Best NCLEX Review Books – 2022 Guide

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If you are getting ready to take the NCLEX exam, you will probably agree with this statement:

With all of the NCLEX prep options out there, it’s challenging to know which are the best NCLEX books to get you the best value for your money and help you pass the NCLEX.

Passing the NCLEX is not easy but certainly doable if you are well-equipped with the right NCLEX study guides and prep books. I put this article together to summarize some deeply researched recommendations on the best NCLEX books and resources out there in case you are looking to get one right now.

Best NCLEX Books

Some of these NCLEX prep books are comprised of a detailed review of material that will be tested on the NCLEX while others consist of questions and answers. One thing that is for sure is that these books are good enough to make this list of the best NCLEX Books.

1. Saunder’s Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN – Editor’s Choice

Saunder’s Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN is a large volume but our recommended text for the NCLEX review. Packed full of information and questions, Saunder’s Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN provides densely focused information and images to help with general studying and for the NCLEX in particular. The book is broken out into various, well-written sections that offer concise, easy-to-understand text, diagrams and pictures. The most current edition has been updated to address new updates to the exam. They utilize something called pyramid points to help drill home key concepts.

As helpful as Saunders Comprehensive Review is, most people recommend using it for at least 6 weeks prior to the exam for best results. The good part is that Saunders provides a study schedule to help organize even the worst test crammer. Additionally, Saunders Comprehensive Review provides thousands of questions to help one get into the exam mindset. Saunders Comprehensive Review can also be used as a companion text for nursing students even prior to preparing for the exam.

Occasionally, one might find Saunders Comprehensive Review to be too concise for anyone trying to get a deeper understanding of a particular topic. Additionally, the book’s overall durability is not the best. The online component can be a bit buggy as well. If you are planning on carrying Saunders around a lot, be prepared to tape your book up to hold it together.

All that being said, Saunder’s Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN is a highly recommended book for exam preparation and for nursing knowledge as a whole. Many nurses who have used Saunders Comprehensive Review for NCLEX prep state that they passed the NCLEX on the first try.

2. Pearson Review & Rationales: Comprehensive Review – Best Book + Online Prep

Pearson Reviews & Rationales: Comprehensive Review for NCLEX-RN is a recently updated review book featuring updated review and questions. This book is highly detailed and dense – much like a textbook.

Unique features of Pearson Reviews & Rationales: Comprehensive Review for NCLEX-RN include special boxes to help with remembering information. The questions are challenging and people have said that similar questions were found on the actual NCLEX. The answers come with detailed explanations as to what answers are correct and why. There are special tips for ESL students. This book also has a companion website with access to over 5,000 questions and practice exams to help simulate the real exam and a study plan based on areas of weakness. The online questions are quite thorough and most should find them helpful as far as revisiting knowledge for the exam.

There are some minor grammatical mistakes and copy errors which made us feel that it is not as tight as the Saunder’s book. Sadly, even though the material is good, it is hard not to feel like it could be better when you see relatively simple errors. Also, some might find the way online modules are laid out to be somewhat challenging to navigate through but we recommend figuring it out as the questions are of good quality. All in all, this is a standalone NCLEX book that will get most people through passing the exam.

3. HESI Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN Exam – Best HESI + NCLEX Book

The HESI Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN exam strives to serve the dual purpose of helping people pass both the HESI exit exam and the NCLEX-RN exam. This book has been updated to reflect recent updates to the NCLEX, pediatric immunization schedules, neonatal resuscitation, and psychiatric nursing.

Some argue that the HESI Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN is the best book on the market and that they have scored exceptionally well on the various exams as a result of mastering this book. Organized along clinical lines, this comprehensive review features tables for pharmacology and so-called hint boxes to highlight tips. This HESI Comprehensive Review features lots of charts and graphics which helps with learning and retaining many different aspects of the material.

The HESI Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN is light on fluff and to the point – there is not a lot of light text. It’s beneficial that the pages are quite durable as a result of being glossy for anyone who plans to carry the book around to study while on the go.

The Comprehensive Review also provides access to a companion website with 700 questions with answers. The questions are laid out in a ways that is similar to the NCLEX exam. The answer choices to the questions come with explanations as to why the specific correct answer was chosen.

The Comprehensive Review is definitely more oriented to passing the HESI exit exam than the NCLEX. On the other hand, different HESI A2 review guides are needed to pass the HESI A2 exam. Additionally, while the pages are high quality, the material is dense and somewhat boring to work through. Also, there are a handful of typographical errors which makes the text feel less valuable than it really is. Regardless, the HESI Comprehensive Review still does a good job in providing additional study material for the NCLEX and is a good complement to more NCLEX-focused book for anyone who is looking for additional resources.

4. Prioritization, Delegation & Assignment Nursing – Practice Exercises – Best Prioritization / Delegation Book

Prioritization, Delegation & Assignment Nursing – Practice Exercises for the NCLEX Examination is a unique book that is one of the few NCLEX review books that emulates the prioritization, delegation and assignment aspects of the NCLEX exam (approximately 20% of the exam) itself.

The book is organized with escalating difficulty and offers multiple choice questions similar to what you would find on the NCLEX exam to help you learn and practice the NCLEX process. As you move through Prioritization, Delegation & Assignment Nursing, the practice exercises become more complicated to help simulate more real-life scenarios. Anecdotally, people say that there are questions on the actual NCLEX exam that looked very similar to ones in this book. This book also directly addresses the QSEN concepts (e.g. safety and infection control) and includes some chart-format questions. Prioritization, Delegation & Assignment Nursing is also a good choice for faculty who are looking to teach their students concepts around forming nursing plans.

The downside of Prioritization, Delegation & Assignment Nursing is that it is a niche book focused on this area of the exam. As a result, most people will want to use it in conjunction with another study volume. Additionally, the answer rationales in Prioritization, Delegation & Assignment Nursing felt light at times but we will say that it felt balanced out by the nice critical thinking components of the book.

5. Mosby’s Comprehensive Review of Nursing – Good For Nursing Students

Mosby’s Comprehensive Review of Nursing for the NCLEX-RN is a comprehensive, colorful review that covers the wide range of topics tested on the NCLEX. All in all, the book is well-organized and recently updated to reflect the new NCLEX-RN test plan. The book with the electronic companion provide a fairly comprehensive overview to prepare for the NCLEX.

One can consider Mosby’s Comprehensive Review of Nursing for the NCLEX-RN as an alternative choice to Saunder’s for review (unless one has the appetite to go through both). The books have historically had a common publisher and are laid out in a similar way. The content covers core topics such as pediatrics, medical-surgical, mental health and women’s health with practice tests to quiz you on the material. This book also includes a new section on nursing management. The companion CD includes practice tests and downloadable summaries of useful information. All in all, we found this book to be a good choice for nursing students but not quite as tight as Saunder’s in terms of NCLEX book preparation.

The rationales for answers in the question and answer sections felt light to us. Additionally, the way the rationales for answers are laid out makes it difficult to get to why the specific answer is right and the rest are wrong without clicking around. We found this to be somewhat annoying. Some people found the online access a bit buggy.

6. Lippincott’s Q & A Review for NCLEX-RN

Lippincott’s Q & A Review for NCLEX-RN is one of the prettiest books out there. Glossy and colorful. It is frequently recommended by nursing programs as a good resource for test preparation.

One nice aspect about this book is its organization. Sections are broken up into systems-based subcategories which helps connect the dots in the various sections. This book and online companion offer 6,000 questions to help you prepare for the NCLEX.

Some of the questions did not seem hard enough and it would be nicer if the answers were paired with the questions right away (avoid extra page flipping). Unfortunately, we also felt that the rationales for the answers lacked depth at times and were vague. For people who have a previous edition, the newest edition is not all that different from the older one.

7. NCLEX-RN Prep Plus

Put together by Kaplan, the NCLEX-RN Prep Plus is a way to experience the Kaplan learning method without shelling out a lot of money for the actual course. Kaplan has a long history with test preparation across a variety of disciplines and one hopes to absorb some of that in digesting this volume.

The NCLEX-RN Prep Plus features different “critical thinking” paths to help you analyze test questions. The book also includes questions at the end of chapters and two different full practice tests.

The online site is valuable. Although it is buggy at times, it is helpful in terms of test strategies and putting you through the rhythm of taking the test so that you don’t feel as stressed on the day of the actual exam. There are various video tutorials available for the visual learners out there.

Unfortunately, the NCLEX-RN Prep Plus test questions are all lumped together which makes it harder to focus test-taking efforts on specific weak areas.

8. Lippincott’s NCLEX-RN 10,000 – Best Question Prep

Lippincott’s NCLEX-RN 10,000 is a novel NCLEX prep study guide that harnesses current computing power to deliver a more modern NCLEX study and quizzing experience. Lippincott’s NCLEX-RN 10,000 is not a book but rather consists of access to PrepU, an online learning system, that features an intelligent software engine that detects your current knowledge base and adapts to your skills to enhance your learning.

With a massive database of 10,000 questions, this NCLEX prep guide features current questions with NCLEX practice quiz settings ranging from 5 to 20 questions. With focused answer questions and real-time feedback, Lippincott’s NCLEX-RN 10,000 is a strong complement to NCLEX review guides to refine and enhance your NCLEX test-taking skills. As you work through the NCLEX practice questions, you will be able to chart your learning and progress. This version of Lippincott’s NCLEX-RN 10,000 provides access to the question bank for twelve months.

Regardless of your knowledge of the NCLEX material itself, some would consider Lippincott’s NCLEX-RN 10,000 a must get given how relevant it is to the process of taking the NCLEX exam itself.

Any complaints about Lippincott’s NCLEX-RN 10,000 prep are minor, but one would be the price. It is not cheap but, given everything that is on the line, it is worth the price. Some people found the NCLEX questions in Lippincott’s NCLEX-RN 10,000 to be on the easier side and, at time, repetitive, but that usually means that you are ready to take the NCLEX.

9. Davis’s Q&A Review for NCLEX-RN – Best NCLEX Practice Questions

Davis’s Q&A Review for NCLEX-RN is a great NCLEX study guide focused on practice questions. Nicely organized and understandable, Davis’s Q&A Review for NCLEX-RN features over 2,700 questions – a huge number when compared to the other NCLEX study guides on the market. Questions cover advanced concepts and answer rationales and also features alternate format questions with the dreaded select all that apply format. Featuring color photographs, Davis’s Q&A Review for NCLEX-RN is a great add for any nursing student for ongoing practice long before the actual NCLEX exam. In fact, many will find it useful during nursing school in addition to using it for NCLEX preparation specifically.

Davis’s Q&A Review for NCLEX-RN also includes one year of access to Davis Edge NCLEX-RN, an online module, that provides access to another 10,000 questions. Davis Edge adapts quizzes to your strengths an weaknesses and tracks progress. Davis’s Q&A Review for NCLEX-RN also has test-taking tips that accompany questions which help refine your approach at a tactical level.

Davis’s Q&A Review for NCLEX-RN contains a lot of information in a relatively thin volume. Because of this, the paper used in producing Davis’s Q&A Review for NCLEX-RN is quite thin and may bleed if you are a heavy user of ink or highlighter when doing your NCLEX studying.

10. EKG Interpretation – 24 Hours Or Less – Best NCLEX EKG Prep

EKG Interpretation – 24 Hours Or Less is all about crushing the EKG portion of the NCLEX on the first try. It presents its formula to EKG interpretation on the NCLEX – from basic anatomy to the various types of arrhythmias one might see on the exam.

No matter how experienced you are, EKGs are tough to master. It’s pretty amazing when you step back and think about how it works. The complex electrophysiology of the heart is somehow linked up to some electrodes which map the patterns of electricity within the heart onto a piece of paper. Then, from that paper, we can interpret whether the heart is getting enough blood or beating irregularly. Amazing. To help us put all this together, EKG Interpretation – 24 hours Or Less works to break down all of this complex underlying information and make it compact, easily understandable, and applicable in a testing situation. One nice aspect of this book is how it organizes the material into a series of questions to test you on the material. Highly concise, this book is also highly usable for people who are working full-time or just have a lot going on and want something high impact.

As one might expect, EKG Interpretation – 24 Hours Or Less is a highly focused overview of interpreting EKGs and cannot stand alone as an NCLEX review text. However, all in all, EKG Interpretation – 24 Hours Or Less is a great brush up book for EKG interpretation, especially in preparation for the NCLEX.

11. Illustrated Study Guide for the NCLEX-RN Exam – Fun NCLEX Study Guide

The Illustrated Study Guide for the NCLEX-RN is a colorful NCLEX book meant to bring some fun into the study process. Using cartoons and interesting mnemonics, this NCLEX book attempts to bring a different approach to information retention. The book presents information in an integrated systems approach and includes a chapter appendix for easier reference. There is some presentation of nursing priority with special boxes and tables to help with drug memorization. The Illustrated Study Guide for the NCLEX-RN does have a companion website with a question bank with your usual elements (e.g. alternate item formats, rationales)

There are lot of mixed feelings about the Illustrated Study Guide for the NCLEX-RN. Some people found the information adequate to serve as a standalone reference while others found it too light. Unfortunately, we found the Illustrated Study Guide for the NCLEX-RN is not as “illustrated” as we would hope it to be, particularly when compared to similar review books.

What is the NCLEX Exam?

The NCLEX exam, short for the National Council Licensure Examination, was started in the mid 90s and is administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, or NCSBN. The purpose of the NCLEX exam is to ensure that nurses are adequately prepared, licensed and certified to practice nursing and it is primarily used by the state nursing boards. Over 200,000 people take the NCLEX-RN annually and an additional 70,000 take the NCLEX-PN annually. Candidates who take the NCLEX exam have graduated from an approved nursing program prior to taking the test. Said another way, you must have an Associate Degree (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Most people wait at least several weeks after graduation to sit for the NCLEX exam. In addition to being offered in the United States, other countries are looking to introduce the NCLEX exam as well.

The NCLEX exam typically costs $200 (depending on where the candidate is located) which is paid to Pearson for the test itself. Nurses who pass the NCLEX exam will then need to pay additional money for their actual nursing licensure (typically around $300). The NCLEX-RN exam itself takes about 6 hours to complete (5 hours for the NCLEX-PN exam). This time includes some optional breaks and any other breaks that you might take during the NCLEX exam. The NCLEX exam is said to get harder if you are doing well on it.

According to the NCSBN, over 90% of US-educated people who are taking the NCLEX exam for the first time pass the exam. If you include international test takers and people who are retaking the NCLEX exam, the pass rate drops to about 80%.

If you fail the NCLEX exam, there are some unfortunate consequences. In addition to paying the monetary cost required to retake the NCLEX exam, you can only take the NCLEX exam up to 8 times per year and you have to wait 45 days between attempts. This makes reviewing the best NCLEX books and studying hard particularly important for anyone sitting for the NCLEX exam.

Why is the NCLEX Exam required?

That’s a great question. After all, if you have graduated from an accredited nursing school and passed (or even got good grades), why do you need to buy a bunch of NCLEX prep books to prepare for and pass the NCLEX exam?

The NCLEX exam is used by nursing schools as a way to understand and confirm how well an aspiring nurse is trained across the landscape of nursing schools out there. As one can expect, some nursing schools offer a much more rigorous educational curriculum when compared to others. As such, a nursing student who gets average grades from a top tier nursing school may do as well as a higher candidate at a less rigorous nursing school. The NCLEX exam is an attempt to understand and compare these variations in nursing school educations.

It might be fair to say that comparing nurses using the NCLEX exam is actually not fair as it does not test true performance on an equal basis. After all, if one candidate is less prepared for a career in nursing but does better in a high pressure NCLEX testing situation, is that person going to ultimately be a better nurse? It’s not clear. One study looked at the predictive value of the NCLEX and determined that it can be used to identify people who will need help early on in their career and potentially as a way to evaluate the effectiveness of the help administered. Another study suggested that the first nursing course was of importance in assessing one’s readiness for the NCLEX. Another study looked at correlations and regression data and found a significant correlation between prenursing aptitude variables and NCLEX pass rates. In light of these studies, the NCLEX exam does appear to have some value in assessing a nursing student’s readiness and likelihood for having trouble during a nursing program.

We agree that the NCLEX is not a perfect testing tool and that spending additional time and money on NCLEX review books so you can pass the NCLEX is a bit painful. Unfortunately, in most cases, it has to be done and it is better to focus on preparing for the NCLEX rigorously and just passing the exam rather than (excessively) questioning why it exists in the first place.

NCLEX-RN Exam vs. NCLEX-PN Exam

The NCLEX-RN exam is an exam for someone who wishes to be licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN). The NCLEX-PN exam is for someone who wants to be licensed as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN). Make sure that you prep for the right exam when you are studying to get through this hurdle on the way to starting your career!

NCLEX Books & Exam Preparation

For good reason, most people find the NCLEX exam to be a source of stress. On the day of the exam, how one handles the stress is an important part of determining how one’s NCLEX exam results turn out. What is somewhat obvious is that having too much stress on the day of the NCLEX exam is not a good thing. What is less obvious is that having no stress on the day of the exam is also not a good thing as a lack of stress can reduce our focus and interest and lead to a failing exam. The best amount of stress when taking the NCLEX exam is just a little bit – enough to keep you on your toes but not overwhelm you as you work through the different sections.

NCLEX exam study plans are an important part of stress preparation. A well-designed study plan (some of which are offered in the best NCLEX books) will help you work through the required information methodically. If you stick to your study schedule, you will not feel behind as the date of your NCLEX exam comes closer and you can re-review weaker areas from the best NCLEX books you are using to tighten up your knowledge. Working through the NCLEX study plan will hopefully prepare you to have the right level of stress on the day of the NCLEX exam.

If you take them seriously, the practice exams and test simulations that you will find in many of the online components of the best NCLEX books can be very helpful. By setting up a room and a computer, shutting off anything that might disturb you (e.g. your phone!), and sitting in a room to take the practice NCLEX test, you can simulate some of the actual stress that you might feel on the day of the exam. Why is this helpful? If you can simulate the stress from taking the exam using a practice test from one of the best NCLEX books, then the stress that you feel on the day you take the actual NCLEX exam will be something that you have experienced previously. For most people, the second (or third or fourth) time experiencing a certain type of stress is always less intense than the first time experiencing that stress. As a result, your stress level on the day of the NCLEX exam will be lower – allowing you to perform better and have a better chance of passing – all because you took a practice test from one of the best NCLEX books.

Of course, choosing one or more of the best NCLEX books to prepare for the information on the exam is vital. If you have not prepared for the wide range of information that you will be tested on by rigorously reviewing a good NCLEX book or two, your stress level will skyrocket on the day of the NCLEX exam as you start going through the first set of questions. The best NCLEX books will not only prepare you and help you build a strong foundation of NCLEX knowledge, but they will also expose you to specific question formats that are used as part of the NCLEX exam itself.

NCLEX Exam Prep Tips

Some quick tips on how to perform well on the day of the NCLEX exam:

1. Read the questions and answers deeply
The NCLEX questions and answers will typically be worded in such a way as to give you insight into what the right answer is. Use the wording to help you eliminate incorrect choices.

2. Eliminate bad answers
Certain answer choices are typically obviously wrong. By eliminating them quickly, you can focus on the ones that might be right.

3. Evaluate answer choices against each other
Small differences in wording are usually what make the big difference. Compare the wording of answer choices that might be right and really understand what they are looking for.

The Cost of NCLEX Prep

With all of the expenses around going to nursing school, including having to buy equipment like a great stethoscope and quality nursing shoes to survive while on your feet all day, it’s fair to wonder whether it is worth it to dole out the extra money for NCLEX prep resources. That’s certainly a personal decision but one good way to think about it is that making sure you pass the NCLEX is an investment in your future that will pay off many times over once you start your career.

NCLEX Study Prep – Actual Questions

Some people might be wondering if there is a way to get actual NCLEX questions to practice on before the NCLEX exam. If you hear of people offering you real NCLEX exam questions, be wary. Sharing or obtaining actual NCLEX questions can be a violation of your agreement with the NCSBN in regards to taking your NCLEX test and can lead to your exam NCLEX results being disqualified. While it is tempting to try and find actual NCLEX exam questions, do yourself a favor and don’t buy any practice questions from websites online as you might get yourself into real trouble.

Best NCLEX Books – Final Points

We hope that you found our review of the best NCLEX books helpful. We will continue to refine our list as new books come out, as things change on the exam, and if we get feedback that we think is worth incorporating in our list. In the meantime, we hope that one or more of these NCLEX books will get you through the finish line with great results. Good luck on the NCLEX!