2-Week NCLEX Study Plan

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Your NCLEX is in 2 weeks. Maybe your ATT is expiring. Maybe life got in the way. Maybe you just graduated and want to get it done.

Whatever the reason, you’re wondering: can I actually pass the NCLEX in 2 weeks?

Yes, you can. Many nurses have done it. But you need to be strategic, not just busy.

Here’s your day-by-day plan.

Before You Start: Honest Self-Assessment

Two weeks is enough time IF:

• You paid attention in nursing school
• You can dedicate 6-8 hours daily to studying
• You’re willing to focus on questions, not content review
• You don’t have major gaps in core content areas

Two weeks might NOT be enough if:

• You struggled significantly in nursing school
• You can’t commit to intensive daily study
• You have major content gaps (pharm, peds, etc.)
• Test anxiety severely impacts your performance

Be honest with yourself. It’s better to postpone than to fail and wait 45 days.

What You Need

Essential:

• A quality question bank with NGN items
• Readiness assessments to track progress
• A quiet study space
• A timer

Recommended: Archer Review’s 30-day Sure Pass ($139) includes 3,100+ questions, unlimited readiness assessments, and live review sessions. Students who hit “high” on 4 consecutive assessments have a 98.98% pass rate—and you can realistically achieve this in 2 weeks with focused effort.

The 2-Week Plan Overview

Week	Focus	Daily Questions	Hours/Day
Week 1	Foundation + identify gaps	150-175	6-8
Week 2	Weakness targeting + readiness	150-200	6-8

Total questions over 2 weeks: 2,000-2,500+

This is aggressive. But it works.

Week 1: Foundation (Days 1-7)

Day 1: Baseline + Setup

Morning (2 hours):

• Take a baseline readiness assessment
• Don’t study beforehand—you need honest data
• Note your score and weak areas

Afternoon (4 hours):

• Do 100 practice questions across all content areas
• Read EVERY rationale—correct and incorrect answers
• Track which topics trip you up

Evening (2 hours):

• Review your weak areas from today
• Make a list of your top 3-5 problem topics
• Get a full night’s sleep

Days 2-4: Core Content Push

Daily structure:

Morning (3 hours):

• 75 practice questions focused on your weak areas
• Thorough rationale review

Afternoon (3 hours):

• 75 more questions—mixed content
• Flag any topics that keep appearing

Evening (2 hours):

• Quick content review of problem areas (videos, cheat sheets)
• Don’t deep-dive—just fill obvious gaps

Daily target: 150 questions minimum

Days 5-6: NGN Focus

The Next Generation NCLEX format trips up many test-takers. Dedicate these days to NGN mastery.

Focus on:

• Case studies (unfolding and standalone)
• Matrix questions
• Drag-and-drop
• Bow-tie items
• Extended multiple response

Daily structure:

• Morning: 50 NGN-specific questions
• Afternoon: 100 mixed questions (including NGN)
• Evening: Review any case study types that confused you

Day 7: First Readiness Check

Morning:

• Take a full readiness assessment
• Simulate test conditions (timed, no interruptions)

Afternoon:

• Analyze results—where did you improve? Where are you still weak?
• Adjust Week 2 focus based on results

Evening:

• Light review only
• Rest and recharge for Week 2

Week 2: Intensity + Readiness (Days 8-14)

Days 8-10: Attack Your Weaknesses

You now know exactly where you’re struggling. These 3 days are laser-focused on those areas.

Daily structure:

Morning (3 hours):

• 75 questions exclusively in your weak areas
• Don’t avoid the topics that frustrate you

Afternoon (3 hours):

• 100 mixed questions
• Include prioritization and delegation—they appear constantly

Evening (2 hours):

• Content review ONLY for topics you’re still missing
• Watch videos, review cheat sheets
• Keep it targeted

Daily target: 175 questions

Days 11-12: Readiness Assessment Push

Goal: Score “high” on consecutive readiness assessments.

Day 11:

• Morning: Readiness assessment #2
• Afternoon: 100 questions targeting any remaining weak spots
• Evening: Light review

Day 12:

• Morning: Readiness assessment #3
• Afternoon: 100 questions
• Evening: Evaluate your readiness honestly

If you’re scoring “high” consistently, you’re on track. If not, focus Day 13 on your gaps.

Day 13: Final Push

Morning (3 hours):

• Readiness assessment #4
• If you hit “high” on this one (and the previous ones), you’re ready

Afternoon (3 hours):

• 100 mixed questions
• Focus on maintaining confidence, not cramming new material

Evening (1-2 hours):

• Light review of high-yield topics only
• Prioritization, ABCs, Maslow’s hierarchy
• Common lab values
• Delegation rules

Day 14: Rest Day

Stop studying by noon. Seriously.

Do:

• Prepare everything for test day (ID, directions, confirmation)
• Light physical activity
• Eat a normal dinner
• Go to bed at your regular time

Don’t:

• Cram new content
• Take more practice tests
• Read nursing forums about NCLEX horror stories
• Stay up late

The work is done. Trust your preparation.

High-Yield Topics for 2-Week Prep

When time is limited, focus on topics that appear most frequently:

Always high-yield:

• Prioritization (ABCs, Maslow, acute vs. chronic)
• Delegation (RN vs. LPN vs. UAP scope)
• Safety and infection control
• Medication administration
• Lab value interpretation
• Patient teaching

Frequently tested:

• Cardiac disorders
• Respiratory conditions
• Diabetes management
• Electrolyte imbalances
• Mental health basics
• Pediatric milestones
• Maternal-newborn essentials

Don’t waste time on:

• Obscure diseases
• Complex drug calculations (calculator is provided)
• Memorizing every lab value (focus on critical values)

What If You’re Not Ready by Day 14?

If you’re consistently scoring below “high” on readiness assessments, consider:

Option 1: Postpone 1-2 weeks

• Continue the intensive schedule
• Don’t take the exam until you hit the readiness benchmark

Option 2: Take the exam anyway

• Some students pass despite lower assessment scores
• But statistically, your odds are worse

Option 3: Extend your prep subscription

• Archer’s 60-day option is only $199
• Gives you more time without starting over

The 45-day wait after failing is brutal. If you’re not ready, it’s usually better to wait a week than to rush and fail.

Sample Daily Schedule

Here’s what a typical study day looks like:

Time	Activity
8:00 AM	Wake up, breakfast
9:00 AM	Questions block 1 (75 questions)
11:00 AM	Break (30 min)
11:30 AM	Questions block 2 (75 questions)
1:30 PM	Lunch break (1 hour)
2:30 PM	Content review for weak areas
4:00 PM	Questions block 3 (50 questions)
5:30 PM	Break/exercise
6:30 PM	Dinner
7:30 PM	Light review, rationale re-read
9:00 PM	Done—relax, sleep

Adjust based on when you’re most alert. Some people prefer starting earlier; others are night owls.

The Bottom Line

Two weeks is tight but doable. The students who pass in this timeframe share common traits:

1. They focus on questions, not content review
2. They read every rationale thoroughly
3. They target their weak areas aggressively
4. They use readiness assessments to gauge actual preparedness
5. They rest before the exam

You’ve made it through nursing school. You have the knowledge. Now you need to prove you can apply it under pressure.

You can do this.

Get started with Archer Review’s Sure Pass — 30-day access is perfect for 2-week intensive prep.

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Related resources:

• NCLEX Study Strategies — Core study techniques
• Archer vs UWorld — Compare the top NCLEX question banks
• 30-Day NCLEX Study Plan — If you have more time to prepare