Best NCLEX prep course: UWorld vs Archer vs Bootcamp vs Kaplan, with prices and a plan for retakers

The short list, by situation

Find your row and stop comparing.

• First attempt, about two months of study, tight budget. NCLEX Bootcamp's two-month plan at $99. It includes 2,800+ questions, 50 case studies, four CAT readiness exams and a refund if you fail after meeting its pass targets.
• First attempt, you learn best from long explanations. UWorld NCLEX-RN, 60 days for $169. Its explanations are the reason most people buy it.
• First attempt, you want the most readiness checks. Archer Review's Q-Bank + CAT, three months for $129, with 30+ readiness assessments and CAT exams.
• Retaking. Switch banks, read your Candidate Performance Report, and consider Archer's Intense PREP at $399 for three months if you need live teaching. The retake section below covers this in detail.
• Internationally educated. Any of these banks works, but your bigger risk is usually English-language clinical reasoning and US practice standards. Why internationally educated nurses fail the NCLEX covers that gap.

Before buying anything, download NCSBN's free sample pack and exam preview from nclex.com. They come from the exam owner, so they show the real item types: the sample pack has three RN case studies and two PN case studies plus extra examples. Spend an evening on them so you know what a bowtie or matrix item looks like before you pay anyone.

One bank, finished, beats three banks half done. NCSBN's test plan for the RN exam changed on 1 April 2026 and runs to 31 March 2029, so check that a product says it is updated for the 2026 test plan. Archer and Bootcamp said so on their pages when checked. UWorld's pricing page did not mention a test plan year, so ask UWorld before you buy if that matters to you.

UWorld NCLEX-RN: what each access length buys

UWorld sells its NCLEX-RN Review by access length. On 2 November 2026 its pricing page showed:

• 30 days: $149, on sale for $139 that day, with 2,600+ questions including 600+ NGN questions and one self-assessment.
• 60 days: $169, with 2,700+ questions, two self-assessments and a dynamic study planner.
• 90 days: $268, on sale for $229, with 2,800+ questions and three self-assessments.
• 180 days: $368, on sale for $329, with 2,900+ questions, four self-assessments and one reset.
• 360 days: $428, on sale for $389, with 3,100+ questions and six self-assessments.

Every tier includes review videos, adaptive CAT practice tests and digital flashcards. The longer tiers add more questions and more self-assessments, which are UWorld's readiness exams.

UWorld's page says 98% of its users pass the first time. That is UWorld's own figure, marked with an asterisk on its page, and it is not comparable with NCSBN's published pass rates, which count every candidate.

Buy the shortest tier that covers your study window with a week to spare. Sixty days fits most people who have just graduated and are studying full time. If you are working shifts and studying around them, 90 days is safer than paying for a renewal later.

UWorld's strength is the explanation behind every option. Read them all, including the ones for questions you got right. A right answer for the wrong reason fails on the next variant.

Archer Review: the low-cost plans and Intense PREP

Archer Review sells four NCLEX-RN products, each by access length. The three-month prices shown on 2 November 2026 were:

• Q-Bank + CAT: $129, shown against $159. 3,100+ questions, 30+ readiness assessments and CAT exams, performance analytics and a three-day live review. One month costs $79.
• Q-Bank + CAT + Videos: $139, shown against $169. Adds on-demand content review and video rationales.
• Sure PASS: $189, shown against $229. Archer's complete package, with live reviews and a program guarantee.
• Intense PREP: $399, shown against $479. Live lectures, weekly small group tutoring and feedback sessions, built around six weeks. Six months costs $599.

The Sure PASS guarantee can be paid out as a refund, a program extension or a replacement slot, but only if you are a first-time Archer user, finish the Q-Bank, attend the three-day live webinar and score High or Very High on four consecutive readiness assessments before your exam. Read Archer's terms before relying on it.

Archer's page quotes a 98.98% pass rate. Archer states that its usage and performance claims come from its own internal data, so treat the number as self-reported.

The readiness assessments are the reason to choose Archer. Four High or Very High scores in a row is a useful bar to set for yourself even if you never claim the guarantee.

NCLEX Bootcamp: the lowest price here with a refund guarantee

NCLEX Bootcamp's upgrade page showed three plans on 2 November 2026: one month for $59 (shown against $79), two months for $99 (shown against $159) and three months for $129 (shown against $239). Every plan includes 2,800+ questions, 50 NCLEX cases, crash course videos, four CAT readiness exams, 140+ printable cheat sheets, a study schedule creator and the mobile app.

The two-month and three-month plans carry Bootcamp's pass guarantee: if you fail after meeting all three of your Pass Targets, email the team and Bootcamp refunds your entire payment. You must buy at least 30 days before your exam date, meet the targets on your Performance page before you test, and show your accredited US or Canadian nursing program and your result. A free trial is available before you pay.

Four CAT readiness exams is fewer than Archer's 30+ assessments, so Bootcamp suits people who will work steadily through the question bank and use the four exams as checkpoints. Bootcamp says its bank matches the 2026 RN test plan.

If you are deciding between Bootcamp and Archer on price alone, the two-month Bootcamp plan and the three-month Archer Q-Bank + CAT sit within a few dollars of each other. Pick Bootcamp for the refund terms, Archer for more readiness checks.

Kaplan and the free official material

Kaplan also sells NCLEX-RN prep. Kaplan's site blocked automated access when prices were checked for this page on 2 November 2026, so no Kaplan price appears here. If your school already gave you Kaplan access, use it before buying anything else: the cheapest bank is the one you already own.

The official free material is worth more than its price suggests:

• Sample pack. NCSBN's sample questions cover each NGN item type with RN and PN case studies.
• Exam preview. Shows how the item types fit together across a real exam.
• Candidate tutorial. The Pearson exam software walkthrough, so the interface is familiar on the day.
• 2026 RN test plan. NCSBN's own document listing each client needs category and its share of the exam. Read it before you choose topics to drill.

None of these replaces a question bank. NCSBN publishes samples, not a full bank, and you need hundreds of practice items to see every client need category several times.

Best NCLEX prep for repeat test takers

NCSBN's 2025 statistics show how much harder the second attempt is. Of 192,916 first-time, US-educated candidates, 86.7% passed. Of 42,513 repeat, US-educated candidates, 52.7% passed. For internationally educated candidates the first-time rate was 47.3% and the repeat rate 30.5%. A retake needs a different plan, not more of the same one.

The retake rules from NCSBN: you can retest 45 days after your exam, up to eight times a year, with at least 45 test-free days between attempts. Some boards of nursing set stricter limits. Each attempt means a new registration and a new fee. Failed the NCLEX walks through re-registering, and side income while you retake covers paying the bills during the 45 days.

What to change for a retake:

1. Read your Candidate Performance Report. NCSBN sends it to candidates who do not pass. It shows how you performed in each content area. Spend your first week on the weakest two.
2. Switch question banks. A bank you have finished teaches you its wording. A new bank written by different people tests whether you understand the concept.
3. Add teaching if self-study failed. Archer's Intense PREP is built for repeat test takers, with live lectures and weekly small group tutoring for $399 over three months.
4. Set a readiness bar before you book. Archer's four High or Very High assessments in a row, or Bootcamp's three Pass Targets, are both clear lines. Book the exam when you clear one, not before.

Ask your board of nursing about its retake limits before you plan dates. Each board sets its own, and the new Authorization to Test sets the window you must test in.

Why your registration date matters this winter

NCSBN's fees page says the NCLEX registration fee becomes $350 in the United States and Australia from 1 February 2027, up from $200 today. In Canada it rises from $360 CAD to $570 CAD. Candidates testing outside the US, Canada and Australia also pay an international scheduling fee of $150.

That is $150 more per attempt for US candidates. For someone who needs two attempts, the extra fees alone cost more than most of the question banks on this page.

Two things to keep straight. First, registering early only helps if you will be ready to test inside the window your board gives you, because registration fees are not refunded. Second, the fee is per registration, so a fail after the rise costs $350 to retry. The cheapest way to pay the new fee once is to arrive ready the first time.

If your program finishes in December or January, register with Pearson VUE as soon as your board allows it and plan your question bank around the test date your Authorization to Test permits. How long to study for the NCLEX gives the usual timelines, and the NCLEX-RN exam page has the format, the test plan categories and the passing standard.

How to use a question bank so the scores mean something

The bank matters less than how you use it.

1. Take a readiness exam first. Sit one CAT readiness exam in week one. It shows which client need categories to start with.
2. Do questions in mixed sets. The real exam mixes categories, so practise that way after your first two weeks.
3. Read every explanation. Right and wrong. Write one line in a notebook for each concept you missed.
4. Do case studies every day. NGN case studies take the longest, so practise them in blocks of three or four.
5. Space the readiness exams. One every week or two. A rising trend matters more than a single score.
6. Stop buying. If your scores stall, the fix is reviewing your notebook, not a second subscription.

After you pass, what to do after passing the NCLEX covers licensure verification and your first job search.