NCLEX-PN pharmacology: what the 2026 test plan expects a practical nurse to know
Written and reviewed by Rebecca Moore, MSN, RN, CEN · 3 min read · Updated October 2026
Short answer
Pharmacological Therapies makes up 10 to 16% of NCLEX-PN items in the 2026 test plan. The plan does not list drugs. It lists tasks: the rights of medication administration, collecting data before a dose, giving medications by each route, IV piggyback and flow rates, monitoring blood transfusions, counting controlled substances, dosage calculations, and spotting and reporting adverse effects.
What the test plan actually covers
The 2026 plan describes this category as the practical nurse giving medications and monitoring clients receiving parenteral therapies. It groups the content into adverse effects and interactions, dosage calculations, expected actions and outcomes, medication administration, and pharmacological pain management.
Several statements are practical and specific: administer IV piggyback, or secondary, medications; calculate and monitor IV flow rates; monitor a transfusion of blood products; mix medications from two vials, such as insulin; count controlled substances and report discrepancies; and maintain pain control devices such as patient-controlled analgesia.
Learn classes, not lists
Because the plan names tasks rather than drugs, a long list of individual medications is a poor use of time. Learning drug classes works better: what the class does, its main adverse effects, what to check before giving it, and what to report. Common name endings, such as -olol or -pril, help you place an unfamiliar drug in its class.
For each class, know the data you would collect first. That might be a heart rate, a blood pressure, a blood glucose or a lab value. The plan explicitly asks you to collect required data before medication administration.
Where PN scope shows up in medication items
The plan says to withhold a dose if a client has an adverse effect and to notify the provider about actual or potential adverse effects. It also asks you to reinforce client teaching about medications, their effects and when to call the provider.
So a PN medication item often turns on two moves: hold the dose when the data say so, and report it. Changing the dose or starting a new drug is not the practical nurse's call.
Practise the way the exam asks
Dosage calculations are part of this category, so practise them on paper and on screen until the steps feel routine. Expect pharmacology inside case studies too, where a medication finding is one cue among several.
Our Pharmacological Therapies practice questions are written to the PN test plan, with a rationale for every option.
Common questions
How much pharmacology is on the NCLEX-PN?
Pharmacological Therapies is 10 to 16% of items in the 2026 test plan. Medication content can also appear in case studies and other categories.
Is there a list of drugs to memorise for the NCLEX-PN?
No. NCSBN's test plan lists nursing tasks, not named drugs. Studying by drug class, adverse effects and pre-dose checks covers what the plan describes.
Are IV medications on the NCLEX-PN?
Yes. The plan includes IV piggyback medications, IV flow rate calculation and monitoring, and monitoring blood transfusions.