NCLEX-RN Syllabus: The NCLEX-RN, or National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, is a computer-based test that nursing graduates must pass to become licensed as Registered Nurses in the US and Canada. To prepare well, it’s important to know the NCLEX-RN syllabus and the main topics it covers. This article gives an overview of the syllabus to help candidates study effectively and succeed on the exam.
NCLEX-RN Syllabus Overview | |
---|---|
Category | Details |
Exam Name | NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) |
Regions | Canada / US |
Post | RN (Registered Nurse), PN (Practical Nurse) |
RN Exam Details | 75-265 questions, up to 5 hours |
Question Types | MCQ, Charts, Fill-in-the-Blanks (F/B), Drag and Drop, Hotspot Questions |
Annual Exams | 8 exams per year with a 45-day retake window |
Result Availability | Results within 6 weeks of the exam |
Number of Candidates | 280,279 (India: 2,907) |
Experimental Questions | 15 |
Syllabus |
Safe and Effective Environment
: Client Rights, Ethics, Home Safety, Accident Prevention
Health Promotion : Aging, Newborn Care, Developmental Stages, Lifestyle Choices Psychological Integrity : Social Issues, Emotions, Abuse, Clinical Dependencies Physiological Aspects : Therapeutic Procedures, Risk Management, Abnormal Responses to Therapies |
NCLEX-RN Exam Pattern | |
Aspect | Details |
Question Types | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) Charts and Figures Fill-in-the-Blanks (F/B) Drag and Drop Hotspot Questions |
Experimental Questions | Number: 15 Purpose: Testing new questions for future exams (not scored) |
Total Questions | 75-265 |
Duration | 5 Hours |
NCLEX-RN Syllabus | ||
---|---|---|
Category | Subcategory | Topics |
Safe and Effective Care Environment | Management of Care | Advance directives, Case management, Client rights, Collaboration with interdisciplinary team, Concepts of management, Confidentiality and information security, Continuity of care, Delegation, Establishing priorities, Ethical practice, Informed consent, Legal rights and responsibilities |
Safety and Infection Control | Accident/error/injury prevention, Emergency response plan, Ergonomic principles, Handling hazardous materials, Home safety, Reporting of incident/event/irregular occurrence/variance, Safe use of equipment, Security plan, Standard precautions/transmission-based precautions/surgical asepsis | |
Health Promotion and Maintenance | Growth and Development Through the Lifespan | Aging process, Developmental stages and transitions, Health promotion/disease prevention, Health screening, High-risk behaviors, Lifestyle choices, Self-care |
Prevention and Early Detection of Disease | Immunizations, Physical assessment techniques, Risk factors | |
Psychosocial Integrity | Coping and Adaptation | Coping mechanisms, Crisis intervention, Grief and loss, Stress management |
Psychosocial Adaptation | Behavioral interventions, Chemical and other dependencies, Coping mechanisms, End-of-life care, Mental health concepts, Spiritual and religious influences on health | |
Physiological Integrity | Basic Care and Comfort | Assistive devices, Elimination, Mobility/immobility, Non-pharmacological comfort interventions, Nutrition and oral hydration, Palliative/comfort care, Personal hygiene, Rest and sleep |
Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies | Adverse effects/contraindications/side effects/interactions, Blood and blood products, Central venous access devices, Dosage calculation, Expected actions/outcomes, Medication administration, Parenteral/intravenous therapies, Pharmacological pain management | |
Reduction of Risk Potential | Diagnostic tests, Laboratory values, Potential for complications from surgical procedures and health alterations, Therapeutic procedures | |
Physiological Adaptation | Alterations in body systems, Fluid and electrolyte imbalances, Medical emergencies, Pathophysiology, Radiation therapy, Unexpected response to therapies |
NCLEX-RN Syllabus Categories and Percentage Distribution | ||
NCLEX-RN Syllabus Categories | Subcategories | Percentage of Items |
Safe and Effective Care Environment | Management of Care Safety and Infection Control | 15-21% 10-16% |
Health Promotion and Maintenance | Growth and Development Through the Lifespan Prevention and Early Detection of Disease | 6-12% |
Psychosocial Integrity | Coping and Adaptation Psychosocial Adaptation | 6-12% |
Physiological Integrity | Basic Care and Comfort Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies Reduction of Risk Potential Physiological Adaptation | 6-12% 13-19% 9-15% 11-17% |