NCLEX-PN (Practical Nurse Licensure Exam)

What you will practice:

These competencies appear inside every question category.

• Therapeutic Caring
• Establishing trust and rapport
• Maintaining dignity and privacy during procedures
• Providing emotional reassurance during illness, pain, or procedures
• Supporting culturally appropriate care decisions
• Respecting client autonomy
• Communication & Documentation
• SBAR reporting to RN/provider
• Accurate charting of observations, interventions, and outcomes
• Legal documentation standards
• Shift handoff communication
• Use of approved medical terminology
• Cultural & Spiritual Considerations
• Incorporating beliefs into care routines
• Supporting spiritual practices within facility policy
• Addressing language barriers (interpreters, communication aids)
• Teaching & Reinforcement
• Reinforcing RN teaching plans
• Medication instruction
• Device use education (glucometer, inhaler, walker)
• Evaluating client understanding
• Practical Nursing Process
• Focused data collection
• Implementing RN-developed care plans
• Monitoring outcomes
• Reporting deterioration

Tip: After topic practice, do mixed sets under time pressure and review missed questions immediately.

What you will practice:

Every candidate receives case studies + clinical judgment items.

• You must demonstrate ability to:
• Recognize Cues
• Abnormal vitals
• Lab changes
• New symptoms
• Behavioral changes
• Analyze Cues
• Identify patterns
• Separate relevant vs irrelevant findings
• Link symptoms to possible problems
• Prioritize Hypotheses
• Identify life-threatening issues first
• Rank client needs by urgency
• Generate Solutions
• Select appropriate nursing actions
• Identify expected outcomes
• Take Action (PN Scope)
• Perform delegated interventions
• Initiate safety measures
• Escalate appropriately
• Evaluate Outcomes
• Reassess client response
• Decide if care goals were met
• Report unresolved issues
• NGN formats include:
• Case studies (6-question sets)
• Bow-tie questions
• Matrix/grid items
• Drag-and-drop sequencing
• Highlighting

Tip: After topic practice, do mixed sets under time pressure and review missed questions immediately.

What you will practice:

Focus: functioning safely within the healthcare team.

• Focus: functioning safely within the healthcare team.
• Care Coordination
• Admission and discharge preparation
• Receiving/giving reports
• Scheduling diagnostics
• Following RN care plans
• Delegation Awareness
• Accepting appropriate tasks
• Knowing when to refuse unsafe assignments
• Understanding CNA vs PN vs RN roles
• Collaboration
• Communicating with therapists, providers, social workers
• Reporting findings promptly
• Legal Responsibilities
• Client rights
• Confidentiality (HIPAA)
• Mandatory abuse reporting
• Incident documentation
• Ethical Practice
• Advocacy
• Informed consent participation
• Handling refusal of care

Tip: After topic practice, do mixed sets under time pressure and review missed questions immediately.

What you will practice:

Heavily weighted.

• Heavily weighted.
• Infection Control
• Standard precautions
• Contact/droplet/airborne isolation
• Hand hygiene
• PPE selection
• Equipment Safety
• Oxygen use
• Infusion pump monitoring
• Bed alarms
• Mobility aids
• Environmental Safety
• Fall prevention
• Fire safety
• Home hazard identification
• Restraints & Safety Devices
• Proper application
• Circulation checks
• Documentation
• Hazardous Materials
• Sharps disposal
• Biohazard handling
• Radiation precautions
• Emergency Preparedness
• Code response
• Disaster triage
• Evacuation procedures

Tip: After topic practice, do mixed sets under time pressure and review missed questions immediately.

What you will practice:

Infant, child, adolescent, adult, elderly milestones

• Growth & Development
• Infant, child, adolescent, adult, elderly milestones
• Age-appropriate care
• Preventive Health
• Immunizations
• Screening programs
• Lifestyle counseling
• Reproductive Health
• Prenatal education
• Postpartum care
• Family planning
• Lifestyle Risks
• Smoking
• Nutrition
• Exercise
• Substance use
• Physical Assessment
• Vital signs
• Head-to-toe observation
• Reporting abnormal findings

Tip: After topic practice, do mixed sets under time pressure and review missed questions immediately.

What you will practice:

Active listening

• Therapeutic Communication
• Active listening
• De-escalation techniques
• Boundaries
• Mental Health Conditions
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Psychosis
• Substance use disorders
• Crisis Management
• Suicide precautions
• Acute agitation
• Abuse & Neglect
• Identification
• Mandatory reporting
• Coping & Adaptation
• Chronic illness
• Grief and loss
• End-of-Life Support
• Comfort measures
• Family education
• Cultural sensitivity

Tip: After topic practice, do mixed sets under time pressure and review missed questions immediately.

What you will practice:

Core bedside nursing.

• Core bedside nursing.
• Activities of Daily Living
• Bathing
• Feeding
• Toileting
• Mobility
• Nutrition & Hydration
• Special diets
• Tube feeding assistance
• Intake/output
• Elimination
• Foley catheter care
• Ostomy care
• Bowel programs
• Mobility & Skin Integrity
• Turning schedules
• Pressure injury prevention
• ROM exercises
• Pain Management
• Pain assessment
• Non-pharmacologic interventions
• Positioning

Tip: After topic practice, do mixed sets under time pressure and review missed questions immediately.

What you will practice:

Major exam emphasis.

• Major exam emphasis.
• Medication Administration
• Rights of medication
• Dosage calculations
• Routes
• Adverse Effects
• Allergic reactions
• Side effects
• Drug interactions
• High-Risk Medications
• Insulin
• Anticoagulants
• Opioids
• IV Therapy
• Site assessment
• Flow regulation
• Pump alarms
• Blood Products
• Reaction recognition
• Monitoring

Tip: After topic practice, do mixed sets under time pressure and review missed questions immediately.

What you will practice:

Preventing complications.

• Preventing complications.
• Monitoring
• Vital trends
• Neurological checks
• Diagnostics
• Specimen collection
• ECG awareness
• Lab Interpretation
• Critical values
• Reporting
• Procedural Safety
• Pre/post-op care
• Tube management
• Complication Prevention
• Aspiration
• DVT
• Infection

Tip: After topic practice, do mixed sets under time pressure and review missed questions immediately.

What you will practice:

Oxygen therapy

• Respiratory
• Oxygen therapy
• Suctioning
• Incentive spirometry
• Cardiovascular
• Edema
• Chest pain
• Perfusion
• Fluid & Electrolytes
• Dehydration
• IV monitoring
• Wounds & Drains
• Dressing changes
• Output measurement
• Endocrine & Renal
• Diabetes care
• Dialysis support
• Emergency Conditions
• Shock
• Sepsis
• Post-op complications

Tip: After topic practice, do mixed sets under time pressure and review missed questions immediately.