BoardVitals Review – NCLEX-RN

A low-cost, high-yield NCLEX review that gives back to the #GiveVax campaign with each course sold.
Written by: Kristine Thorndyke

Editor's Ranking

3.5/5

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BoardVitals review specializes in question banks and comprehensive study material for physicians, med students, nurses, and many others in the healthcare industry.

Co-founded by a medical resident from Yale, BoardVitals is quickly establishing itself as a competitive healthcare startup that offers high-yield Q banks for the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN. 

All About BoardVitals NCLEX Review

boardvitals nclex review

BoardVitals specializes in question banks and comprehensive study material for physicians, medical students, nurses, and many others in the healthcare industry. BoardVitals was founded in 2013 by Dr. Andrea Paul, a graduate from Michigan State medical school and former resident at Yale medical school. She and her co-founder, Dan Lambert, a Harvard Business School graduate, had a mission to help organize medical boards exam prep. With their medical as well as business background, they were able to establish a competitive healthcare startup that offers comprehensive test prep for a variety of specialties, including nursing, that can be accessed on any device that are able to compete with key players such as Kaplan.

Prepping for the NCLEX? Stat here

Course Pricing Options

boardvitals nclex prices

Free Trial

Price: $0

Summary: Free access to select questions and detailed explanations and rationales, Targeted to NCLEX Exam Blueprint, 24/7 Access Anytime, Anywhere

Cram

Price: $119

Summary: One-month access to 3,300+ questions, detailed explanations and rationales, Targeted to NCLEX Exam Blueprint, 24/7 access anytime, anywhere, CAT practice exams, vaccine donation with purchase

Prepare

Price: $139

Summary: Three-month access to 3,300+ questions, detailed explanations and rationales, Targeted to NCLEX Exam Blueprint, 24/7 access anytime, anywhere, CAT practice exams, vaccine donation with purchase, Ask a Clinician, Buy Now, Start Later (up to 6 months)

Master

Price: $179

Summary: Six-month access to 3,300+ questions, detailed explanations and rationales, Targeted to NCLEX Exam Blueprint, 24/7 access anytime, anywhere, CAT practice exams, vaccine donation with purchase, Ask a Clinician, Buy Now, Start Later (up to 6 months)

Curriculum Review

boardvitals review

With e-learning platforms, sometimes the validity of the courses or programs can seem a bit .. blurry. BoardVitals, however, is used and trusted with over 500 top institutions that include the likes of Yale, Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

BoardVitals can be utilized by faculty and administrators for monitoring student usage, tracking student performance, sending categories for review to students, as well as the ability to flag questions to send to students. This can be extremely helpful for faculty to gauge where students are both individually as well as on a whole in evaluating progress and additional areas to focus on.

BoardVitals specializes in question banks that have been created by leading medical publishers, research institutions, and practicing clinicians. These high-yield questions have been vetted and are updated daily to make your studying more effective and efficient. These question banks can be utilized to personalize your study, as you can organize practice tests with a chosen amount of questions and subject matter.

If you are looking for a comprehensive course, however, this is not it. Their offerings are exclusively question banks and there is not a lot of content review. 

The questions rank pretty similarly in difficulty stacked against the NCLEX, although we’d say that UWorld’s questions are more consistently difficult. When it comes to computerized adaptive testing (CAT) exams like the NCLEX, you will be able to prep with BoardVitals’ CAT platform as well. Simulating real tests by utilizing a similar platform and formatting can do a world of wonders when it comes to easing your nerves on test day.

As you look at your report for your performance, you can filter by subject area, the total questions you have responded to, your percentage correct scores, and percentile ranks.

BoardVitals is pretty confident that you will be prepared for the test upon utilizing their platform. All BoardVitals products of 3-12 months come with a 100% pass guarantee, which means you can feel confident that you have the preparation needed to pass your upcoming exam after putting in the time. This wording can sometimes seem a bit ambiguous, so what this means is that if you don’t pass the exam, then you will receive a free subscription for that length of time that you originally purchased. Hopefully this 100% pass guarantee won’t even be necessary, as those who use BoardVitals platform have a 7% higher pass rate than the national average.

Platform

BoardVitals’ question bank platform is extremely intuitive. When opening your question bank, you will be guided through questions with the ability to view full explanations on each question.

Boardvitals NCLEX Review questions

You can “flag” questions that may have been challenging to come back to. Once you are finished going through the test, you will be able to submit it for grading. This is especially helpful because the score you receive from BoardVitals will show you how you stack up against your peers and provide you with a percentile rank.

When you use the free trial offered by BoardVitals, you will receive a sample of questions to see how the platform works. Once you purchase a review course, however, you have the opportunity to create your own tests. You will be able to customize this test however you like, meaning you can choose only questions you’ve gotten incorrect, questions you haven’t answered before, or simply choose the “All” option.

BoardVitals NCLEX Review Customize Exam

The Timeline section of the BoardVitals platform allows you to keep track of all your scored tests and shows you what kind of progress you have made.

Users of the BoardVitals program have the unique ability to customize practice tests by subject. These exams use technology, formatting, and quality to simulate the real exam you are preparing to take. With the NCLEX, for example, this means using CAT technology, for the USMLE Step 1, this means challenging questions with images that meet the same quality as the exam. Performance analytics allow you to track your progress and view reports.

BoardVitals Student Reviews

I passed my RN Boards with 75 questions. Thanks BoardVitals!

Patti

Much like UWorld but so much more affordable!

Jamie

My learning needs for NCLEX-RN preparation were met as all levels of learning were thoroughly explored. Item distractors used were very challenging.

Ida

The best online NCLEX tool I found for that last minute review. I had three days to cram and I passed!

Shawna

Who Needs BoardVitals NCLEX

BoardVitals is the best NCLEX Review course for students on a budget. About 1/2 the cost of UWorld, students can feel confident that they are getting in the simulated practice before the NCLEX while also not breaking the bank. The questions are high-yield, but not quite as difficult as UWorld, so if you do not feel confident in your current knowledge, we suggest that you purchase UWorld at the additional cost.

We won’t complete our BoardVitals review without sharing that with every new BoardVitals customer, they will donate the equivalent of 1 vaccine to kids and communities in need through the program Vaccine Ambassadors as part of their #GiveVax campaign. Vaccine Ambassadors distributes all of the proceeds to the Pan American Health Organization to be used to purchase and distribute vaccines. The “equivalent of 1 vaccine” is about $2 USD that is donated per question bank purchase. You are more than welcome to donate more if you are moved by this mission!

In addition to their NCLEX Qbank, Board Review Question Banks categories for health professionals:

  • Initial Certification: BoardVitals is the leading test prep for medical specialties
  • Recertification: Online MOC courses and practice Q banks
  • CME: Physicians can complete their Continuing Medical Education
  • Nursing: All major exams for nurses are covered with BoardVitals
  • Medical Students: Q banks and prep for national exams taken during medical school
  • Podiatry: Exam prep and tools are provided for primary and specialized podiatry exams
  • Allied Health: Comprehensive Q banks for lab professionals, rad techs, surgical technicians, and physician assistants
  • Dental: Prep for NBDE and NBDHE exams
  • Pharmacy: NAPLEX review tools
  • Naturopathic: NPLEX Part 1 and Part 2 Review
  • Physician Assistants: PANCE and PANRE Board Review

BoardVitals NCLEX Course Alternatives

Princeton Review

Princeton Review offers more comprehensive courses that can be offered live online on a pretty jazzy platform.

The Princeton Review NCLEX-RN Prep The Princeton Review NCLEX-RN Prep
4.7
$199

3,700 NCLEX practice questions (1,920 NCLEX Practice questions from NCSBN). Get 15% off with code: TPN15

Pros:
  • One of the most well-known and longstanding test prep companies in the world
  • Updated Qbank with Next Gen NCLEX-RN questions sourced directly from NCSBN
  • Live instructors are unrivaled in expertise and experience
Cons:
  • No books or video lessons
  • More expensive than other options
  • No adaptive (CAT) practice tests and only 2 self-assessments
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Nursing.com

Nursing.com is more suitable for visual learners, which differentiates this course from the other NCLEX courses available today.

NURSING.com NURSING.com
4.5
$82

A comprehensive and budget-friendly NCLEX-RN course that's great for visual learners.

Pros:
  • Well-developed mobile application
  • High-quality, exclusive NCLEX simulator (SIMCLEX) that uses test-like algorithm
  • Lots of practice questions (6,000+)
  • Gold standard 200% pass guarantee (double-money back guarantee)
Cons:
  • No live instruction option
  • User interface can feel clunky and harder to navigate
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Hurst NCLEX

Hurst Review’s NCLEX is a good option for students who flexibility in the length of their courses. They offer a 3-day course, which serves as a NCLEX bootcamp.

Hurst Review NCLEX Hurst Review NCLEX
4.5
$249

A fully comprehensive NCLEX-RN course that features responsive customer support and Nurse Coaches to guide your studies through core content.

Pros:
  • Core Content Review
  • Offers in-person and live online review sessions
  • On-demand video content
Cons:
  • Hurst’s QBank doesn’t mimic the look and feel of the NCLEX
  • Gated readiness exams - users must unlock access to the 4 readiness exams by completing a live or online review or purchasing a Hurst Now subscription

Boardvitals NCLEX-RN Review FAQ

Is Boardvitals legit?

Yes – Boardvitals is a fantastic resource for high-quality NCLEX-RN board review questions.

Which is better – Boardvitals or UWorld NCLEX?

Generally speaking, UWorld’s practice questions are most like the real NCLEX on test day.

Does Boardvitals have an app?

Yes! Boardvitals has an app for students to practice their NCLEX Qbank questions – it can be accessed by paying students.

What’s Next

Check out our complete list of the best NCLEX review courses to find one that fits your needs. We carefully vetted each of these 7 NCLEX review courses and are confident you will find a course that is perfect for you.

Still have questions after reading this BoardVitals Review? Feel free to contact BoardVitals either via telephone 1-877-221-1529 or email them at support@boardvitals.com.

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