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Cheat sheet

NCLEX-RN Cheat Sheet

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Management of Care

  • 18% of exam
  • Delegation Advocacy Consent Ethics Case Management

Safety + Infection

  • 13% of exam
  • Precautions PPE Falls Fire Sterile Technique

Health Promotion

  • 9% of exam
  • Growth Pregnancy Newborn Screening Immunization

Psychosocial Integrity

  • 9% of exam
  • Communication Crisis Coping Mental Health Grief

Basic Care

  • 9% of exam
  • Mobility Nutrition Elimination Rest Pain

Pharmacology

  • 16% of exam
  • Rights High Alert IV Therapy Adverse Effects Calculations

Risk Reduction

  • 12% of exam
  • Labs Diagnostics Vitals Complications Procedures

Physiological Adaptation

  • 14% of exam
  • Emergencies ABGs Fluids Cardiac Respiratory

Quick Facts

  • Exam NCLEX-RN
  • Format CAT
  • Items 85-150
  • Time 5 hours
  • Result Pass/fail
  • NGN Case studies
  • Plan 2026-2029

Priority MA

  • ABCs before pain
  • Airway Breathing Circulation Safety

RN vs LPN MA

RN

  • Assess
  • Teach
  • Evaluate

LPN

  • Stable clients
  • Focused care
  • Known outcomes
  • Judgment vs implementation

Priority Picker MA

  • Airway problem → Assess first
  • Breathing problem → Oxygen/position
  • Circulation shock → Rapid response
  • Unstable finding → See first
  • Expected symptom → Monitor
  • New confusion → Assess now

Priority Rules MA

  • ABCs Airway first
  • Unstable Assess first
  • Acute Before chronic
  • Unexpected Before expected
  • Safety Immediate hazard
  • Maslow Physiology first
  • Nursing process Assess before action

NCJMM Steps MA

  • Cues, meaning, hypotheses, solutions, action, outcomes
  • Recognize Analyze Prioritize Generate Act Evaluate

LPN vs UAP MA

LPN

  • Licensed nurse
  • Medications
  • Sterile tasks

UAP

  • Unlicensed helper
  • Vitals
  • ADLs
  • Nursing task vs routine

Assign or Delegate Picker MA

  • Initial assessment → RN
  • Discharge teaching → RN
  • Stable dressing → LPN
  • Routine vitals → UAP
  • Ambulate stable client → UAP
  • Evaluate care → RN

Delegation MA

  • RN Assessment/teaching
  • LPN Stable procedures
  • UAP Routine tasks
  • Right task Appropriate work
  • Right person Competent delegate
  • Right direction Clear instructions
  • Supervision RN retains accountability

NGN Picker MA

  • Data presented → Recognize cues
  • Meaning asked → Analyze cues
  • Urgency and risk → Prioritize hypotheses
  • Orders considered → Generate solutions
  • Intervention asked → Take action
  • Response asked → Evaluate outcomes

Clinical Judgment MA

  • Recognize cues Find data
  • Analyze cues Link meaning
  • Prioritize hypotheses Rank problems
  • Generate solutions Plan actions
  • Take action Intervene
  • Evaluate outcomes Check response

Fire Safety SA

  • RACE first; PASS extinguisher
  • Rescue Alarm Contain Extinguish

Droplet vs Airborne SA

Droplet

  • Surgical mask
  • Large particles
  • Influenza

Airborne

  • N95
  • Negative pressure
  • TB
  • Mask vs respirator

Precautions Picker SA

  • MRSA wound → Contact
  • C difficile → Contact
  • Influenza → Droplet
  • Pertussis → Droplet
  • TB → Airborne
  • Measles → Airborne

Precautions SA

  • Standard All clients
  • Contact Gown/gloves
  • Droplet Surgical mask
  • Airborne N95 room
  • Neutropenic Protect client
  • PPE off Gloves first
  • Hand hygiene Before/after care

Maternal Newborn HE

  • Fundus Firm midline
  • Lochia Bleeding trend
  • FHR Fetal status
  • Late decels Placental issue
  • Postpartum hemorrhage Boggy uterus
  • Preeclampsia Seizure risk

Psych Communication PS

  • Open-ended Encourage sharing
  • Reflection Mirror feelings
  • Silence Allow processing
  • Validation Acknowledge feeling
  • Why questions Usually avoid
  • False reassurance Avoid minimization

Basic Comfort BA

  • Turn schedule Pressure prevention
  • High Fowler Breathing support
  • Cane Strong side
  • Walker Move then step
  • Dysphagia Thickened liquids
  • Ostomy Stoma assessment

Medication Rights PH

  • Client drug dose route time
  • Client Drug Dose Route Time

Pharm Safety PH

  • Right client Two identifiers
  • Right drug Match order
  • Right dose Calculate safely
  • Right route Verify access
  • Right time Schedule window
  • Insulin Double check
  • Heparin Bleeding labs
  • Digoxin Check pulse

Expected vs Unexpected RI

Expected

  • Known effect
  • Monitor
  • Teach

Unexpected

  • New danger
  • Assess first
  • Escalate
  • Known vs priority

Lab Flags RI

  • K+ Cardiac priority
  • Na+ Neuro changes
  • Glucose low Treat fast
  • INR high Bleeding risk
  • WBC low Infection risk
  • Platelets low Bleeding precautions
  • Creatinine high Renal impairment

Hypoglycemia vs DKA AD

Hypoglycemia

  • Low glucose
  • Sweaty/shaky
  • Fast sugar

DKA

  • High glucose
  • Ketones
  • Kussmaul
  • Low fast vs high acid

Fluids + ABGs AD

  • Hypovolemia Low volume
  • Hypervolemia Fluid overload
  • Hypokalemia Weak muscles
  • Hyperkalemia Peaked T waves
  • Acidosis pH low
  • Alkalosis pH high
  • Respiratory CO2 problem
  • Metabolic HCO3 problem

Respiratory vs Metabolic AD

Respiratory

  • CO2 drives
  • Lungs
  • Ventilation

Metabolic

  • HCO3 drives
  • Kidneys
  • Bicarbonate
  • CO2 vs HCO3

Common Traps

Assess before action

  • Need data first ≠ Unless emergency exists

Do not delegate

  • RN assessment ≠ RN teaching

Precaution confusion

  • Droplet uses mask ≠ Airborne uses N95

NGN wording

  • Cues are data ≠ Outcomes are response

Pain priority

  • Pain matters ≠ Airway outranks pain

Stable vs unstable

  • Stable can wait ≠ Unstable seen first

Last Minute

  • 1. Plan: 2026 through 2029
  • 2. Items: 85-150; time: 5h
  • 3. Minimum includes 3 case studies
  • 4. ABCs beat comfort
  • 5. Assess before implementing
  • 6. RN keeps accountability
  • 7. UAP gets routine tasks
  • 8. Airborne = N95
  • 9. Cues = data; outcomes = response
  • 10. Unexpected changes first