Every core format the NCLEX® uses.
Single Best Answer
4 options · 1 correct · Bloom's levels 1 through 5
The foundation of NCLEX® testing. You read a clinical scenario and choose the one best answer from four options. Every option is clinically plausible. Wrong answers reflect real misconceptions, not obvious throwaways.
At lower difficulty, SBA questions test recall and comprehension. At higher difficulty, they test prioritization and clinical evaluation. This format primarily exercises Recognize Cues, Analyze Cues, and Take Action.
Select All That Apply
5 to 6 options · 2+ correct · +/− partial credit scoring
You read a clinical scenario and select every correct answer. You earn a point for each correct option you pick, but each wrong option subtracts a point. Your score can never go below zero. This is the real NCLEX® +/− scoring model. You have to be right about what to include and what to leave out.
With SBA, you can sometimes eliminate wrong answers to find the right one. With SATA, you must evaluate each option independently. There's no shortcut. This format heavily tests Generate Solutions and Take Action. You're not just picking the best option, you're assembling a complete clinical response.
BowTie
16 options across 3 columns · 5 correct · All 6 CJMM steps
The most complex format on the NCLEX®. A single item that exercises all 6 CJMM steps at once. You read a clinical scenario, then work across three columns simultaneously.
Actions to Take
6 options. Select the 2 best nursing interventions for the identified condition.
Potential Condition
4 options. Identify the most likely condition from competing differential diagnoses.
Parameters to Monitor
6 options. Select 2 parameters that confirm your treatment is working.
Wrong answers aren't random.They're differential diagnoses that share real clinical cues with the correct condition. The actions and monitoring parameters for the wrong conditions are included as options. This is the same reasoning you'll use at the bedside when two conditions look similar but require different interventions.
Matrix/Grid
4 to 6 rows · Radio per row · Polytomous 0/1 scoring
A grid of clinical items with one decision per row. You read the scenario, then sort each finding, medication, or intervention into the right column. Every row is scored independently, so partial credit is baked into the format.
Matrix trains the chart-review reflex. You are not picking one best answer, you are working through a list the way you would on rounds. This format exercises Analyze Cues, Prioritize Hypotheses, and Generate Solutions.
Drop-Down Cloze
Inline blanks · Dropdown per blank · Polytomous 0/1 scoring
A short clinical note with blanks embedded in the sentence. Each blank is a dropdown. You pick the option that makes the note clinically accurate, one word at a time.
Cloze is the closest thing to finishing a handoff report. You have to keep the whole scenario in your head while you fill in the right details. This format heavily exercises Analyze Cues, Generate Solutions, and Take Action.
Unfolding Case Studies
Multi-phase · Evolving scenarios · All 6 CJMM steps across phases
A single patient scenario that evolves over multiple phases. You assess, intervene, monitor, and reassess as the clinical picture changes. Each phase builds on your previous answers.
Initial Assessment
“68 y/o presents with fatigue and irregular pulse”
Recognize Cues
New Information
“K+ 6.2 mEq/L. ECG shows peaked T waves”
Analyze & Prioritize
After Intervention
“Heart rate normalized. K+ trending down”
Evaluate Outcomes
Patients don't arrive with a diagnosis and a care plan. They arrive with symptoms that shift, labs that come back unexpected, and conditions that overlap. Case studies prepare you for that complexity in a way standalone questions can't.
Format support is listed by plan.
The free plan includes SBA, SATA, Matrix, and Drop-Down Cloze. Full Access also includes BowTie and Unfolding Case Studies. See the question quality process.
How formats appear in practice
Sessions can combine supported formats based on your plan, topic, and difficulty level.
Free practice includes SBA, SATA, Matrix, and Drop-Down Cloze. Full Access adds BowTie and Unfolding Case Studies.
Every supported format runs through the same structural and consistency checks before it enters practice.
Keep exploring
Practice all six core formats.
Free practice includes SBA, SATA, Matrix, and Drop-Down Cloze. Full Access adds unlimited NGN questions (BowTie and Unfolding Case Studies). No credit card required to start.
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