Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination

Best NCLEX Study Books for 2026: What Nursing Students Actually Use

The NCLEX is a pass/fail, computer-adaptive exam, so the goal of your prep is not to memorize everything — it's to recognize safe nursing judgment fast. Here is what students actually use, and why.

1. A content review: Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN

The standard. Saunders covers every client-needs category in short sections, with practice questions and rationales at the end of each chapter. Read the chapters you scored lowest on in your predictor exam first, not front to back.

2. A question bank

Content review alone does not pass the NCLEX; practice questions do. Pair Saunders with an online bank (UWorld, Archer or the one your program provides) and aim for a steady number of questions a day for 6–8 weeks. The book-and-bank combination is what most successful candidates describe.

3. Pharmacology Made Incredibly Easy

Drug classes, mechanisms and the adverse effects that show up in priority questions, written in plain language. Use it to shore up the drug categories you keep missing.

4. Medical terminology and anatomy flash cards

Flash cards are for the vocabulary and anatomy you need to read questions quickly. The QuickStudy 1,000-card medical terminology deck and a set of anatomy cards cover it; keep them for clinical placements afterwards.

5. EKG / ECG Interpretation Made Easy

Rhythm strips come up in both the exam and your first job. A short illustrated guide is enough; you do not need a full cardiology text.

A simple 8-week plan

  • Weeks 1–2: predictor exam → review weakest categories in Saunders.
  • Weeks 3–6: 75–100 practice questions a day; read every rationale, including for questions you got right.
  • Weeks 7–8: full-length practice tests, pharmacology and lab-value review, then rest the day before.

Find all of these in our Nursing School Essentials & NCLEX Prep collection — new copies, shipped from the US in 1–2 days.

This guide is general study advice, not official NCSBN guidance. Check the current NCLEX test plan on ncsbn.org.

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