Category · 64 posts
For nurses sitting the registered-nurse licensure.
Strategy, CAT mechanics, and content tracks for the RN exam.
NCLEX practice questions build the format, timing, and clinical-judgment skills the exam tests — including the six NGN item types. Free sources like NCSBN Learning Extension and Testavia help, but not all free banks include NGN content. Most RN candidates do 1,500–2,500 questions before testing.
Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) launched April 1, 2023 for NCLEX-RN and PN. NGN items are built on the Clinical Judgment Measurement Model — a six-function framework for clinical reasoning. Item types include unfolding case studies, bow-tie, trend, highlight, matrix, and cloze, some with partial credit. All current candidates take NGN.
Mental health NCLEX questions fall under Psychosocial Integrity (6–12% of the NCLEX-RN): therapeutic communication, psychiatric disorders, crisis intervention, and substance use. The most-tested skill is therapeutic communication — the response that opens dialogue and avoids advice, false reassurance, or 'why' questions.
More than 40 U.S. states participate in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), letting RNs and LPNs practice across member states on one multistate license. California and New York are notable non-members. The compact only applies if your HOME state is a member — verify the current list at nursecompact.com.