The 2026 test plan.
Mapped.
NCSBN publishes exactly what the NCLEX® tests. We read the official 2026 plans, mapped every category and subtopic, and tied each practice question to its spot on the map. Here is the whole thing.
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What we mapped
What the NCLEX-RN® actually tests
Eight Client Needs categories, each with an official share of your scored questions. These are the 2026 NCSBN ranges, straight from the plan.
Ranges are the official NCSBN share of scored questions on the NCLEX-RN®. Your exam also includes unscored pretest questions.
The NCLEX-PN® runs on its own plan
Same idea, different weights. Coordinated Care leads the PN exam, and every PN question here maps to the PN plan, never the RN one. Practicing for the PN? Start at NCLEX-PN® prep.
Ranges are the official NCSBN share of scored questions on the NCLEX-PN®.
How the map works
You pick a topic
Start from cardiovascular, pharmacology, mental health, any of the topics you already study in school. No test-plan homework required.
Practice starts where your coursework already lives.
Every question carries a map location
Each question ties to a subtopic, its Client Needs categories, the clinical cues that matter, and the wrong-answer traps students fall for.
Cardiovascular → Heart Failure & Cardiac Output → Management of Care.
Your score maps back to the plan
Lily tracks your mastery across the Client Needs categories and steers practice toward your weak spots. The map does the bookkeeping.
You always know where you stand against the real blueprint.
Curious what happens between the map and the question you see? See how we build questions.
Common questions
What is the 2026 NCSBN test plan?
NCSBN publishes a test plan for every NCLEX® cycle. It is the official blueprint for the exam: the Client Needs categories, the share of scored questions each category carries, and the nursing activities they cover. The 2026 plans are the current blueprint for both the NCLEX-RN® and the NCLEX-PN®.
How does Study With Lily use the test plan?
We mapped the whole plan into a structured study map: 8 Client Needs categories, 44 subtopics, 149 activity statements, and hundreds of clinical cues and wrong-answer traps. Every practice question ties to a spot on that map, so your practice always lines up with the exam you are actually taking.
Is the PN test plan different from the RN test plan?
Yes. The categories look similar, but the weights differ, and the PN plan centers Coordinated Care, the practical nurse version of Management of Care. Lily maps PN questions to the PN plan and RN questions to the RN plan, so you never practice against the wrong blueprint.
Do I need to memorize the test plan?
No. You practice by topic, the way you learned it in school. Lily keeps score across the Client Needs categories for you and steers your practice toward your weak spots.
Practice the plan,
not around it.
Adaptive practice mapped to the official 2026 test plans, with every Next Gen format and instant rationales. Free forever with 150 questions a month. Upgrade to Full Access for $9.99/month when you want unlimited everything.
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