NCLEX-RN practice by category
Every set is generated against the published weighting for that category. The first set in each category is free. Tutor mode reveals the rationale after each item; exam mode holds everything back until the end, which is the harder and more honest way to practise.
Management of Care
15–21%Directing nursing care that protects clients and staff: assignment, delegation, advocacy, consent, confidentiality and the legal frame around practice.
What this covers
- Assignment, delegation and supervision
- Establishing priorities
- Advance directives and informed consent
- Client rights and advocacy
- Confidentiality and information security
- Continuity of care and handoff (SBAR)
- Case management and referrals
- Ethical practice and conflict resolution
- Quality improvement and incident reporting
- Scope of practice: RN vs RPN/LPN vs UAP
Safety and Infection Control
10–16%Protecting clients and health care personnel from environmental hazards and the transmission of infectious agents.
What this covers
- Standard precautions and transmission-based precautions
- Surgical asepsis and sterile technique
- Accident, injury and fall prevention
- Safe use of equipment
- Restraints and safety devices
- Handling hazardous and infectious materials
- Emergency response and disaster planning
- Error prevention and reporting
- Home safety and ergonomic principles
- Security plan and workplace violence
Health Promotion and Maintenance
6–12%Supporting clients across the lifespan through expected growth and development, prevention and early detection of health problems.
What this covers
- Ante-, intra- and postpartum care
- Newborn assessment and care
- Developmental stages and transitions
- Health screening and risk assessment
- Immunization schedules (Canadian)
- Health promotion programs and teaching
- Aging process and geriatric changes
- Self-care and lifestyle counselling
- High-risk behaviours
- Techniques of physical assessment
Psychosocial Integrity
6–12%Promoting emotional, mental and social wellbeing, including care of clients experiencing acute or chronic mental illness.
What this covers
- Therapeutic communication and relationships
- Coping mechanisms and support systems
- Crisis intervention and de-escalation
- Grief, loss and end-of-life care
- Mental health concepts and disorders
- Substance use and withdrawal
- Abuse, neglect and safety planning
- Behavioural interventions
- Cultural safety and humility
- Sensory, perceptual and cognitive alterations
Basic Care and Comfort
6–12%Comfort and assistance with activities of daily living: nutrition, elimination, mobility, rest and non-pharmacological comfort.
What this covers
- Assistive devices and mobility
- Elimination and continence care
- Nutrition and oral hydration
- Enteral and parenteral nutrition basics
- Personal hygiene
- Rest and sleep
- Non-pharmacological comfort measures
- Positioning and pressure injury prevention
- Palliative comfort care
- Complementary and alternative therapies
Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies
13–19%Administering medications and parenteral therapies safely — the single heaviest-weighted category on the RN blueprint.
What this covers
- Adverse effects, interactions and contraindications
- Blood and blood product administration
- Central venous access devices
- Dosage calculation
- Expected actions and outcomes
- Medication administration (all routes)
- Parenteral and IV therapy
- Pharmacological pain management
- Total parenteral nutrition
- High-alert medications and look-alike/sound-alike drugs
Reduction of Risk Potential
9–15%Reducing the likelihood that clients develop complications from existing conditions, treatments or procedures.
What this covers
- Changes and abnormalities in vital signs
- Diagnostic tests and laboratory values
- Potential for alterations in body systems
- Potential for complications of diagnostic tests
- Potential for complications from surgery and procedures
- System-specific assessments
- Therapeutic procedures
- Monitoring and interpreting telemetry
- Pre- and post-operative care
- Recognizing clinical deterioration
Physiological Adaptation
11–17%Managing care for clients with acute, chronic or life-threatening physical health conditions.
What this covers
- Alterations in body systems
- Fluid and electrolyte imbalances
- Acid-base balance
- Haemodynamics
- Illness management
- Medical emergencies and rapid response
- Pathophysiology
- Unexpected response to therapies
- Infectious disease processes
- Multi-system failure and shock states