t about rote memorization. You must have critical and analytical thinking skills, too. Your clinical judgment and reasoning skills are put to the test, too.
For these reasons, you must maximize your NCLEX practice sessions. By the time you’re taking the actual NCLEX exam, you’re ready.
Strategies to Answer Questions Effectively
- Read the question carefully first. Look for keywords like “first,” “best,” or “priority.”
- Remove the incorrect answers to increase your chances of choosing the correct one.
- Use the process of elimination, such as eliminating irrelevant or unsafe answers.
- Apply the Airway, Breathing, Circulation (ABC) principle unless otherwise deemed unsafe.
- Use the ADPIE nursing process.
It takes practice, but practice doesn’t make perfect – it makes for more confidence.
Tips to Analyze Incorrect Answers to Improve Weak Areas
This is where NCLEX question explanations come in.
- Review the explanations and understand their rationale.
- Be mindful of the patterns in your mistakes. Focus your study time on these weak areas.
- Write down your incorrect answers and their explanations to reinforce learning.
- Think of the relationships between your weak areas. Work on making them better.
Be sure to practice all the different question types. Then, focus on your weakest and improve them.
Time Management Tips for Practice Tests
Practice pacing yourself during the practice tests. When you’re in the actual test, you’re more relaxed without being complacent about your time.
- Take full-length, timed practice exams.
- Aim for about one minute for every question.
- Make an educated guess about the questions you’re unsure of the answer.
- Flag the difficult questions and return to them if time allows.
Then, assess your pace and performance afterward. Adjust your pace if you’re spending too much time or rushing through certain sections.
In both your practice tests and the actual NCLEX, time can be your friend or foe. Practice so that it becomes your friend.
Additional Free Study Resources for NCLEX Preparation
The above-mentioned free NCLEX study resources are already enough. But if you want to supplement them, consider these resources, too.
- Khan Academy offers free NCLEX video tutorials for visual learners.
- Simple Nursing provides free flashcards for quick reviews and memorization.
- Quizlet also offers thousands of NCLEX flashcards on diverse nursing topics.
- Nurse Plus Academy provides a free NCLEX test simulator.
- Mometrix also offers an extensive bank of NCLEX free practice questions
Conclusion: How to Make the Most of Free NCLEX Practice Questions
In conclusion, you must use the best free NCLEX practice tests to boost your exam success. But you must do so in a consistent manner – adopt a study plan, for starters.
Practice every day. Review the explanations well. Take full-length practice exams. Stay positive. You’ll find that, indeed, consistency and commitment are a must.
Be sure to explore more free NCLEX resources and study guides. You can never have too much of a good thing, after all.