Nursing exam prep
Compare NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN, use the current 2026 test plans, and build a study approach around nursing decisions rather than question volume.
By StudyHaul Editorial Team · Published 2026-08-21 · Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Choose the exam for your nursing role
NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN use the same variable-length CAT range—85 to 150 items in up to five hours—but they test different nursing roles and use different 2026 test plans. Start with the regulator and exam that match the license you are seeking, then use the correct client-needs ranges and role expectations to shape practice.
Understand the 2026 NCLEX-RN test plan, CAT format, clinical judgment items, registration, results, retakes, and an adaptable study plan.
Guide available now · Interactive prep in development
Understand the 2026 NCLEX-PN test plan, CAT format, clinical judgment, registration, results, retakes, and a practical study routine.
Guide available now · Interactive prep in development
Use NCLEX-RN when you are seeking registered nurse licensure and NCLEX-PN when you are seeking practical or vocational nurse licensure. Your nursing regulatory body determines eligibility. A prep company's course label does not change the license pathway.
The RN and PN exams share CAT delivery, clinical-judgment case studies, and broad client-needs categories. The tested role is the important difference. The PN plan emphasizes coordinated care and practical/vocational nursing scope; the RN plan emphasizes management of care and registered nursing responsibilities.
Apply to the nursing regulatory body and register with Pearson VUE. After the regulator confirms eligibility, Pearson issues the ATT and you schedule within its dates. Keep those administrative steps separate from the study calendar so a missing document does not become a surprise near your target date.
On either exam, do not interpret the item count as a result. Use the current Candidate Bulletin for CAT, scoring, breaks, and exam-day rules.
StudyHaul is developing separate NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN pathways. The public guides are available now and cite NCSBN sources; the interactive prep products are not yet for sale. Each guide has its own notification form so interest can be measured without pretending there is a finished product.