NCLEX practice questions with answers: 10 questions, full rationales and a method that transfers
10 NCLEX-RN practice questions with answers and rationales, one per Client Needs area, plus a 5-step method for answering NCLEX-style questions.
Below are 10 NCLEX-RN practice questions with answers and rationales, one from each Client Needs area on NCSBN's 2026 test plan, plus two select-all-that-apply items. Answer each one before you open the rationale.
- Volume isn't the goal. What makes practice questions work is reviewing why each option is right or wrong and logging the mistake type.
- Match the real exam. The NCLEX-RN is adaptive, 85 to 150 items in up to five hours, and Management of Care (15–21%) and Pharmacology (13–19%) are the two biggest areas (NCSBN 2026 RN Test Plan).
- Use the official samples too. NCSBN publishes a Candidate Tutorial, an NGN Sample Pack and an Exam Preview on nclex.com.
Searching for "NCLEX practice questions" usually turns up two things: huge question dumps with one-line answers, or sales pages. This guide is neither. It gives you ten carefully written NCLEX-style questions, explains every option, and then shows you a repeatable way to answer questions you've never seen before, which is the only skill the exam really rewards.
Start here: one question
Before reading any strategy, try this one cold. Notice how you decide, not just what you pick.
The nurse receives report on four clients. Which client should the nurse assess first?
If you picked the thyroidectomy client, you probably used one of the rules below without naming it: unexpected beats expected, and airway risk beats everything else. Naming the rule is what turns one right answer into many.
How to answer NCLEX-style questions: a 5-step method
NCLEX items are written so that more than one option sounds like something a good nurse would do. A method keeps you from picking the option that's merely true instead of the one that answers the question.
- Name the real question. Finish this sentence before you read the options: "They want the ___ action/finding for a client with ___ who is ___." Watch qualifiers such as first, priority, requires follow-up, further teaching is needed and expected.
- Find the client's biggest risk. Use the stem only. What could hurt this client in the next few minutes or hours? Airway, breathing, circulation, bleeding, falls, suicide risk and infection spread are the usual answers.
- Judge each option on its own. Ask "Is this safe, correct and relevant for this client right now?" An option can be a true nursing fact and still be wrong for this stem.
- Apply a tiebreaker. Safety and ABCs first, then acute over chronic, unexpected over expected, and assessment before action unless the situation is an emergency. For more, see Priority & delegation questions.
- Commit and move on. The NCLEX doesn't let you go back. If you've applied the method and are still stuck, pick the safest option and keep your pace.
What the NCLEX-RN actually tests
Good practice questions mirror the real blueprint. NCSBN's 2026 RN Test Plan, in effect from April 1, 2026, splits the exam into eight Client Needs areas (NCSBN 2026 RN Test Plan):
| Client Needs area | Share of the exam | Question below |
|---|---|---|
| Management of Care | 15–21% | Q9 (informed consent) |
| Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies | 13–19% | Q1 (ACE inhibitor) |
| Physiological Adaptation | 11–17% | Q3 (chest tube) |
| Safety and Infection Prevention and Control | 10–16% | Q2 (C. diff, select all) |
| Reduction of Risk Potential | 9–15% | Q4 (femoral cath site) |
| Health Promotion and Maintenance | 6–12% | Q5 (postpartum fundus) |
| Psychosocial Integrity | 6–12% | Q6 (suicide risk) |
| Basic Care and Comfort | 6–12% | Q7 (dysphagia, select all) |
Items come in several formats: standard multiple choice, select all that apply, and the Next Generation formats (matrix, bowtie, drag-and-drop, highlight and others), many of them inside clinical judgment case studies. NCSBN says there's no fixed percentage of any one format on an exam (NCLEX FAQs). For how each format is scored, see Next Gen NCLEX question types and How to answer SATA questions.
10 NCLEX practice questions with answers
Each question below is interactive: choose your answer, then reveal the rationale. Try to say why before you check.
Q1. Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies
A client started lisinopril 3 days ago for hypertension. The client calls the clinic and reports new swelling of the lips and tongue. Which instruction should the nurse give?
Drug questions get easier once you can read the class from the name (the -pril in lisinopril means ACE inhibitor). See our NCLEX pharmacology guide and drug suffix cheat sheet.
Q2. Safety and Infection Prevention and Control
A client is admitted with diarrhea and a positive test for Clostridioides difficile (C. diff). Which actions should the nurse take? Select all that apply.
Q3. Physiological Adaptation
A client has a chest tube connected to a wet-suction drainage system after a pneumothorax. The nurse notices continuous bubbling in the water-seal chamber. What should the nurse do first?
Q4. Reduction of Risk Potential
Two hours after a cardiac catheterization through the right femoral artery, the client says, "My groin feels warm and wet." The nurse sees blood on the dressing. What is the nurse's first action?
Q5. Health Promotion and Maintenance
A client who gave birth vaginally 4 hours ago has a fundus that is firm, 2 cm above the umbilicus and shifted to the right. Lochia is moderate rubra. What should the nurse do first?
Q6. Psychosocial Integrity
A client being treated for depression says quietly, "I won't be a problem for anyone much longer." Which response by the nurse is best?
Q7. Basic Care and Comfort
A client with dysphagia after a stroke is starting a diet ordered with thickened liquids. Which actions should the nurse include at mealtime? Select all that apply.
Q8. Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies (select 2)
A client is starting IV vancomycin. Which actions should the nurse take? Select 2.
Q9. Management of Care
A client scheduled for surgery in an hour is about to sign the consent form and says, "I'm still not sure what they're going to remove." What should the nurse do?
Q10. Management of Care (delegation)
The RN is working with a licensed practical nurse (LPN/VN) and an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). Which task should the RN keep?
How to get the most out of practice questions
Practice questions are one of the best study tools there are, because answering a question forces you to retrieve information, which strengthens memory more than rereading notes (see Study science for the NCLEX). But only if you use them well:
- Review every option, not just your misses. If you got a question right by luck, you still have a gap. Read every rationale.
- Label each miss. Was it a content gap (didn't know it), a misread stem (missed "first" or "further teaching"), or a judgment slip (picked a true-but-not-priority option)? Content gaps go into flashcards. The other two improve with repetition.
- Mix your topics. Real exams don't group questions by system. Mixed sets feel harder but build the skill of recognizing what a question is about.
- Time some sessions. Five hours over up to 150 items works out to about two minutes per item at full length. Case studies take longer, so practice a steady pace.
- Watch your trend, not one score. A single bad set means little. A category that stays weak for two weeks is your signal to change how you study it.
Official NCLEX practice resources from NCSBN
NCSBN, which develops the NCLEX, publishes a few resources worth using alongside any question bank (NCLEX: Prepare for the exam):
- Candidate Tutorial: shows how the Pearson VUE testing software works, including the NGN item formats (open the tutorial). Do it at least once so nothing on test day looks unfamiliar.
- NGN Sample Pack: example RN and PN case studies and other item examples written by NCSBN.
- Exam Preview: shows how the different item types fit together in a full exam.
- 2026 RN Test Plan: the official blueprint of what's tested, including the Client Needs percentages above (test plan PDF).
One thing to know: NCSBN states that it doesn't recommend or endorse any review course or study material (NCLEX FAQs). Be skeptical of anything that claims to be "official NCLEX questions" or says it contains real exam items. Use third-party question banks, including Mars, for practice and feedback, not as a preview of the actual test.
Common traps these questions were built around
- True but not first (Q3, Q4): several options are reasonable, but only one addresses the immediate risk.
- Expected vs unexpected (opening question, Q5): post-op pain or a high fundus has a usual explanation. Tingling after neck surgery doesn't.
- False reassurance (Q6): options like "you'll be fine" or "things will get better" are almost never right in therapeutic communication items. Our therapeutic communication guide lists the other blockers and the safety exceptions.
- Scope of practice (Q9, Q10): ask who is responsible for this task, not just whether it's a good idea.
- Preference vs safety (Q7): honor preferences unless they conflict with a safety order.
- Wrong precaution (Q2): a real precaution (N95) that doesn't fit this organism.
Clinical content in these practice questions reflects standard nursing references and is for exam study only; follow your facility's policies and your provider's orders in practice. Mars AI is an independent study tool and isn't affiliated with NCSBN or Pearson VUE.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find NCLEX practice questions with answers?
This page has 10 with full rationales. NCSBN also publishes a Candidate Tutorial, an NGN Sample Pack and an Exam Preview on nclex.com. Question banks, including Mars, add daily sets and feedback.
Are there official NCLEX practice questions?
NCSBN publishes sample items through its tutorial and NGN Sample Pack, but it doesn't release real exam questions, and it says it doesn't endorse any review course or study material (NCLEX FAQs).
How many NCLEX practice questions should I do a day?
There's no official number. A consistent daily set that you review carefully, including the rationale for every option, usually helps more than a large number done quickly.
How do you answer NCLEX questions you don't know?
Fall back on principles: protect the airway and safety first, choose acute over chronic and unexpected over expected, assess before acting unless it's an emergency, and avoid options that delay care or rely on information the stem didn't give.
What percentage of practice questions should I get right to pass?
The NCLEX doesn't use a percent-correct score, and scores from different question banks aren't comparable. Watch your trend over time and which Client Needs areas stay weak. See How the NCLEX works.
Are SATA questions on the NCLEX scored with partial credit?
Yes. Select-all-that-apply items use plus/minus scoring, and items that tell you how many to pick use zero/one scoring (NCLEX FAQs). Details in How to answer SATA questions.
Sources
- NCSBN, 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan (Client Needs percentages, exam length)
- NCSBN, NCLEX FAQs (partial-credit scoring, no fixed format mix, no endorsement of review courses)
- NCSBN, Prepare for the NCLEX (Candidate Tutorial, Sample Pack, Exam Preview)
- Pearson VUE, NCLEX Candidate Tutorial
For study purposes only. Always follow your program, your facility's policies and your board of nursing.