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Free NCLEX-RN® Practice Questions with Answers and Rationales

30 free NCLEX-RN®-style practice questions with a rationale for every option, your score by topic and a study plan.
Start here Free Practice Set: 30 NCLEX-RN®-style questions with a rationale for every option Register free here. Then open the set below and start. Start free practice

Quick answer

Is there a free NCLEX practice test?

Yes. Jade NursingPrep™ has a free NCLEX-RN® practice set: 30 NGN-style questions on fluid and electrolytes, ABG and pharmacology, including a 6-screen case study, with a rationale for every option and your score by topic at the end. Create a free account to start. We add new free questions regularly.

Answer NCLEX-RN®-style questions, then read why each option is right or wrong. A full NGN case study is included. At the end, you see your score by topic and a study plan.

  • 30 practice questions in every NGN format
  • A rationale for every option
  • 6-screen NGN case study
  • Score by topic + study plan

Built by Mariano Alfred Acevedo, PhD, RN — Founder and Curriculum Director of Jade NursingPrep™, with over 30 years in nursing education preparing students for the NCLEX-RN®.

Nurse Professor Jade, the Jade NursingPrep mascot, in scrubs and a lab coat holding a tablet

One question at a time. Read your client, then choose. You’ve got this!

— Nurse Professor Jade

Educational content only; not medical advice. Reference ranges vary by lab, assay, age, sex, and clinical context — always read your facility's printed range.

What's in the free NCLEX-RN® practice set

This is your first free set: 30 NCLEX-RN® practice questions in NGN-style formats, with a rationale for every option and a score by topic. Sign up free to get each new set of practice questions as we add it. →

  • Every answer option has a rationale. You see why it is right or wrong.
  • A 6-screen NGN-style case study follows one client over time.
  • Question formats: select all that apply, matrix grids, drop-down cloze and tables, drag-and-drop, highlight, bowtie, ordering, calculation and multiple choice.
  • Chart tabs like a real health record: history and physical, orders, medications, nurses' notes, lab results, vital signs, and intake and output.
  • At the end, you get your score by topic and a study plan.Tap a study link in your report. It takes you straight to the topic you may need to strengthen.

Watch for new practice questions. We add more regularly.

Your next step

Missed an electrolyte or ABG question? Learn the why behind it.

These two resources teach the electrolyte and ABG topics in this free set.

Free NCLEX-RN® practice questions: common questions

Are these NCLEX-RN® practice questions free?

Yes. Create a free account and start. You do not pay to answer the questions or see your report.

Do the questions come with answers and rationales?

Yes. Each question has its correct answer and a rationale for every option. The rationale explains why the option is right or wrong for this client.

What NGN-style question types are included?

The set includes select all that apply, matrix grids, drop-down cloze, drop-down tables, drag-and-drop, highlight, bowtie, ordering, calculation and multiple choice. It also has one 6-screen case study.

What topics do the free questions cover?

Half of the questions cover fluid and electrolytes and ABG. The rest cover who to see first, delegation, therapeutic communication, client teaching and medication indications.

What happens after I finish?

Your report shows your score by topic. It lists every question you missed. Your study plan points you to what to study next.

Will there be more free NCLEX-RN® practice questions?

Yes. This is the first free set. Sign up free to get each new set of practice questions as we add it.

Try 5 sample questions from the 30 free NCLEX-RN® practice questions

Answer each question first. Then open the rationale to check your thinking.

Practice question 1 · Multiple choice

The nurse receives a report on 4 clients. Which client does the nurse see first?

  1. A. Takes furosemide 40 mg tablet, 1 tablet PO daily; light-headed when standing up fast
  2. B. Takes lisinopril 10 mg tablet, 1 tablet PO daily; lips and tongue have started to swell
  3. C. Took calcium carbonate 500 mg chewable tablet, 2 tablets PO PRN for heartburn; heartburn is gone
  4. D. Takes hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg tablet, 1 tablet PO daily; urinating more often
Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer: B

  • A. Dizziness on standing calls for teaching to rise slowly. It can wait.
  • B. Correct. Lip and tongue swelling can block the airway. This is an emergency. Common trap: picking the dizzy client.
  • C. Relief of heartburn means the antacid worked.
  • D. Passing more urine is what a diuretic should do.

Practice question 2 · Select all that apply

A client takes hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg tablet, 1 tablet PO daily. The client has vomited for 2 days. Mucous membranes are dry. Review the Laboratory Results tab. Which orders does the nurse expect? Select all that apply.

Laboratory Results · Drawn this morning.

TestResultReference range
Serum sodium128 mEq/L135–145 mEq/L
  1. A. Limit all fluids
  2. B. Hold the hydrochlorothiazide
  3. C. Run 3% sodium chloride wide open
  4. D. Give isotonic IV fluid
  5. E. Treat the nausea and vomiting
Show the answer and rationale

Correct answers: B, D, E

  • A. A fluid limit fits a client who looks normal or overloaded, not a dry one.
  • B. Correct. Thiazides can lower sodium, so the diuretic is held. Common trap: limiting fluids in a client who is already dry.
  • C. Hypertonic saline always runs on a pump. It is never run wide open.
  • D. Correct. A dry client with low sodium gets isotonic fluid to restore volume.
  • E. Correct. The vomiting is the cause of the loss, so it is treated.

Practice question 3 · Matrix grid

The nurse reviews arterial blood gas (ABG) results for 4 clients. For each client, choose how far the body has compensated.

Laboratory Results

TestClient AClient BClient CClient DReference range
pH7.397.287.297.517.35–7.45
PaCO25856304035–45 mmHg
HCO33324143122–26 mEq/L
PaO28590909080–100 mmHg
ClientUncompensatedPartially compensatedFully compensated
Client A: COPD for 10 years, breathing comfortably at rest○○○
Client B: after surgery, received morphine, slow and shallow breathing○○○
Client C: uncontrolled diabetes, breathing fast and deep○○○
Client D: vomiting for 2 days○○○
Show the answer and rationale
  • Client A: COPD for 10 years, breathing comfortably at rest: Fully compensated. Correct. The pH is back in its range. Both of the other 2 values sit outside their ranges. Over time the kidneys held on to HCO3. Common trap: calling this result normal because the pH is normal.
  • Client B: after surgery, received morphine, slow and shallow breathing: Uncompensated. The pH is low. The PaCO2 is high. The HCO3 is still in its range. The kidneys need days to respond, so they have not started yet.
  • Client C: uncontrolled diabetes, breathing fast and deep: Partially compensated. The pH is low. The HCO3 is low too. Deep, rapid breathing has lowered the PaCO2, but the pH is not back in its range yet.
  • Client D: vomiting for 2 days: Uncompensated. The pH is high. The HCO3 is high too. The PaCO2 is still in its range, so the lungs have not responded yet.

Practice question 4 · Drop-down cloze

A client takes digoxin 250 mcg (0.25 mg) tablet, 1 tablet PO daily and furosemide 40 mg tablet, 1 tablet PO daily. Review the Laboratory Results tab. Complete the sentences by choosing from the lists of options.

Laboratory Results

TestDay 1Day 2Day 3Reference range
Serum potassium4.1 mEq/L3.6 mEq/L3.1 mEq/L3.5–5.0 mEq/L

The trend in the Laboratory Results tab is (1) ______. This change raises the risk of (2) ______. The nurse (3) ______.

(1) steady · falling · rising

(2) a skin rash · a drop in blood glucose · digoxin toxicity

(3) reports the trend and checks for nausea and vision changes · tells the client this is expected · gives an extra dose of furosemide

Show the answer and rationale
  • (1) falling. Correct. It dropped each day and is now out of range. Common trap: reading only today's number.
  • (2) digoxin toxicity. Correct. Low potassium makes digoxin more likely to become toxic.
  • (3) reports the trend and checks for nausea and vision changes. Correct. The provider needs the trend, and the nurse looks for signs of toxicity.

Practice question 5 · Multiple choice

A client on a fluid limit says, "I'm so thirsty. This limit is cruel." Which response is best?

  1. A. "Why can't you just follow the limit?"
  2. B. "Let's talk about your lunch menu instead."
  3. C. "Being thirsty all the time is hard. Tell me more about it."
  4. D. "Don't worry. You'll be off it soon."
Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer: C

  • A. Asking "why" can sound like an accusation. It tends to end the talk.
  • B. Changing the subject blocks the client from sharing.
  • C. Correct. The nurse accepts the feeling and asks for more. The client keeps talking, and the nurse learns what would help. Common trap: defending the order.
  • D. Promising it will end soon brushes the feeling aside.

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