Exam prep · Free exam prep course
A complete course for the NCLEX-RN, built against the 2026 NCSBN test plan. It starts with how nursing thinking works, then covers the eight client-needs categories in proportion to the exam: management of care, safety and infection control, basic care and comfort, the body systems, assessment and risk, medications and IV therapy, health promotion and maternal-child care, and psychosocial integrity, ending with clinical judgment and the exam itself. Most questions are short client scenarios that ask what the nurse should do first, because the real exam tests application and priority, not recall alone. Cards that depend on a figure that changes say "as of 2026". Encodr is a study aid and does not replace your nursing program, your facility policy or your state board of nursing.
| Format | Computerized adaptive test (CAT), variable length |
|---|---|
| Length | 85 to 150 items, as of 2026 |
| Time | 5 hours in total, including two optional breaks |
| Passing | There is no fixed percentage; the computer decides when it is confident about your ability |
| Registration fee | $200 USD for US licensure, as of 2026 |
| Retakes | Up to 8 times a year with at least 45 test-free days between attempts, unless your board limits it more |
| Management of Care | 15-21% of items |
| Safety and Infection Prevention and Control | 10-16% |
| Health Promotion and Maintenance | 6-12% |
| Psychosocial Integrity | 6-12% |
| Basic Care and Comfort | 6-12% |
| Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies | 13-19% |
| Reduction of Risk Potential | 9-15% |
| Physiological Adaptation | 11-17% |
Source: NCSBN 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan and the 2026 NCLEX Candidate Bulletin (ncsbn.org, nclex.com), read October 2026.
Copied straight from the course. In the app, each wrong option also gets its own explanation.
Card 1Which task may the RN assign to a UAP?
Ambulating a stable client with a walker. UAP may help with ADLs, positioning, transfers and ambulation for stable clients. They cannot assess, teach or evaluate.
Card 2The nurse has finished caring for a client with C. difficile. Which action is best?
Wash the hands with soap and water to remove spores. Soap and water physically removes spores; alcohol does not reliably kill C. difficile spores or norovirus.
Card 3The nurse assesses a client with heart failure who has swollen ankles, jugular vein distention, weight gain and ascites. Which condition do these findings most strongly suggest?
Right-sided heart failure. Right-sided failure backs blood into the body: swelling of the ankles, feet and legs, neck vein distention, weight gain, ascites and liver enlargement.
Yes. Create a free Encodr account and all 32 units and 2,583 cards are yours to study, with spaced repetition scheduling your reviews. The exam itself has a registration fee paid to Pearson VUE.
Eight client-needs categories from the NCSBN test plan: management of care, safety and infection prevention and control, health promotion and maintenance, psychosocial integrity, basic care and comfort, pharmacological and parenteral therapies, reduction of risk potential and physiological adaptation. The course is weighted to those percentages.
Encodr cards test one answer at a time, so select-all-that-apply items are turned into single-answer questions or true and false cards that cover each option. The clinical judgment unit explains the case study format and how items are scored.
No. It is a study aid for memorizing and reviewing. Licensure depends on your approved nursing program and your state board of nursing.
The course is built against the 2026 test plan and current guidelines, and cards on figures that change say "as of 2026". NCSBN and the agencies behind these rules can revise them, so skim the official pages before your exam date.