Free · No account needed
Free Printable NCLEX Cheat Sheet
Every high-yield fact worth memorizing, on one page: lab values, ABGs, antidotes, precautions, positioning and the priority rules that decide most NCLEX questions. Print it, tape it above your desk, done.
NCLEX One-Page Cheat Sheet
High-yield essentials · mnemonurse.com
Electrolytes
- Na+ 135–145 — Low: confusion, seizures. High: thirst, dry mucosa. Correct slowly.
- K+ 3.5–5.0 — Low: flat T, U waves. High: peaked T. Never IV push K+.
- Ca2+ 9.0–10.5 — Low: Trousseau/Chvostek, tetany. High: lethargy, stones.
- Mg2+ 1.3–2.1 — Low: torsades, tremors. High: lost reflexes → calcium gluconate.
ABGs (ROME)
- pH 7.35–7.45 — Respiratory Opposite, Metabolic Equal.
- PaCO2 35–45 — ↑CO2 with ↓pH = respiratory acidosis (hypoventilation).
- HCO3 22–26 — ↓HCO3 with ↓pH = metabolic acidosis (DKA, diarrhea).
- PaO2 80–100 — <60 = hypoxemia. Airway and oxygen first.
Priority frameworks
- ABC — Airway → Breathing → Circulation before anything else.
- Maslow — Physiologic needs before psychosocial.
- Acute > chronic — Unstable, unexpected, or new findings first.
- Assess before act — Unless the answer is a life-threat requiring action now.
Vital sign red flags
- HR <60 / >100 — Check cause, meds (digoxin, beta blockers), and perfusion.
- RR <12 / >20 — Opioids → respiratory depression → naloxone.
- BP <90 systolic — Shock: fluids, position, notify provider.
- Temp >100.4°F — Sepsis screen: cultures before antibiotics.
High-alert antidotes
- Heparin — Protamine sulfate (monitor aPTT).
- Warfarin — Vitamin K (monitor INR, goal 2–3).
- Opioids — Naloxone.
- Magnesium sulfate — Calcium gluconate.
- Acetaminophen — Acetylcysteine.
- Benzodiazepines — Flumazenil.
Infection precautions
- Airborne — TB, measles, varicella — N95, negative pressure room.
- Droplet — Flu, pertussis, meningitis — surgical mask, private room.
- Contact — C. diff, MRSA, VRE — gown + gloves; soap and water for C. diff.
- Standard — Hand hygiene for every patient, every time.
Positioning
- Increased ICP — HOB 30°, head midline, no hip flexion.
- Post lumbar puncture — Flat to prevent spinal headache.
- Air embolism — Left side, Trendelenburg.
- Post-op tonsillectomy — Side-lying to drain secretions.
Test-day strategy
- Read the last line first — Identify what is actually being asked.
- Eliminate two — Rule out unsafe and 'notify provider' shortcuts.
- Watch absolutes — Always/never options are usually wrong.
- Nurse's scope — Pick what you can do without an order.
For study support only — always follow your facility's protocols and current clinical guidelines. © MnemoNurse · mnemonurse.com
Want more free study sheets?
Drop your email and we'll send new cheat sheets, mnemonics and NCLEX strategy as we publish them. Unsubscribe any time.
Keep going
Full question bank
Ready for more than cheat sheet practice?
Unlock 8,000+ NCLEX-style questions with a rationale for every single answer choice — including the wrong ones — plus progress tracking and weak-area analytics.
All sales final — no refunds