Best NCLEX prep: what test takers actually recommend
UWorld, Bootcamp, Mark Klimek, Archer, Kaplan, Saunders and Naxlex come up most in Reddit threads. See what each is, verified prices and how to choose.
- UWorld is the most-named product in the threads we read.
- The top answer in the largest thread is Mark Klimek's lectures plus UWorld.
- Bootcamp and Archer cost less: US$129 for three months each.
- These are opinions from people who replied, not proof of what works.
- Medibara, our own app, is free to start: short lessons, questions and mock exams on your phone.
No single NCLEX prep is best for everyone. In the Reddit threads that rank for this question, the names that come up most are UWorld, Bootcamp, Mark Klimek's lectures, Archer, Kaplan, Saunders and Naxlex.
We make Medibara, so we have added it to the comparison and marked it as ours. It teaches each topic in a short lesson on your phone, then asks questions on it, and it is free to start.
Sources checked 6 October 2026.
The names that come up most
We read six threads: r/NCLEX_RN on the best prep resource, r/nursing on prep brands, r/nursing on study materials (67 comments), r/NCLEX on practice apps, r/PassNclex on Archer and UWorld and r/nursing on tips to pass. What follows is what people in those threads say. It is opinion from people who chose to reply. It is not a survey, and it does not show which product produces more passes.
What each one is and what it costs
We list a price only where we read it on the vendor's own page on 6 October 2026. Where we could not, the table says so. Check the vendor before you buy.
| Resource | What it is | Price read on 6 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Medibara (ours, not named in the threads) | Phone-first app: short lessons, questions in your exam's format with rationales, mock exams and Ask Cappy, a tutor | Free, with one ad between lessons. The Plus plan removes the ads and the Ask Cappy limit |
| UWorld | Question bank with long rationales, self-assessments and adaptive tests | US$139 for 30 days, US$229 for 90 days |
| Bootcamp | Question bank with 2,800+ questions, 50 cases, videos and 4 adaptive readiness exams | US$59 for 1 month, US$99 for 2 months, US$129 for 3 months |
| Archer Review | Question bank with 3,100+ questions and 30+ readiness assessments | US$79 for 1 month, US$129 for 3 months (Q-Bank + CAT) |
| Mark Klimek | Lecture-based review. The official course has 34 chapters on demand | Not shown on the page we read |
| Kaplan | Course with a question bank and adaptive tests | Not verified. The page would not load for us |
| Saunders | Comprehensive review book with practice questions | Not verified |
| Naxlex | Question bank | Not verified. The site would not load for us |
Sources: UWorld, Bootcamp, Archer Review and Klimek Reviews. Bootcamp states a refund guarantee on its 2-month and 3-month plans for students who meet its targets. Archer offers a guarantee only on its Sure PASS plan. UWorld states none. Medibara offers none.
Where Medibara fits
Medibara prepares you for NCLEX-RN, NCLEX-PN and REx-PN. The products above are question banks, lecture series and books. Medibara is built around the lesson: you learn one topic, then you answer questions on it.
- Lessons. Each one is a short video on a single topic that gives you the mechanism, the nursing action and the signs to watch for. The app calls a lesson a round.
- Questions. They follow each lesson in your exam's format, and every answer has a rationale that says why each option is right or wrong.
- Ask Cappy. The tutor answers from the lesson you are on and shows where the answer comes from. The free plan includes a few questions a day.
- Mock exams. A quick mock, a topic mock and a full adaptive mock, all under exam rules. Answers lock when you move on, and rationales wait until the end.
- Progress. It tracks how you do in each area of your exam's test plan and marks the weakest as "Focus next".
Nobody in the threads we read named Medibara, and we do not publish a question count or a pass rate. Its case is the format. If you want a few thousand questions with long rationales, buy one of the banks above and use Medibara next to it: do the lesson on a topic first, then that topic's questions in your bank. If your study time comes in short gaps, or you cannot pay for a bank, the free plan covers lessons, questions and mock exams. Start learning on Medibara.
What people say about each
- UWorld. The most-named product across the threads. People praise the rationales and say the interface looks like the exam. One person in the 67-comment thread felt its questions did not represent the NCLEX well.
- Mark Klimek's lectures. The top reply in the 67-comment thread is his lectures plus UWorld. One person singles out the prioritisation and assignment lecture. One reply says the lectures did not help them.
- Bootcamp. Named in three replies to the r/NCLEX_RN thread and recommended several times in the Archer and UWorld thread, where nobody had asked about it.
- Archer. Liked for its readiness assessments and for questions that feel like the exam. One person says they failed a first attempt after using Archer and another product.
- Kaplan. Named by people whose school provided it, and in one reply to a repeat taker that suggests 20 to 30 Kaplan questions a day.
- Saunders and Naxlex. Named together by two people in the r/NCLEX_RN thread. One used Saunders to rebuild weak content areas.
- Also named: Hurst Review as a full class, SimpleNursing videos and Nurseslabs' free practice exams.
The best NCLEX prep app
In the thread about practice apps, the replies name Bootcamp, Kaplan and UWorld. One person points to Nurseslabs' free online practice exams and notes that they were written before the Next Generation NCLEX. Most of these products are web question banks with a companion app, so try the app during a free trial before you count on studying from your phone.
Medibara is designed for the phone first. A lesson and its questions fit a short session, each answer option is its own card, and Ask Cappy is one tap away during a lesson or a question. It also runs in a browser.
How to choose
- Pick one question bank and finish it. Most people in these threads used one main bank.
- Add a content source if your knowledge has gaps: lectures, a review book, your school's material or Medibara's lessons.
- Make sure it has Next Generation NCLEX case studies and at least one full-length adaptive exam.
- Match the access period to your exam date. A one-month plan is the cheapest way in if your date is close.
- Ask your school first. Some programs already include a prep product in their fees.
Then put it on a calendar with the study plan builder. For the head-to-head, see UWorld vs Archer.