Great Results Need Great Ingredients | Prepare Them with Comprehensive NGN Coverage

Why NGN Coverage Matters

The NGN exam emphasizes clinical decision-making through case-based scenarios and innovative item formats. To prepare students effectively, programs need a learning tool that mirrors the complexity and structure of the actual NCLEX exam. Our competitive analysis revealed that many vendors fall short, providing limited item types, reserving high-value formats like bow-tie items for assessments only, or failing to offer auto-graded functionality.

What Sets UWorld Apart

UWorld is the only platform that delivers:

• Full coverage of NGN item types—over 1,000 assignable NGN questions
• Auto-graded, assignable questions using partial credit scoring, just like the NCLEX
• An NCLEX-like interface for true-to-exam student familiarity
• Time-saving tools that reduce faculty grading burden and streamline assessment

Full NGN Item Type Coverage

UWorld includes every official NGN item type, each assignable, auto-graded, and aligned to NCSBN's Clinical Judgment Measurement Model. Here's what we offer:

• Extended Multiple Response (EMR): Select all that apply from a longer list. Encourages nuanced decision-making.
• Extended Drag and Drop: Order multiple steps in a clinical process. Develops procedural knowledge.
• Cloze (Drop-Down): Fill-in-the-blank with drop-down options. Tests diagnostic reasoning and vocabulary precision.
• Matrix/Grid: Select appropriate options across two dimensions (e.g., symptom vs. intervention). Teaches multifactorial thinking.
• Highlighting: Identify critical elements within a text. Enhances reading comprehension and clinical interpretation.
• Bow-Tie: Multi-step problem-solving combining diagnosis, intervention, and monitoring. Used by NCSBN for high-stakes decision-making practice.
• Trend Items: A single-question scenario based on evolving patient data over time. Measures all six layers of the CJMM in a compressed format.
• Case Studies: A comprehensive six-question item set built around an unfolding patient scenario. Fully measures all six dimensions of the CJMM, making it the most robust NGN format.

Each question is designed not just to teach to the test, but to teach beyond it, deepening students' understanding of clinical reasoning.

Designed to Match the NCLEX Experience

One of the most overlooked components of NGN readiness isn't content—it's interface fluency. Even the most knowledgeable students can underperform if they're unfamiliar with the format of NGN item types. That's why interface fluency is essential in any NCLEX preparation tool.

UWorld's platform has been built to mirror the actual NCLEX testing environment, ensuring that students don't just learn nursing concepts—they learn how to demonstrate those concepts under exam conditions. This includes:

• Drop-down mechanics and highlighting capabilities 
• Grid formats and matrix multiple response items that match the logic and layout of the NCLEX.
• Authentic bow-tie item experience, with drag & drop fields that replicate the real test experience.
• Case study navigation, so students gain comfort managing layered patient information over multiple screens and timeframes.

These design choices are not cosmetic—they are pedagogically strategic. According to the NCSBN's NGN Research Brief Series, student familiarity with digital interface structure directly correlates with reduced cognitive load and improved performance on high-complexity tasks (NCSBN, 2022).

"The test interface should not be a student's first encounter with NGN formats—it should be their hundredth." — National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), 2023

Assignability + Auto-Grading = Time Saved

Unlike competitors that restrict NGN items to limited-use practice banks or summative assessments, UWorld empowers faculty with full assignability and instant auto-grading for every NGN question type.

This functionality makes integrating NGN items directly into your curriculum easier, whether for homework, remediation, or live engagement during lectures.

With UWorld's assignable NGN system, faculty can:

• Schedule targeted assignments from a library of NGN items.
• Use NGN items during class sessions as real-time polling or quiz tools to spark discussion and assess comprehension on the spot.
• Deploy full-length case studies or trend items to reinforce clinical decision-making skills.
• Review student performance in real time through intuitive dashboards.
• Spend more time teaching—and less time scoring, thanks to built-in, automatic grading.

According to a study in the Journal of Nursing Education, automated grading and analytics systems have been shown to improve instructor efficiency and intervention accuracy by up to 40% (Brown et al., 2022).