NCLEX-PN^® Practice Test

The National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN^®) is an exam designed for entry-level practical nurses and vocational nurses (LPN or VN).

Click the “Start Test” button above to take a free NCLEX-PN practice test!

About the NCLEX-PN Exam

The NCLEX-PN is a computer-adaptive test (CAT), which means each question you answer correctly determines the difficulty of the next question, as well as the overall number of questions you will answer. For this reason, there are anywhere between 85 and 150 questions on the NCLEX-PN. There are 15 pretest questions embedded in the total number of questions.

Pretest questions are used to determine the usefulness of such items in future iterations of the exam, which means they are not scored. However, you will not be able to tell the difference between scored questions and unscored pretest questions, so do the best you can on each consecutive question.

Questions will cease once it is determined with 95 percent certainty that you have answered enough questions correctly or incorrectly to fall above or below the standard for passing the exam. The standard for passing the NCLEX-PN is re-evaluated every three years. You must perform above the passing standard on the test in order to pass.

NCLEX-PN Outline

In terms of content and structure, the NCLEX-PN covers several content areas, each with specific weights. Below are the content areas, potential topics, and specific weight ranges per section (which are dependent on the number of questions you end up completing).

• Coordinated Care: 18%-24%
• Safety and Infection Prevention and Control: 10%-16%
• Health Promotion and Maintenance: 6%-12%
• Psychosocial Integrity: 9%-15%
• Basic Care and Comfort: 7%-13%
• Pharmacological Therapies: 10%-16%
• Reduction of Risk Potential: 9%-15%
• Physiological Adaptation: 7%-13%

How the Test is Scored

The NCLEX-PN is scored using a rather unique system. Rather than receiving a point value that reflects either the number of correct answers or the average difficulty level of questions you answered, the score here will be measured in “logits.”

Because the NCLEX-PN exam is computer-adaptive, NCSBN uses a logit🛈 A logit is a unit of measurement that NCSBN uses to report relative differences between test-taker ability estimates and item difficulties. scoring system to determine whether a test-taker passes or fails. In essence, if you receive a logit score of -0.18 or higher, you have answered enough questions correctly and have passed the exam. If you receive a logit score that is lower than -0.18, you have not answered enough questions correctly and have failed the exam.

This logit is being continuously adjusted based on each question you answer which is why there is such a wide range in the number of questions you’ll have to answer on the test. If you reach the minimum 85 questions and the computer program is able to determine with 95% accuracy that you have either passed or failed, the test will end there.

If it is not 95% certain of your results, you will continue to see questions until it is certain or until you reach the maximum of 150 questions. If you reach the maximum, it will do a final assessment to determine if you have met the passing standard.

This might all sound a little complicated but, basically: the better you do, the fewer questions you have to answer. But even if you end up having to answer 150 questions, you might still pass the exam.

If you have met the passing standard, you will simply be informed that you passed the exam. You will only see a detailed report of how you performed on each section of the test if you failed.

Computer-Adaptive Testing

The NCLEX-PN is computer-adaptive, meaning that the test monitors your responses and adapts the questions to match your abilities. Here’s a look at how it works:

Essentially, if you answer a question correctly, you get a more difficult question, but if you are incorrect, you are given an easier question to answer.

Study Tips

Start with an NCLEX Practice Test

Before creating your study schedule, take an NCLEX-PN practice test to establish a starting point. You don’t need to wait until you have reviewed every disorder, medication, and nursing procedure. At this stage, the goal is to identify which areas of practical nursing and clinical judgment need the most improvement.

Review your results according to the following “client needs” categories:

• Safe and Effective Care Environment: Can you organize and prioritize care, collaborate with the healthcare team, contribute to the plan of care, identify environmental hazards, and respond safely to emergencies?
• Health Promotion and Maintenance: Do you understand growth and development, pregnancy and newborn care, health screening, disease prevention, lifestyle choices, and age-appropriate care?
• Psychosocial Integrity: Can you communicate therapeutically, recognize changes in mental or emotional status, support clients experiencing stress or loss, and respond appropriately to behavioral concerns?
• Physiological Integrity: Can you recognize and respond to acute, chronic, or life-threatening changes in a client’s physical condition?
• Clinical Judgment: Can you recognize important cues, analyze what those findings mean, identify the priority problem, choose appropriate interventions, take action, and evaluate the client’s response?

Identifying those specific weaknesses will show you where to devote more attention during your study time.

Review Difficult Questions

After each practice session, review every question you answered incorrectly AND every question you guessed on or answered with low confidence. Guessing correctly does not necessarily mean that you have mastered the skill.

For each difficult question, determine which of the following caused the problem:

• You did not know the underlying condition, medication, procedure, or nursing principle.
• You overlooked an important symptom, vital sign, laboratory result, or change in the client’s condition.
• You failed to distinguish an expected finding from a possible complication.
• You confused the responsibilities of the LPN/VN with those of assistive personnel.
• You selected an intervention outside the nurse’s legal scope of practice.
• You made a dosage-calculation or medication-administration error.
• You misread a negative phrase such as “requires intervention”
• You misread a negative phrase such as “requires further teaching” or “needs intervention.”
• You struggled to interpret an exhibit, chart, case study, or unfamiliar item format.
• You spent too long debating between answers without identifying the central nursing issue.

Then, outline a specific plan for improvement based on what you discovered. In other words, don’t just say, “I need to study medications.” Specify that you need to review adverse effects of anticoagulants, calculate oral liquid dosages, or identify which client findings should be reported before administering a medication.

Similarly, replace “practice prioritization” with a more useful goal such as recognizing acute changes, comparing stable and unstable clients, or identifying which findings require immediate reporting.

Utilize Answer Explanations

Answer explanations are an underutilized studying resource. To take full advantage of them, read the explanation for every question you found difficult, including questions you answered correctly.

For each one, make sure you can confidently explain:

1. Why the correct answer is the safest and most appropriate response
2. Why each incorrect option is less appropriate
3. What nursing concept or Client Needs category is being tested
4. Which client information is most important
5. Whether the LPN/VN should provide care, collect more data, reinforce teaching, collaborate, or report the finding
6. How the correct decision would change if the client’s condition or circumstances were different

Don’t stop after reading that one intervention is correct. Determine why it takes priority over the alternatives. Ask whether the decision is based on an immediate threat to safety, an unexpected change, infection prevention, medication risk, scope of practice, or the need to notify another member of the healthcare team.

For case-study questions, review the client’s record again and identify which findings were relevant.

Study Nursing Decisions, Not Individual Questions

Memorizing the answer to one NCLEX question will not prepare you for a different client with different medications, symptoms, test results, and risk factors. Your goal should be to understand the nursing knowledge and decision-making process behind the answer.

For example, determine which finding(s) represented an acute change, why it threatened the client’s safety, and why the other clients could safely wait.

Similarly, don’t study medications as isolated lists of names. Connect each medication’s indication, therapeutic effect, administration route, contraindications, adverse effects, interactions, laboratory monitoring, dosage calculations, client education, and required nursing response.

The exact questions on your test will be different from the ones you encounter during practice. If you can explain a skill without looking at your notes and then apply it correctly to a new question, that is a good indication that you have mastered it.

NCLEX-PN Online Prep Course

If you want to be fully prepared, Mometrix offers an online NCLEX-PN prep course designed to give you everything you need to succeed!

Here’s what you’ll find in the NCLEX-PN course:

Everyone learns differently, so we’ve tailored the NCLEX-PN online prep course to ensure every learner has what they need to prepare for the NCLEX-PN exam.

Click below to check it out!

How to Pass

At this point, you should have a better understanding of the content and structure of the NCLEX-PN. You are undoubtedly ready to begin the process of preparing for the exam. You can help yourself on exam day by getting enough rest, eating properly, and managing your stress. But, the best way to ensure you do well on the NCLEX-PN is to thoroughly prepare.

Mometrix Test Preparation has the test preparation materials you need in the NCLEX Secrets study guide, which gives you real NCLEX-PN content, including expert tips aimed at helping you reduce stress, recall information, and ensure high performance.

In addition to the NCLEX Secrets study guide, Mometrix Test Preparation also offers a comprehensive NCLEX-PN Practice Test, NCLEX Flashcards, and an online NCLEX-PN course!

FAQs

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