NCLEX Next Generation Case Study Workbook

This NCLEX Next Generation case study workbook is for nursing students and graduates who want hands-on practice with the clinical judgment items on the NCLEX-RN. It explains NCSBN's Clinical Judgment Measurement Model and every NGN item format with its scoring rule, then gives you 26 original unfolding case studies and 32 stand-alone bow-tie and trend items to work, score and learn from.

87 pages. 188 original practice items (156 case-study items plus 16 bow-tie and 16 trend items), with an answer key that gives the scoring rule, the points possible and a rationale for every item.

WHAT'S INSIDE
• How the NCLEX-RN is built under the 2026 test plan: 85–150 items, 5 hours, the three scored case studies in every exam, stand-alone clinical judgment items, and the 0.00-logit passing standard
• The 8 Client Needs areas with their test-plan ranges, and how this workbook's items are spread across them (every area inside its range)
• The Clinical Judgment Measurement Model layer by layer, and the six steps (recognize cues, analyze cues, prioritize hypotheses, generate solutions, take action, evaluate outcomes) in plain words, with the classic trap for each
• Every NGN format: select all, select N, grouping, matrix multiple choice and multiple response, drop-down cloze, table and rationale, drag-and-drop cloze and rationale, highlight text and table, bow-tie and trend, with how each looks on paper and how it is scored (0/1, +/– or rationale), a clear note on which rules NCSBN publishes and which are this workbook's practice estimates, plus worked scoring examples
• A case-reading method, key words that change the answer, five traps that cost points, and one case worked out loud, step by step
• 8 medical-surgical cases: pulmonary embolism, GI bleeding with a transfusion reaction, postoperative hypoglycemia, C. difficile, COPD with CO2 retention, pancreatitis, neutropenic fever and postoperative delirium
• 4 critical care cases: STEMI with cardiac arrest, rising intracranial pressure, a major burn with inhalation injury, and a chest tube with tension pneumothorax
• 3 maternity and newborn cases: preeclampsia with magnesium sulfate, oxytocin with late decelerations, and newborn hypoglycemia
• 4 pediatric cases: bronchiolitis, dehydration, an asthma attack and a sickle cell crisis with acute chest syndrome
• 4 mental health cases: suicide risk on a new antidepressant, opioid overdose, neuroleptic malignant syndrome and refeeding syndrome in anorexia nervosa
• 3 community and long-term care cases: digoxin toxicity at home, an influenza outbreak in a nursing home and suspected tuberculosis in a clinic
• 16 stand-alone bow-tie items and 16 trend items, including autonomic dysreflexia, compartment syndrome, thyroid storm, SIADH, diabetes insipidus, adrenal crisis, hyperkalemia after missed dialysis, anaphylaxis, end-of-life care, suspected elder abuse, lead poisoning, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, restraint monitoring, postpartum warning signs, mass-casualty triage, and trend items on which client to see first and how to make assignments
• Score strips after every case and block, plus trackers by clinical judgment step, by Client Needs area and a case log
• Sources page listing the official NCSBN material and guidelines the facts were checked against

HOW IT'S BUILT
• Every case follows the NGN shape: one client, unfolding data, six items in step order
• Management of Care woven through the cases: delegation, handoffs and SBAR, informed consent and refusal, advance directives, transfers, discharge planning and the chain of command
• 101 tables and grids (including the item matrices and score strips) and 6 drawn diagrams, including the clinical judgment model, the six-step cycle and a bow-tie diagram
• Lab values come with reference ranges, drugs use generic names and key words are bolded, as on the exam
• Multiple-choice answer letters balanced across A–D; every calculation worked in the rationale
• Facts checked against NCSBN, CDC, FDA drug labels, ADA, ACC/AHA, ACOG, AAP, IDSA, AABB and the American Burn Association

HOW YOU GET IT
One PDF, letter size. Print at home or study on a tablet or phone.

This is an independent study aid created to supplement, not replace, your nursing coursework and official NCLEX preparation materials. BusyExamPrep is not affiliated with or endorsed by NCSBN, Pearson VUE or any nursing program. NCLEX and NCLEX-RN are registered trademarks, and Next Generation NCLEX and NGN are trademarks, of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. Always follow your state board of nursing's rules, your facility's policies and a licensed provider's orders in clinical practice.
For personal study use only. Please do not resell, share, or redistribute the files.