What's new in September 2026

Sep 22 to 30 · 113 updates

1. 30Sep · Wed

   Scratch pad: move it, resize it, tuck it away

   Improved

   • Improved
     Dock the cram Scratch pad left, right or bottom, resize it, and tuck it away. more ▾less ▴

     The Scratch pad in a cram sheet now goes where you want it. Dock it to the left, the right or the bottom with the three small buttons in its header, drag its edge to make it bigger or smaller, and tuck it away into a small tab when you just want to read; tap the tab and it comes back exactly as it was. On an iPad held upright it now starts at a quarter of the screen instead of almost half. Your choice is remembered on that device.

   Your marks stay on each question

   Improved

   • Improved
     Marks on a question stay for the whole set when you come back to it. more ▾less ▴

     Highlights, pen marks and handwriting on a question now stay put for the whole set. Go on to the next question, come back, and your marks are where you left them, even after a refresh. This works in practice sets, mock boards and the diagnostic exam, on the device you marked them on, and clears when you finish the set.

   Cast and crutch follow-up fixes

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     Crutch-fit card and hip spica cast explanation made more exact. more ▾less ▴

     The crutch-fit flashcard now gives the gap under the armpit as two to three finger-widths, with the elbows bent about 20 to 30 degrees, matching the review books and our cram sheet. The hip spica cast question now explains that pillows go under a drying plaster cast only once it no longer feels warm from setting, since a pillow under a hot cast traps the heat. The Musculoskeletal cram sheet (page 9) now says the same, and your notes on it are kept.

   Spinal cord injury questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     49 spinal cord injury questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     49 practice questions on spinal cord injuries were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 55 words to about 31, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Fixed
     Five questions with a second right answer fixed. more ▾less ▴

     Five questions had two defensible answers and were rebuilt so only one choice is right. One ranked a stopped bowel above dangerously low blood pressure in the first hours after injury. The others marked wrong something current guidance supports: a stiffer bladder from a long-term catheter, air-stacking and postural drainage to clear mucus, a gentle head-up tilt when sitting up, and ear pressure under a neck collar.

   • Improved
     Twenty-one questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions repeated one another or other topics. Twenty-one now test ground no other question asked, such as falls as the leading cause in older adults, preventing leg clots, the two kinds of bowel after a cord injury, when a suprapubic catheter is used, why the cough weakens after a neck injury, nerve pain in numb areas, and what feeling around the anus means for recovery.

   Casts, traction and walking aids questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     49 casts, traction and walking aids questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     49 practice questions on casts, traction, crutches, canes, walkers and slings were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 53 words to about 27, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Fixed
     Four questions with a second right answer fixed. more ▾less ▴

     Four questions had a wrong choice that is actually correct, so they had two right answers. Wrapping a cast in a plastic bag for bathing, tapping the outside of an itchy cast, and fiberglass letting the skin breathe are no longer marked wrong, and the pin-site care question no longer asks you to pick between cleaning methods that experts still disagree on.

   • Improved
     Twenty-five questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions repeated one another or other topics, especially the crutch and cane rules and hip precautions. Twenty-five now test ground no other question asked, such as padding the outer knee in Buck's traction to prevent foot drop, the Thomas splint ring, Bryant's traction in toddlers, toe-touch weight bearing, the four-point gait, and what a partial hip replacement replaces.

   Immunology and connective tissue questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     46 immunology and connective tissue questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     46 practice questions on immune and connective tissue disorders (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, Sjögren disease, multiple myeloma, transplant rejection and allergic reactions) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 67 words to about 30, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Fixed
     Four questions with a second right answer fixed. more ▾less ▴

     Four questions had a wrong choice that current guidance actually recommends, so they had two right answers. Small, frequent meals for scleroderma, pacing activities and avoiding midday sun for lupus, warming the hands for Raynaud phenomenon, and lying flat with the legs raised in anaphylaxis are no longer marked wrong. The peanut allergy question now also includes a tight throat, a breathing sign that clearly calls for the auto-injector.

   • Improved
     Twenty-six questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions repeated one another or other topics. Twenty-six now test ground no other question asked, such as checking blood pressure for scleroderma kidney crisis, eye exams while on hydroxychloroquine, lung warning signs on methotrexate, allergy shots after a severe sting reaction, and what a negative rheumatoid factor test means.

   • Fixed
     Five high-calcium questions now teach the water pill only for fluid overload. more ▾less ▴

     Five questions on very high calcium no longer teach a water pill (furosemide) as a routine step. Current guidance keeps it for fluid overload after IV fluids, so two questions now describe that overload and three explanations were reworded. Every answer is unchanged.

   Musculoskeletal trauma questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     54 musculoskeletal trauma questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     54 practice questions on musculoskeletal trauma (fractures, casts and traction, hip and knee replacement, amputation, sprains and dislocations) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 65 words to about 32, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Fixed
     Four questions updated to current evidence; a second right answer removed. more ▾less ▴

     Four questions now follow current evidence. The back strain question no longer teaches ice as the one right home measure, since cold or hot packs are both recommended. Heavy bleeding from thigh fractures no longer teaches a fast IV fluid infusion as the first step. A thigh bone fracture now teaches the traction splint, which the old question had as a second right answer. Buck's traction before hip surgery is now taught as keeping the leg still and in line, since studies found no clear pain benefit.

   • Improved
     Twenty-four questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions repeated one another or other topics, especially blood clots and cast care. Twenty-four now test ground no other question asked, such as stress fractures, the pelvic binder, gas gangrene, wrist drop after an upper arm fracture, and why a scaphoid wrist fracture can hide on the first X-ray.

   • Fixed
     Flashcards, explanations and three cram sheets updated to match current evidence. more ▾less ▴

     Five flashcards, six question explanations and three cram sheets (Musculoskeletal, Neuro A, and Labs, Fluids & Electrolytes) now match current evidence. A new cast is raised above heart level for the first day or two. Buck's traction before hip surgery is taught as keeping the leg still and in line, since studies found no clear pain benefit. IV fluid for bleeding is a short bridge until blood arrives, and a severe head injury gets normal saline rather than Ringer's.

   Alzheimer's and dementia questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     48 Alzheimer's and dementia questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     48 practice questions on Alzheimer's disease and dementia (safety at home, communication, caregiver support, the stages, and the Alzheimer's medicines) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 46 words to about 30, the four choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     About half the questions now test points no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions repeated questions on delirium and other mental health topics. About half now test caregiving points no other question asked, such as a personal information sheet for hospital staff, keeping spare keys and eyeglasses for a person who accuses others of hiding them, a family member staying at the bedside overnight, and speaking the language a person learned first.

   • Fixed
     Questions with a second right answer were rebuilt. more ▾less ▴

     Several questions had a second right answer, such as offering a written answer card as the wrong way to handle repeated questions, and calling it wrong that the disease progresses at different rates in different people. These were rebuilt so only the keyed answer is right. Two answers now match the drug labels: donepezil still helps in the severe stage, and rivastigmine is restarted at a low dose after several missed days.

   • Fixed
     The memantine explanation now matches the drug label. more ▾less ▴

     The explanation on how memantine works now adds what its drug label says: it eases symptoms but is not proven to slow the loss of nerve cells. The answer is unchanged.

   Breathing problem questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     46 breathing problem questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     46 practice questions on breathing problems (chest tubes, ventilators, tracheostomies, ARDS, blood clots in the lung, and oxygen care) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 48 words to about 30, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Twenty-seven questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions used to repeat questions elsewhere in the bank, above all on chest-tube clamping, saline down the breathing tube, and ventilator alarms. Twenty-seven now test ground no other question asked, such as giving oxygen through the neck after a laryngectomy, the dressing when a chest tube comes out, why breath sounds alone cannot confirm a breathing tube, and filling a humidifier with sterile water.

   • Fixed
     Questions with a second right answer were rebuilt. more ▾less ▴

     Seven questions had a second right answer, such as petroleum jelly gauze offered as a wrong dressing for an open chest wound, and turning an ARDS client face-down offered as a wrong choice when her oxygen level already called for it. These were rebuilt so only the keyed answer is right. One answer now teaches that a tracheostomy tube that comes out in its first week is not pushed back in: the nurse gives oxygen over the face while a tube is placed through the mouth.

   Site-specific cancer questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     51 site-specific cancer questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     51 practice questions on site-specific cancers (breast, prostate, colon and rectum, cervix, uterus and ovary, leukemia and lymphoma, lung, liver, kidney and bladder) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 66 words to about 27, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Fixed
     Four answers updated to current guidance; questions with a second right answer rebuilt. more ▾less ▴

     Four answers now follow current guidance. Arm swelling after breast surgery is no longer taught as caused by lifting or blood draws on that arm. Skin care during breast radiation now teaches gentle washing with mild soap. The PSA question now teaches that recent ejaculation or vigorous cycling can raise the result for a short time. Three questions that had a second right answer were rebuilt so only the keyed answer is right.

   • Improved
     Thirty questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions repeated one another or other topics. Thirty now test ground no other question asked, such as the vinegar test (VIA) for cervical screening, why a sentinel node biopsy carries a lower risk of arm swelling, inflammatory breast cancer, a tumor at the top of the lung that causes shoulder pain, and the two phases of leukemia treatment.

2. 29Sep · Tue

   Answer choices now shuffle, and you can select text

   New

   • New
     Practice and Vault choices now come in a new order each time a question returns. more ▾less ▴

     In Practice and the Vault, the answer choices now come in a new order each time a question comes back, so you remember the answer itself, not its letter or its place on the screen. The explanation follows the new letters. Mock boards keep the fixed order of the real exam.

   • New
     Select and copy words from a question to look up a term. more ▾less ▴

     You can now select and copy words from a question and its choices, to look up a term you don't know. When the highlighter or pen is on, dragging marks the text as before.

   • New
     Select text on a cram sheet to copy or look up a term. more ▾less ▴

     On a cram sheet, tap the pen icon, then Select text, and drag across words (or press and hold on a phone) to copy a term or search it. Each copy takes up to 40 words, and the downloaded PDF still carries your name on every page.

   Explanations now match the question you answered

   FixedImproved

   • Fixed
     An explanation now always matches the version of the question you answered. more ▾less ▴

     When we improve a question while you have it open in a practice set, you now see the explanation written for the version you actually answered. Before, the explanation could describe choices that were no longer on your screen. If only the explanation was improved, you simply get the newer one.

   • Improved
     History marks questions improved since you answered them. more ▾less ▴

     When you review a finished practice set in History and a question has been improved since you answered it, you now see the improved version with a short note telling you what you picked on the version you answered. Your old letter is no longer marked on choices you never saw.

   • Improved
     Resumed sets and mock and diagnostic reviews mark improved questions too. more ▾less ▴

     The same now applies when you pick a practice set back up, in the warm-up, and when you review a mock board or the diagnostic: a question improved after you answered it shows the new version with a short note about what you picked, instead of your old letter on choices you never saw.

   Elimination and GI emergency questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     50 elimination and GI emergency questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     50 practice questions on altered elimination (kidney stones, incontinence, acute kidney injury and dialysis, pancreatitis, liver failure, GI bleeding, and diabetic emergencies) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 63 words to about 27, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Thirty-six questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Most of these questions used to repeat questions from other topics. Thirty-six now test ground no other question asked, such as tamsulosin to help a kidney stone pass, citrus drinks against calcium stones, caffeine and urge leaks, removing the gallbladder in the same stay after mild gallstone pancreatitis, giving albumin with a large belly drain, and starting an antibiotic at once when a client with cirrhosis bleeds.

   • Fixed
     Pancreatitis fluid teaching updated; questions with a second right answer were rebuilt. more ▾less ▴

     Pancreatitis questions now teach measured, goal-directed IV fluids instead of aggressive fluids, in line with current guidance. Five questions had a second right answer, including a dialysis question where two findings were equally urgent and a liver question that offered two drugs also used for the same purpose. These were rebuilt so only the keyed answer is right.

   Cancer emergency questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     52 cancer emergency questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     52 practice questions on oncologic emergencies (tumor lysis syndrome, high calcium from cancer, SIADH, spinal cord compression, superior vena cava syndrome, fever with low white cells, and DIC) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 56 words to about 30, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Forty-one questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions used to repeat one another, above all on tumor lysis syndrome and spinal cord compression. Forty-one now test ground no other question asked, such as screening for G6PD before rasburicase, why the urine is no longer made alkaline in tumor lysis, drawing blood cultures from both a vein and a port, giving zoledronic acid as a slow infusion on its own line, and reporting a fever in a client with low white cells before giving paracetamol.

   • Fixed
     Questions with a second right answer were rebuilt. more ▾less ▴

     Six questions had a second right answer. One listed two real risk factors for tumor lysis syndrome as wrong choices, and one offered only a fluid limit for a confused client with very low sodium, when a strong salt solution is the current treatment. One question's answer did not match its own scenario. These were rebuilt so only the keyed answer is right.

   Seizure questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     50 seizure questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     50 practice questions on seizures and epilepsy (seizure types, first aid, status epilepticus, seizure medicines and living safely with epilepsy) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 58 words to about 30, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Thirty-four questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions used to repeat what other questions already asked. Thirty-four now test ground no other question asked, such as the blood ammonia check on valproic acid, grapefruit juice and carbamazepine, kidney stones on topiramate, restarting lamotrigine after missed doses, a seizure in water, and seizures that continue without jerking. Seizure types now use their current names, with the older names given once in the explanation.

   • Fixed
     Questions with a second right answer or an unsupported answer were rebuilt. more ▾less ▴

     Some questions had a second right answer or an answer the sources did not support. A head injury is no longer called the most likely cause of a first seizure, since about half of epilepsy has no known cause. A birth control question no longer says every seizure medicine weakens the pill, since only some do. A medical ID question and a gum-care question each had a second correct choice. These were rebuilt so only the keyed answer is right.

   Eight student reports resolved, including a disaster-law update

   FixedImproved

   • Fixed
     The disaster cram sheet now names DEPDev, formerly NEDA, as the recovery lead agency. more ▾less ▴

     Page 8 of the Environmental Health, Disaster & Records cram sheet named NEDA as the lead agency for disaster rehabilitation and recovery. Under Republic Act 12145, signed in April 2025, NEDA was reorganized as the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), which now holds that role. The page now names DEPDev, with "formerly NEDA" beside it so older review materials still make sense. Nothing else on the sheet moved, so your highlights and notes stay where you left them.

   • Fixed
     The dengue vaccine question now names Dengvaxia and explains how Qdenga differs. more ▾less ▴

     A question on who may receive the dengue vaccine said blood testing for past dengue is required before "the dengue vaccine". Since May 2024, WHO also recommends a second vaccine, TAK-003 (Qdenga), for children aged 6 to 16 in areas with a lot of dengue, without that test. The question now names CYD-TDV (Dengvaxia), the vaccine the testing rule belongs to, and its explanation sets out the difference.

   • Fixed
     A pregnancy hormone choice now gives progesterone its correct role. more ▾less ▴

     A question on the hormones of pregnancy described progesterone as the hormone that thickens the lining of the uterus. Thickening the lining is estrogen's work; progesterone maintains it and supports implantation, and the choice now says so.

   • Improved
     Five explanations were made clearer after student questions, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     Five explanations were made clearer after students asked about them: when betamethasone starts to help a preterm baby's lungs (some benefit within the first day, the most when birth comes two to seven days after the first dose), why tube feeding rather than feeding through a vein suits a ventilated client with Guillain-Barre syndrome who cannot swallow, what the "right person" means in delegation, how quarantine differs from isolation, and home airway clearance in cystic fibrosis. No correct answer moved on any of these questions, so your past attempts and topic scores are unaffected.

   Heart and circulation questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     47 heart and circulation questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     47 practice questions on the heart and circulation (heart attacks, heart failure, slow and fast heart rhythms, cardiac arrest, very high blood pressure and heart devices) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 55 words to about 29, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Thirty-three questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions used to repeat what other questions already asked. Thirty-three now test ground no other question asked, such as what to do after one shock from an implanted defibrillator, removing a medicine patch before a shock, a slipped balloon pump, pain relief during pacing, a sudden rise in exhaled carbon dioxide during CPR, and pain relievers that raise blood pressure.

   • Fixed
     Questions with a second right answer were rebuilt. more ▾less ▴

     Some questions had a second right answer. After atropine fails for a slow heart rate, current guidance allows pacing or a drip medicine, so both are now correct choices. Active wheezing is a reason to hold a beta-blocker, so it is now the answer instead of a wrong choice. Two questions taught different first actions for the same heart attack; one now teaches chewing aspirin first and the other moved to a new topic. These questions were rebuilt so only the keyed answer is right.

   Shock and sepsis questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     56 shock and sepsis questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     56 practice questions on shock and sepsis (the types and stages of shock, septic shock care, fluids and blood, drips that raise blood pressure, severe allergic reactions and failing organs) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 48 words to about 32, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Twenty-three questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions used to repeat what other questions already asked. Twenty-three now test ground no other question asked, such as when a second blood pressure drip is added, removing an IV line that caused the infection, draining an abscess, a drug that slows bleeding after trauma, why a client stays lying flat after a severe allergic reaction, and how to stop a norepinephrine drip safely.

   • Fixed
     Sepsis questions now use the current definition. more ▾less ▴

     Several questions taught an older definition of sepsis: an infection plus fever, a fast pulse and fast breathing. Current international guidelines define sepsis as an infection that has started to damage an organ, and no longer use the term "severe sepsis". These questions now use the current definition, and their answer letters are unchanged.

   • Fixed
     Outdated answers and second right answers were rebuilt. more ▾less ▴

     Some answers were outdated or had a second right answer. Drowsiness was taught as an early sign of blood loss, but it is a late one. A norepinephrine drip was taught as having to wait for a central line, but current guidelines allow starting it in an arm vein. Saline was taught as the first fluid in heavy bleeding even with blood on hand. These questions were rebuilt so only the keyed answer is right.

   Somatic and behavioral therapy questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     39 therapy questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     39 practice questions on somatic and behavioral therapies (electroconvulsive therapy, behavior therapy such as rewards, shaping and token systems, group therapy, therapy through the ward setting, family therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 49 words to about 25, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Sixteen questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions used to repeat what this topic's case studies already asked. Sixteen now test ground no other question asked, such as where the electrodes are placed to lower memory loss, why a relative who stayed paralyzed after surgery matters before the treatment, when a time-out should start, and what a family should expect from family therapy.

   • Fixed
     Two questions with a second right answer were rebuilt. more ▾less ▴

     Two questions had a second right answer among the choices. One marked "some people keep lasting memory changes" after electroconvulsive therapy as wrong, but some people do keep permanent memory gaps. Another marked massage as not a mind-body measure, but massage counts as one. Both were rebuilt so only the keyed answer is right.

   • Fixed
     A Mock Board #3 explanation on memory after this treatment was made more accurate. more ▾less ▴

     In Mock Board #3, the explanation for a case-study question on memory after electroconvulsive therapy said most memory loss clears within weeks. It now says memory usually improves over the days and weeks after treatment, although a few memories from that time may not come back. The question, its choices and its answer are unchanged.

   Mock Board #3: a travel-clot explanation corrected

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     A Mock Board #3 explanation no longer says coffee thickens the blood. more ▾less ▴

     In Mock Board #3, the explanation for a question on preventing clots during long flights said the fluid lost from drinking coffee makes the blood thicker. Current travel guidance finds no link between being low on fluids and travel clots, so the explanation now says coffee is not a way to prevent clots, and that planned walking and calf exercises are what help. The question, its choices and its answer are unchanged.

   Pulmonary embolism questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     42 pulmonary embolism questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     42 practice questions on pulmonary embolism and pulmonary hypertension (blood clots in the legs and lungs, blood thinners and their blood tests, clot-dissolving drugs, vein filters, air, fat and amniotic fluid embolism, and high blood pressure in the lungs) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 62 words to about 30, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Twenty-seven questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions used to repeat what other questions already asked. Twenty-seven now test ground no other question asked, such as the lung scan used when CT dye would harm failing kidneys, taking warfarin while breastfeeding, why clot-prevention injections continue at home after hip surgery, hidden bleeding on heparin, the lasting leg problem a clot can leave behind, and why alcohol matters on a blood thinner.

   • Fixed
     Outdated answers and second right answers were rebuilt. more ▾less ▴

     Some answers were outdated or had a second right answer. New ankle swelling was taught as a sign of a sudden large lung clot, but that swelling takes days to appear. Surgery was taught as the next step when a clot-dissolving drug fails, but a catheter procedure is now usually tried first. Compression sleeves were also right in a question that keyed early walking. These questions were rebuilt so only the keyed answer is right.

   • Fixed
     A travel question no longer teaches water as a way to prevent clots. more ▾less ▴

     A question on preventing clots during long trips taught drinking plenty of water as a clot-prevention step. Current travel guidance says water is sensible but has not been shown to prevent travel clots, so that statement now asks about loose-fitting clothing instead. The answer letter is unchanged.

   Pediatric skin, bone and joint questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     42 pediatric skin, bone and joint questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     42 practice questions on children's skin, bone and joint problems (eczema, impetigo, head lice, scabies, diaper rash and thrush, cellulitis, hip dysplasia, clubfoot, scoliosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, juvenile arthritis, childhood fractures, brittle bones, and signs of abuse) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 52 words to about 25, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Fourteen questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions used to repeat what other questions already asked. Fourteen now test ground no other question asked, such as why a child with Duchenne muscular dystrophy has large calves, what a Pavlik harness does for the hips, the brace that keeps clubfoot from coming back, where scabies shows on a baby, and eczema herpeticum, a herpes infection of eczema skin that needs prompt treatment.

   • Fixed
     Nine questions with a second right answer or an outdated answer were rebuilt. more ▾less ▴

     Five questions had a second right answer among the choices, for example warm soaks for cellulitis and one hip sitting higher than the other in scoliosis. Four more keyed an answer that current guidance does not support, such as a 24-hour wait before a child with impetigo returns to daycare (the child may return once the antibiotic has started) and cow's milk as the thing least likely to worsen eczema. These questions were rebuilt so only the keyed answer is right.

   Cancer treatment questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     49 cancer treatment questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     49 practice questions on cancer treatment (chemotherapy side effects, radiation therapy, radioactive implants, cancer surgery, and safe handling of chemotherapy drugs) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 67 words to about 27, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Twenty-five questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions used to repeat what other questions already asked. Twenty-five now test ground no other question asked, such as keeping a client with low white cells away from a baby who just had oral polio drops, the bowel medicine started with vincristine, how mesna protects the bladder, banking sperm before chemotherapy, and what a port is for.

   • Fixed
     Unsupported answers and second right answers were rebuilt. more ▾less ▴

     Some answers taught things current sources do not support: standing at the foot of the bed for a cervical radiation implant, removing all raw produce for a client with low white cells, and treating anticipatory nausea with the usual anti-nausea drug. Several other questions had a second right answer among the choices. These were rebuilt so only the keyed answer is right and every fact has a source.

   • Fixed
     Cram sheet fix: oral polio drops and household contacts of a patient with weak immunity. more ▾less ▴

     The Infectious & Immunologic cram sheet (page 25) said household contacts of a patient with a weak immune system can get any live vaccine. That holds for most, but a family member given oral polio drops passes the vaccine virus in the stool for up to 6 weeks and should stay away from the patient. The page now says so, and your highlights on this sheet stay where you drew them.

   Pediatric respiratory questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     50 pediatric respiratory questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     50 practice questions on children's breathing problems (croup, epiglottitis, childhood asthma, bronchiolitis, cystic fibrosis, choking, tonsillectomy, ear infections, safe infant sleep, and newborn breathing) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 52 words to about 27, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Thirty questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions used to repeat what other questions already asked. Thirty now test ground no other question asked, such as how cystic fibrosis is inherited, the vaccine that prevents epiglottitis, why croup needs no antibiotics, watching a child after nebulized epinephrine, yearly blood sugar checks in cystic fibrosis, a child's growth on a steroid inhaler, and a yearly flu vaccine for children with asthma.

   • Fixed
     Seven questions with a second right answer or an unsupported answer were rebuilt. more ▾less ▴

     Six questions had a second right answer among the choices, for example a spacer also lowers mouth thrush from a steroid inhaler, and enlarged adenoids also play a part in ear infections. One answer, a cap on a premature baby under an oxygen hood, had no source behind it. These questions were rebuilt so only the keyed answer is right.

   Chest tube and pneumothorax questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     51 chest tube and pneumothorax questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     51 practice questions on pneumothorax, hemothorax and chest tubes (reading the drainage unit, tension pneumothorax, flail chest, fluid around the lung and thoracentesis) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 60 words to about 26, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Thirty questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions repeated what other questions already asked, such as spotting a tension pneumothorax, dull versus hollow tapping sounds, and putting a disconnected tube into sterile water. Thirty now test ground no other question asked, such as taking a drainage sample from the tubing's self-sealing port, what happens when the unit's air vent is covered, when a chest tube is ready to come out, and why a hemothorax is drained before the blood can clot.

   • Fixed
     Out-of-date and double-answer choices corrected. more ▾less ▴

     A few choices were out of date or a second right answer. The two main trauma guidelines now disagree on where the emergency needle for a tension pneumothorax goes, so no question asks you to pick a site. A question on how to breathe while a chest tube is pulled had two defensible answers and now asks about pain medicine before removal, and a question on bedside supplies no longer says saline is wrong for a temporary water seal.

   Mark up a mock board Situation and keep your marks

   Improved

   • Improved
     Highlight a Situation from its own button; your marks now stay for the whole section. more ▾less ▴

     Each Situation in a mock board now has its own Highlight button, right beside Hide, so you can mark the key details of a case while you read it. Your highlights and pen marks on a Situation now stay for the whole section: they are still there when you move to its other questions, jump to another case and come back, hide and show it, switch to the Whole situation view, or reload the page. They are cleared when you submit the section.

   • Improved
     Clearing a question no longer wipes your marks on its Situation. more ▾less ▴

     Clear in the tools row now clears only the question and its choices. The Situation has its own Clear, so marks you made on the case at question 1 are no longer wiped by clearing question 3.

3. 28Sep · Mon

   Emergency contraception questions now follow DOH practice

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     Emergency contraception questions now follow the DOH family planning handbook. more ▾less ▴

     Three family planning questions taught the morning-after pill, which is not registered in the Philippines. They now teach what the Department of Health family planning handbook teaches: the copper IUD as the most effective emergency method, and the Yuzpe method, which uses regular combined pills in two doses. Every answer letter is unchanged, and two flashcards students had made from one of these questions were updated to match.

   • Fixed
     The family planning cram sheet's emergency contraception lines now follow DOH practice. more ▾less ▴

     The Postpartum, Newborn and Family Planning cram sheet now teaches the same thing on pages 21 and 23: emergency contraception with the copper IUD or the Yuzpe method within 5 days, in place of the morning-after pill. The pages kept their layout, so any marks you made on them stay where you drew them.

   • Fixed
     A teen pregnancy explanation now states only what the law settles. more ▾less ▴

     The explanation for a question about a pregnant 15-year-old no longer states a consent rule the law does not spell out. It now teaches only what Philippine law settles: pregnancy does not make her an adult, her parents keep authority over her care, and she may still consent to an HIV test on her own.

   Ventilator mouth care now taught as toothbrushing

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     Chlorhexidine mouth care corrected to toothbrushing in two questions and three flashcards. more ▾less ▴

     Two more practice questions and three flashcards on ventilator-associated pneumonia still taught a chlorhexidine mouth rinse as part of the prevention bundle. Current infection-control guidance (SHEA, IDSA and APIC, 2022) recommends daily toothbrushing without chlorhexidine, so they now teach toothbrushing. Two nearby explanation lines were corrected against the same guidance. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Fixed
     The Fundamentals cram sheet now teaches toothbrushing too; your marks stay put. more ▾less ▴

     The Fundamentals & Health Assessment cram sheet taught the same chlorhexidine mouth care in two places: the antiseptics table and the oral care box. Both now teach daily toothbrushing without chlorhexidine for a patient on a ventilator, and the 2022 guidance is listed in the sheet's references. Your highlights and notes on the sheet stay exactly where you left them.

   • Fixed
     The Critical Care cram sheet now shows the classic and the 2022 ventilator bundle; your marks stay put. more ▾less ▴

     The Critical Care & Emergency Nursing cram sheet listed ulcer medicine and blood clot medicine as parts of the ventilator pneumonia bundle without saying the guidance had changed. Page 29 now shows both answers: those two are marked as the classic list, oral care is spelled out as daily toothbrushing without chlorhexidine, and a note explains that the 2022 guidance found ulcer medicine does not prevent this pneumonia. Your highlights and notes on the page stay exactly where you left them.

   IV fluid questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     45 IV fluid questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     45 practice questions on IV fluids (choosing the right fluid, dextrose and saline mixtures, lactated Ringer's, fluid deficit and overload, IV site problems, and safe IV equipment) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 61 words to about 26, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Thirty questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions used to repeat what other questions already asked, mostly fluid overload signs and urine output as the sign that fluids are working. Thirty now test ground no other question asked, such as when to question a dextrose order in very high blood sugar, lactated Ringer's in a client with high potassium, how a PICC differs from a midline catheter, where a piggyback bag hangs, nerve injury from an IV cannula, and culturing the catheter tip when a site looks infected.

   • Fixed
     Two questions with a second right answer were rebuilt. more ▾less ▴

     Two questions had a second right answer among the choices: on running three percent saline too fast, a choice about brain cells shrinking is a real danger, and on why D5W is a poor fluid for shock, a choice saying its water goes mostly into the cells is true. Both questions were rebuilt so only the keyed answer is right.

   Adolescent health questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     42 adolescent health questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     42 practice questions on adolescent health were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 60 words to about 28, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Fixed
     Teen consent questions now follow Philippine law. more ▾less ▴

     Questions about teens and consent now follow Philippine law. A teen can always get health information, but a minor needs a parent's or guardian's written consent to start a family planning method, and being pregnant does not make her an adult. Questions that taught the foreign rule of confidential birth control for minors were rewritten, and a question on emergency contraception pills, which are not registered in the Philippines, was replaced.

   • Improved
     Twenty-six questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions repeated other questions almost word for word, such as asking directly about suicide, the electrolyte to watch when refeeding, and Erikson's identity stage. Twenty-six now test ground no other question asked, such as why teens self-harm, depression that shows as irritability, the imaginary audience, the laws on vapes, bullying and online child abuse, tampon safety, energy drinks and the teen sleep shift.

   • Fixed
     Questions with two defensible answers rebuilt to have one. more ▾less ▴

     Some questions had a second answer that could also be defended, such as two signs of repeated vomiting offered as wrong answers, and a screening tool for teens offered as a wrong answer beside another one. They were rebuilt so each question has one best answer.

   Pneumonia questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     50 pneumonia questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     50 practice questions on pneumonia were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 65 words to about 29, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Twenty-five questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Half of these questions repeated lessons already tested elsewhere, such as lying prone for very low oxygen, the length of a suction pass, and the first steps for sepsis. Twenty-five now test ground no other question asked, such as watery stools while on an antibiotic, flu medicine for a client whose flu test is positive, why the laboratory rejects a sputum sample that is mostly saliva, pus collecting around the lung, and the urine test for Legionella.

   • Fixed
     Chlorhexidine mouth care corrected; choices with a second right answer rebuilt. more ▾less ▴

     Two questions taught a chlorhexidine mouth rinse as the way to prevent pneumonia in a client on a ventilator. Current infection-control guidance recommends toothbrushing without chlorhexidine, so both were corrected. A few choices that were also correct answers were rebuilt so each question has one best answer.

   Full cram pages now say so

   FixedImproved

   • Fixed
     A cram page that is full now says so instead of retrying a save forever. more ▾less ▴

     A cram sheet page can hold a lot of writing, but not an unlimited amount. On a very heavily marked page, new pen strokes used to show "Not saved, retrying" and keep retrying without ever saving. The reader now tells you when a page is full and asks you to erase a few marks or notes to keep writing, and everything already saved on the page stays saved. The scratch pad works the same way. Fewer than 20 students have filled a page this far.

   • Improved
     Security update for the framework BoardPal is built on. more ▾less ▴

     BoardPal now runs on the latest security update of the framework the site is built on.

   A new cram sheet: Communicable Diseases B

   New

   • New
     A new 20-page cram sheet on parasites, fungi and the other infections is on the NP1 shelf. more ▾less ▴

     A second communicable-disease sheet is on the NP1 shelf: Communicable Diseases B, on parasites, fungi and the other infections, 20 pages with seven illustrations. It covers what the first sheet left out: the kinds of germ and how each is tested and treated, the four stages of an infection, immunity in a two-by-two grid, how to collect each specimen, amoebiasis and the other gut protozoa, the worms of the Filipino gut with the DOH deworming schedule and doses by age, the tapeworms and flukes that ride in on raw pork, fish and crab, food poisoning sorted by the hours after the meal, botulism, hepatitis A and E, scarlet fever, anthrax, mumps, hand, foot and mouth disease, mpox, chikungunya, Zika and Japanese encephalitis, the fungal skin infections by their Filipino names, and scabies and lice. It ends with a drug-of-choice table and a clue-to-disease table. A student asked for the diseases from microbiology and parasitology, and this is that sheet.

   A scratch pad beside every cram sheet

   New

   • New
     A saved scratch pad beside every cram sheet, for scribbles that belong to the whole sheet. more ▾less ▴

     Every cram sheet now has a Scratch pad: blank ruled pages beside the sheet where you can scribble with the same pen, highlighter, sticky notes, tape and eraser you use on the pages. Unlike a sticky note, the pad belongs to the whole sheet rather than to one page, and it is saved to your account, so it is exactly as you left it the next time you open that sheet on any device. Open it from the notebook icon in the reader toolbar (on a phone, from the More menu in the tools row, or press S on a keyboard). It sits beside the pages on a laptop or iPad and slides up from the bottom on a phone, stays open while you scroll, and holds up to six pages. Everything you scribble is also gathered in My Notes, under Scratch pads. This came from a student who likes scribbling and wanted her notes to stay with the sheet.

   Reply emails use your current name

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     Support and report reply emails now greet you by your current profile name. more ▾less ▴

     The email you receive when a support ticket or a question report is resolved now greets you by the name on your profile today. It used to use the name typed at signup, so a student who had renamed their profile was greeted by the old name.

   • Fixed
     Payment resubmission emails also use your current profile name. more ▾less ▴

     The email that asks you to resubmit a payment now greets you by your current profile name as well.

   Cram sheet zoom keeps your place

   FixedImproved

   • Fixed
     Zooming a cram sheet no longer loses the page you were reading. more ▾less ▴

     After a pinch or double-tap zoom in the cram sheet reader, the page you were reading is checked a moment later and brought back into view if the browser scrolled it away. A student on iPhone Safari reported being sent to the end of the page after zooming, and the reader now corrects that on its own.

   • Improved
     Question and cram-sheet reports now include device details. more ▾less ▴

     When you report a problem on a question, flashcard or cram-sheet page, the report now carries your device and browser details, the same way support tickets already do, so a glitch that only happens on your phone can be traced without asking you for them.

   Psychiatric medicine questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     51 psychiatric medicine questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     51 practice questions on psychiatric medicines were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 55 words to about 28, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Thirty-nine questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions repeated lessons already tested elsewhere, such as lithium and salt, clozapine and a sore throat, and the same four drug reactions offered again and again. Thirty-nine now test ground no other question asked, such as a rising clozapine level after quitting smoking, low blood sodium from antidepressants in older adults, a gene test before carbamazepine for Filipino patients, hemodialysis for severe lithium poisoning, and the sleepwalking warning on zolpidem.

   • Fixed
     Partly true choices rebuilt; one question moved to a drug used in the Philippines. more ▾less ▴

     Some choices were partly true, such as a sedative offered as a wrong treatment for neuroleptic malignant syndrome when it is actually part of the care. They were rebuilt so each question has one best answer. One question about a tardive dyskinesia drug that is not registered in the Philippines now asks about a drug you will actually see here.

   Cancer basics questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     41 cancer basics questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     41 practice questions on basic concepts in cancer were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 54 words to about 23, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Twenty questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Several questions taught the same lesson twice, such as three warning-sign questions whose answer was the same prompt checkup and five questions on the levels of prevention. Twenty now test ground no other question asked, such as how a tumor grows new blood vessels, why most HPV infections clear on their own, overdiagnosis from screening, aflatoxin in badly stored peanuts and corn, and when cancer survivorship care begins.

   • Fixed
     Questions with two defensible answers rebuilt to have one. more ▾less ▴

     Some questions had a second answer that could also be defended, such as the brain offered as a wrong answer among the places cancer most often spreads, and a smoker's lasting cough offered as a wrong answer beside the general signs of cancer. They were rebuilt so each question has one best answer.

   ARDS questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     38 ARDS questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     38 practice questions on acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 65 words to about 27, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Twenty-seven questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions repeated other ICU questions almost word for word, such as a collapsed lung on the ventilator, high ventilator pressure lowering blood pressure, and the steps that prevent ventilator pneumonia. Twenty-seven now test ground no other question asked, such as ECMO, physical therapy while still on the ventilator, delirium checks, scoring pain when a client cannot speak, how families are affected after the ICU, lying face down while awake, and lung bleeding in leptospirosis.

   • Fixed
     Questions with two defensible answers rebuilt to have one. more ▾less ▴

     Some questions had a second answer that could also be defended, such as checking the airway versus bagging the client first when a ventilator alarms, which client is most at risk of ARDS, and the earliest sign of ARDS. They were rebuilt so each question has one best answer.

   Inhaler order now taught with the right reason

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     Inhaler order kept; the reason behind it corrected. more ▾less ▴

     Questions, flashcards and two cram sheets taught that using the quick-relief inhaler first makes the steroid inhaler reach deeper into the lungs. The US asthma guideline found no convincing evidence of that. The order stays the same (quick-relief first, wait a few minutes, then the steroid), and the reason is now the one the guideline supports: relaxed airways are less likely to cough or tighten when the steroid puff arrives. Five questions, three flashcards and two cram sheet pages were corrected. Every answer letter is unchanged.

4. 27Sep · Sun

   Asthma questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     49 asthma questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     49 practice questions on bronchial asthma (triggers, inhalers and how to use them, controller and reliever medicines, action plans and peak flow, severe attacks, and asthma in pregnancy) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 54 words to about 27, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Twenty-five questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions used to repeat each other, mostly on a fading wheeze as a danger sign and on which inhaler is the reliever. Twenty-five now test ground no other question asked, such as night-time asthma, allergy shots, mold and damp at home, vaping, flour dust at work, asthma in pregnancy, priming a new inhaler, and quitting smoking while on theophylline.

   • Fixed
     Wrong choices that were actually correct replaced; clubbing taught one way. more ▾less ▴

     Several wrong choices were actually correct, such as warming up before exercise and using a single combination inhaler for quick relief. They were replaced so each question has one best answer. A question on clubbing no longer uses a client with COPD, and the Respiratory A cram sheet now says clubbing is not a COPD sign.

   Nine questions corrected after a spot check

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     Brain fluid leak questions now teach the confirming test. more ▾less ▴

     Two questions on clear fluid leaking from the nose after head injury or pituitary surgery now teach that a beta-2 transferrin test confirms a brain fluid leak. A glucose strip only raises the suspicion. Both answer letters are unchanged.

   • Fixed
     Seven questions corrected after a 40-question spot check. more ▾less ▴

     We checked 40 questions from the busiest topics (lab values, normal pregnancy, prioritization, and complications of pregnancy) for wrong answers. None of the 40 answers was wrong, but seven questions needed a fix: three had a second choice that could also be defended, one left out the detail that decides the answer, two explanations gave a wrong reason (one called a late sign of heavy bleeding an early one), and one used a pregnancy history that does not fit Philippine law. All seven were corrected and every answer letter is unchanged.

   COPD questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     53 COPD questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     53 practice questions on COPD (the first signs, the chest exam, blood gases, oxygen for clients who retain carbon dioxide, inhalers, breathing and cough techniques, eating, rehabilitation, and home care) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 60 words to about 26, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Twenty-six questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Many of these questions used to repeat each other, mostly on why oxygen is kept low for a client who retains carbon dioxide. Twenty-six now test ground no other question asked, such as smoke from cooking with wood or charcoal, dust and fumes at work, secondhand smoke at home, an inherited form of COPD, why vaping is not a good way to quit, low mood with COPD, and why a heart attack is more likely after a flare.

   • Fixed
     Wrong choices that were actually correct replaced. more ▾less ▴

     Eleven wrong choices were actually correct or true, such as two real effects of high oxygen offered as wrong reasons, and telling the power company that a client depends on home oxygen. They were replaced so each question has one best answer.

   Children's digestive disorder questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     51 children's digestive disorder questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     51 practice questions on children's digestive disorders (pyloric stenosis, intussusception, Hirschsprung disease, reflux, cleft lip and palate, esophageal atresia, imperforate anus, celiac disease, diarrhea and dehydration, appendicitis, and colostomy care) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 57 words to about 30, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Twenty-six questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Twenty-six of those questions used to repeat each other, most often on keeping the baby upright after feeds and on stopping feeds until the doctor sees the baby. They now test ground no other question asked, such as the ultrasound that confirms pyloric stenosis, what the operation actually does, checking a baby with esophageal atresia for other birth defects, the bowel infection that can strike before Hirschsprung surgery, and why a stool without blood does not rule out intussusception.

   • Fixed
     Wrong choices that were actually correct replaced; celiac crisis teaching corrected. more ▾less ▴

     Several wrong choices were actually correct. One stoma question marked cutting the pouch opening slightly larger than the stoma as wrong, though that is the standard rule. Others offered a spouted cup after palate surgery and lying on the stomach after anal surgery as wrong answers, when some care teams use them. The celiac crisis question now teaches that a crisis is usually the first sign of celiac disease nobody had noticed, not a slip on the diet.

   Increased intracranial pressure questions rewritten to board length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     48 increased intracranial pressure questions rewritten to board length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     48 practice questions on increased intracranial pressure (the early and late signs, the coma scale, pupils and posturing, positioning, mannitol and fluids, sedation, fever and seizures, and head injury care) were rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam. Most questions went from about 55 words to about 30, the choices are closer together, and each explanation defines every term in plain words. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Improved
     Twenty-two questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Twenty-two of those questions used to repeat each other, mostly on the earliest sign and on raising the head of the bed. They now test ground no other question asked, such as why a head of the bed raised too steeply can backfire, why steroids are not given for a head injury, double vision as a pressure sign, the coma scale score that adds the pupils, and why mannitol is given as a dose rather than a drip.

   • Fixed
     Wrong choices that were actually correct replaced; spinal fluid leak and coma scale teaching updated. more ▾less ▴

     Several wrong choices were actually correct. One question offered vision that briefly grays out as a wrong answer, but that is a real sign of rising pressure. The question on confirming a spinal fluid leak from the nose now teaches beta-2 transferrin as the confirming test, with glucose and the halo ring as clues only. The coma scale questions now use the pressure points the official Glasgow guide recommends.

   Questions use Philippine units and roles

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     Nine questions switched to Philippine units and roles; one American formula question replaced. more ▾less ▴

     Nine questions still used American details, such as feet, pounds, ounces, Fahrenheit or the licensed practical nurse role. They now use meters, kilograms, milliliters, Celsius and Philippine nursing roles, with the same answers. One question taught an American ideal body weight formula in pounds and feet; it was replaced by a question on Tannhauser's method in centimeters and kilograms, the method used in Philippine nutrition teaching, and the matching flashcard was updated.

   50 new short, direct basics questions

   New

   • New
     50 new short, direct basics questions, 10 per nursing practice area, each answer source-checked. more ▾less ▴

     Nurses who took the August 2026 boards told us the real exam had many short, direct questions on the basics, like where the tuberculin skin test goes, that test-taking tricks cannot answer. We added 50 of them, 10 for each nursing practice area, on facts no other BoardPal question covered. Each answer was checked against a published source, such as the CDC, WHO or a drug label, by two separate reviewers.

   Answer choices on 109 questions now read like the board exam

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     Choices on 109 questions trimmed to plain, board-style wording, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     On 109 one-answer questions, the answer choices used to carry their own reasons, like "Atropine, because the heart rate may slow". A reason tacked onto a choice can point you to the answer without knowing it. Those choices are now plain, like "Atropine", the way the board exam writes them, and the reasons live in the explanation instead. Every answer letter is unchanged, and each edited question was checked by at least one reviewer who answered it without looking at the explanation.

   • Fixed
     Two law explanations corrected to match the law's text. more ▾less ▴

     Two explanations on Philippine nursing laws described a law slightly wrong (who hears appeals from the nursing board, and who gets the barangay health worker's tuition benefit). Both now match the law's text.

   Two topnotcher stories updated

   Improved

   • Improved
     Two topnotcher stories updated with their new words and 5-star ratings. more ▾less ▴

     Two August 2026 Top 10 nurses, Danica Calantoc and Vianca Abegail Guarin, wrote back with more to say and a 5-star rating, so their stories on the Student Stories page now carry their new words and their stars (open the Account menu, then Student Stories).

5. 26Sep · Sat

   Shorter explanations on 100 more of the most-answered questions

   Improved

   • Improved
     Explanations on 100 more of the most-answered questions shortened, every reason kept. more ▾less ▴

     The explanations on 100 more of the most-answered one-answer questions were shortened to 150 words or fewer, down from about 215 words for a typical one. Every reason the answer is right, and every reason each other option is wrong, was kept, and each shortened explanation was checked by two reviewers. The questions and their answers are unchanged.

   Guillain-Barré syndrome questions rewritten to board-exam length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     All 42 Guillain-Barré syndrome questions rewritten to board-exam length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     Every practice question on Guillain-Barré syndrome (the rising weakness, breathing and heart-rate monitoring, immune globulin and plasma exchange, swallowing, the risks of lying still, and recovery) was rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam, with tighter options and a clearer explanation that defines every term in plain words. All 42 questions keep their answers.

   • Improved
     Twenty-one questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Twenty-one of those questions used to repeat each other, mostly on watching the breathing first. They now test ground no other question asked: how the illness may first show in a young child, the single-breath count, the Miller Fisher form, weakness on both sides of the face, pain that comes before the weakness, a stalled bowel, vaccines after recovery, and why a fully paralyzed client still hears everything around her.

   • Fixed
     Two two-answer questions and seven true wrong choices fixed, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     Two questions had two defensible answers, and seven other wrong choices were in fact true, such as eye-care steps a current intensive-care guide recommends. Each was rebuilt so only one answer is right. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   Myasthenia gravis questions rewritten to board-exam length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     All 49 myasthenia gravis questions rewritten to board-exam length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     Every practice question on myasthenia gravis (the eye and swallowing signs, myasthenic and cholinergic crisis, pyridostigmine and the medicines that worsen weakness, plasmapheresis, immune globulin and thymectomy) was rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam, with tighter options and a clearer explanation. Each explanation now defines every term it uses in plain words, including the wrong options. All 49 questions keep their answers.

   • Improved
     Seventeen questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Seventeen of those questions now test ground no other question asked, such as the ice-pack test for a drooping eyelid, the liquid form of pyridostigmine for weak swallowing, a newborn's temporary weakness from the mother's antibodies, a blood test before starting azathioprine, and why kidney disease changes the dose.

   • Fixed
     Three questions with a second defensible answer fixed. more ▾less ▴

     Three questions had a wrong option you could defend as right. The question on what is worsening a client's weakness listed two medicines that worsen myasthenia more than the answer does, and two other questions offered a finding as urgent as the answer. Those options were replaced.

   Children's kidney and urinary questions rewritten to board-exam length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     All 50 children's kidney and urinary questions rewritten to board-exam length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     Every practice question on children's kidney and urinary problems (glomerulonephritis after strep, nephrotic syndrome, hemolytic uremic syndrome, kidney injury and dialysis, urinary tract infections and reflux, bedwetting, and undescended testis and hypospadias) was rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam, with tighter options and a clearer explanation of 150 words or fewer. Each explanation defines every term it uses in plain words. All 50 questions keep their answers.

   • Improved
     Nineteen questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Nineteen of those questions now test ground no other question asked, such as mood changes on prednisone, anti-diarrhea medicine before hemolytic uremic syndrome, a strep skin infection as the trigger for glomerulonephritis, high cholesterol in nephrotic syndrome, growth hormone for a child with kidney disease, a new groin lump on peritoneal dialysis, and why transfusions can make a matching donor kidney harder to find.

   • Fixed
     Two questions whose answer did not hold up fixed. more ▾less ▴

     Two questions leaned on an answer that did not hold up. In the blood transfusion question for a child with hemolytic uremic syndrome, a second choice was also defensible, so the question now gives a normal potassium and that choice was replaced. A glomerulonephritis question whose answer rested on raising the head of the bed, which no source supports, now tests a different fact.

   Psychiatric assessment questions rewritten to board-exam length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     All 51 psychiatric assessment questions rewritten to board-exam length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     Every practice question on psychiatric assessment (the mental status exam, affect, delusions, hallucinations, thought and speech patterns, memory, insight and judgment) was rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam, with tighter options and a clearer explanation. Each explanation now defines every term it uses in plain words, including the wrong options. All 51 questions keep their answers.

   • Improved
     Seventeen questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Seventeen of those questions now test ground no other question asked, such as a smell no one else notices, copying the nurse's movements, being unable to name one's own feelings, a normal mood and affect, the client's attitude toward the nurse, short-term memory recall, and being pulled off track by noises in the room.

   • Fixed
     Two questions with a second defensible answer fixed. more ▾less ▴

     Two questions had a second answer you could defend. The alcohol withdrawal question now makes clear the insects are something he sees, and a question where denial also fit now tests a different finding.

   Shorter explanations on the most-answered questions

   Improved

   • Improved
     Explanations on 32 of the most-answered questions shortened, every reason kept. more ▾less ▴

     The explanations on 32 of the most-answered one-answer questions were shortened to 150 words or fewer. Every reason the answer is right, and every reason each other choice is wrong, is still there.

   Cram sheet PDF download: a Save button

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     If a cram sheet PDF built but never downloaded, tap Save to get it. more ▾less ▴

     Some tablets built the cram sheet PDF all the way to the last page and then never saved it. Once your copy is built, the PDF button now reads Save for a few minutes, and one tap saves the finished file without building it again. The file is also about 15% smaller, with the same sharpness when printed.

   Parkinson's disease questions rewritten to board-exam length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     All 51 Parkinson's disease questions rewritten to board-exam length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     Every practice question on Parkinson's disease (the signs, the drugs and their side effects, freezing and falls, safe swallowing, deep brain stimulation and caregiver support) was rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam, with tighter options and a clearer explanation. All 51 questions keep their answers.

   • Improved
     Twenty-four questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Twenty-four of those questions used to repeat each other, such as levodopa and protein, coughing at meals, or rugs and grab bars at home. They now test ground no other question asked: a lost sense of smell years before the tremor, why levodopa is given instead of dopamine, Lewy bodies, liver tests on tolcapone, oily skin, pesticide exposure, and regular skin checks for melanoma.

   • Fixed
     Four questions updated to match current drug labels, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     Four questions now match current drug labels. Vitamin B6 is no longer taught as a problem with carbidopa-levodopa (iron supplements are the ones to take apart), selegiline at its usual dose no longer calls for an aged-cheese diet, a set of choices that were all real Parkinson's symptoms was rebuilt, and an anti-nausea drug that also worsens Parkinson's disease was removed as a wrong choice. Every answer letter is unchanged.

   • Fixed
     Two cram sheets corrected on vitamin B6 with carbidopa-levodopa. more ▾less ▴

     Two cram sheets, Neuro B (page 5) and Pharmacology Core (page 10), no longer tell you to avoid vitamin B6 with carbidopa-levodopa. Carbidopa blocks that old interaction; the point to remember is taking iron tablets apart from each dose. Nothing else on either page moved, so your notes stay where you left them.

   Three explanations corrected

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     Three Non-Communicable Diseases explanations corrected against their sources. more ▾less ▴

     Three Non-Communicable Diseases explanations now match their sources. Quitting smoking is taught as lowering overall heart and stroke risk, while cutting salt and brisk walking are the steps that lower blood pressure. PhilPEN's blood fat test is done at the first risk check, not from age 40. One explanation no longer calls an accurate statement wrong.

   More ready-made flashcards

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     More questions now offer a Ready-made flashcard. more ▾less ▴

     When you tap Make a flashcard after answering a question, more questions now offer a Ready-made card: tap it to fill in the card, change anything you like, then save it to your deck. Non-Communicable Diseases and Normal Pregnancy questions come first, and more topics will follow.

   • Fixed
     Ready-made cards now only appear once you have seen the answer. more ▾less ▴

     A Ready-made card now appears only for a question whose answer has already been shown to you: one you answered, or any item from a diagnostic or mock board section you finished. A question you left blank in a practice set no longer opens its ready-made card, since that card usually gives the answer away. You can still write your own card for it.

   Where new promo codes appear first

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     The promo code box now points to our Telegram, where new codes are posted first. more ▾less ▴

     Under the promo code box on the Pricing page, a new line says where new promo codes are posted first: our Telegram. Tap it to join.

   • Fixed
     Notes about student stories now point to Account, then Student Stories. more ▾less ▴

     Older notes here about student stories said they were on "the home page", meaning the front page of our website, not your Home. They now say so, and point to where the stories live in the app: open the Account menu, then Student Stories.

   Timer while you read, times on your plan, hideable pen tips

   Improved

   • Improved
     The timer stays while you read a cram sheet, with a ring that fills as you go. more ▾less ▴

     The study timer now stays on screen while you read a cram sheet, just above the Report button. It steps aside while your pen or highlighter is on, and keeps counting either way. A ring around the timer fills as your Pomodoro sprint goes, so you can see at a glance when you are halfway there.

   • Improved
     A clear Add button on every day, and your own entries can have a time. more ▾less ▴

     Every day on your Study Plan now has a clear Add button (and a + in Month view) for your own events, like a review center lecture. Your own entries can now have a start and end time, and they line up in time order on the calendar and on Home. Tap one of your entries to change its name or time.

   • Improved
     Pen and highlighter tips can be hidden; Tips brings them back. more ▾less ▴

     The pen and highlighter tips under each practice question can now be hidden with the X beside them. They stay hidden on every question on that device; tap Tips next to the pen modes to see them again.

   More topnotcher stories

   New

   • New
     Six more topnotchers added to the student stories. more ▾less ▴

     Six more August 2026 topnotchers, including the Top 2, now share their words on the Student Stories page (open the Account menu, then Student Stories). All eight topnotchers lead the page in rank order.

   Clearer notices on updated cram sheets

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     The previous-edition notice now shows only when you have earlier marks. more ▾less ▴

     When a cram sheet has been updated, the notice saying your highlights and notes are on the previous edition now appears only if you actually made marks on that earlier version. Before, it could show to students who had never marked the old version, and its button opened the older sheet at page 1.

   • Fixed
     Three mental health questions clarified. more ▾less ▴

     Three mental health questions, on RA 11036 treatment rights and on the types of stigma, were rewritten so only one answer fits, and their explanations now define each term in plain words.

6. 25Sep · Fri

   Spousal consent: reversible methods vs procedures

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     Spousal-consent items now separate methods from procedures. more ▾less ▴

     The question and two flashcards on a married woman's contraceptive request now add the other half of the 2014 RH Law ruling: a husband still cannot veto the reversible method she requests, but the Court struck down the rule that let a married person undergo a non-emergency reproductive health procedure without the spouse's consent.

   Teen consent now follows Philippine law

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     Teen consent items now follow Philippine law. more ▾less ▴

     The practice question about a teenager asking for STI treatment now follows Philippine law: a parent or guardian consents to a minor's treatment, and from age 15 a minor may consent alone to HIV testing (RA 11166). A related question and two flashcards on teen confidentiality now say the same, including that a modern family planning method needs a parent's written consent.

   • Fixed
     RH Law referral explanation updated for the 2014 ruling. more ▾less ▴

     The explanation on conscientious objectors now reflects the Supreme Court's 2014 RH Law ruling, which removed the penalty for not referring a non-emergency client; referral stays the expected action.

   • Fixed
     Measles isolation corrected in one explanation. more ▾less ▴

     The pertussis question no longer lists measles under airborne plus contact precautions; measles takes airborne precautions, and airborne plus contact is for chickenpox.

   • Fixed
     Ranitidine replaced with famotidine. more ▾less ▴

     Ranitidine, withdrawn in the United States in 2020 and recalled here under its Zantac brand, was replaced with famotidine in one question and one flashcard.

   Shorter explanations on every select-all question

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     Select-all explanations are now about 40% shorter. more ▾less ▴

     Every select-all-that-apply explanation was shortened, from about 335 words to about 200, and none now runs past 220. Each statement is referred to by its number instead of being repeated in full, and every statement still gets its own reason for being right or wrong.

   • Fixed
     Two select-all questions corrected. more ▾less ▴

     Two select-all questions were corrected. A leprosy question wrongly said the disease spares the radial nerve, and a rheumatic fever question used joint aches, which can count as a major sign under the current criteria. Each now has a clearer replacement statement, and the answer letters stay the same.

   • Fixed
     One rheumatic fever flashcard corrected. more ▾less ▴

     A rheumatic fever flashcard now explains that joint aches without swelling are a minor sign in low-risk populations, and can count as major in higher-risk ones.

   Six more flashcard decks read whole, twenty-nine cards sharpened

   ImprovedFixedNew

   • Improved
     Six more flashcard decks read whole; twenty-nine cards sharpened. more ▾less ▴

     Every card in six more decks was read against its practice question: Nursing Process and Prioritization, Therapeutic Communication, Other Eye Conditions and Eye Surgery Care, Acute Neuro Crises, Health Education and Quality Improvement, and Spinal and Other Musculoskeletal Conditions. Twenty-nine cards were sharpened: printed lists with one blank now ask for the whole set (the Morse Fall Scale items, the three high-alert drugs, the parts of evidence-based practice, carpal tunnel screening), look-alike cards now name each other (therapeutic silence and offering self, the top and base of Maslow's pyramid), and answers that were long phrases are now a term you can recall.

   • Fixed
     Three flashcards corrected against their sources. more ▾less ▴

     Three cards were corrected against their sources: "Tell me more about that" is a general lead, not a broad opening; both eyes are shielded after a penetrating injury because the eyes move by conjugate gaze, not consensual movement; and active internal bleeding is an absolute contraindication to stroke thrombolysis, no longer called the strongest one.

   • New
     Three new flashcards fill gaps in their decks. more ▾less ▴

     Three new cards fill gaps: the third and fourth levels of Maslow's hierarchy (love and belonging, esteem) and scoliosis treatment by Cobb angle (observe, brace, or spinal fusion).

   • Improved
     Thirty-four flashcards linked to the right practice question. more ▾less ▴

     Thirty-four more flashcards now link to the practice question that teaches their fact.

   Ten more flashcard decks read whole, thirty-five cards sharpened

   ImprovedFixedNew

   • Improved
     Ten more flashcard decks read whole; thirty-five cards sharpened. more ▾less ▴

     Every card in ten more decks was read against its practice question: Professional, Ethical and Legal Foundations, Health Assessment and Vital Signs, Collaboration and Communication in Critical Care, Critical Care Equipment, Anxiety and Anxiety-Related Disorders, Autonomic Dysreflexia, High-Acuity and Emergency Situations, Surgery Classification and Terminology, Acid-Base Balance and ABG Interpretation, and Dosage Calculation. Thirty-five cards were sharpened: printed lists with one blank now ask for the whole set (the signs and triggers of autonomic dysreflexia, the causes of a low-pressure ventilator alarm), fronts that gave their answer away now ask plainly, and the notes under the answer now carry what the practice questions test.

   • Fixed
     Four flashcards corrected against their sources. more ▾less ▴

     Four cards were corrected against their sources: malpractice is negligence committed while practising nursing, not simply by a licensed person; general anesthesia alone does not make an operation major; the four examination techniques are no longer described as least to most invasive; and the organ donation card now follows the Philippine Organ Donation Act, where the hospital's trained donation staff approach the family.

   • New
     Four new flashcards fill gaps in their decks. more ▾less ▴

     Four new cards fill gaps the practice questions test: the Situation and Background parts of SBAR, hydroxyzine for fast anxiety relief in a client in recovery, and the six-month duration in somatic symptom disorder.

   • Improved
     Fifty-three flashcards linked to the right practice question. more ▾less ▴

     Fifty-three flashcards now link to the practice question that teaches their fact; most had no linked question before.

   Ten more flashcard decks read whole, thirty-two cards sharpened

   ImprovedFixedNew

   • Improved
     Ten more flashcard decks read whole; thirty-two cards sharpened. more ▾less ▴

     Every card in ten more decks was read against its practice question: Ear Disorders and Surgery, Pre-operative Nursing Care, Legal and Teamwork in Pediatric Nursing, Oncologic Emergencies, Communicable Disease Basic Concepts, Infectious Disorders, Psychiatric Assessment (MSE), Ethico-Moral and Legal in Maternal Care, Documentation and Professional Development, and Pediatric GI Disorders. Thirty-two cards were sharpened: cards that printed most of a list and asked for one item now ask for the whole set (the Spaulding levels, the three Cs of tracheoesophageal fistula, the Philippine laws every nurse should know), fronts that gave their answer away now ask the question plainly, and short notes under the answer now carry what the practice question teaches.

   • Fixed
     Three flashcards corrected against their sources. more ▾less ▴

     Three cards were corrected against their sources: an ear-surgery card that called a salty taste with frequent swallowing a bleeding sign now teaches the stapedectomy warning signs to report; the rasburicase card now says it is rasburicase, not allopurinol, that needs no urine alkalinization; and the consent card for an adult who cannot decide now says a court-appointed guardian outranks the next of kin.

   • New
     Two new flashcards fill gaps in their decks. more ▾less ▴

     Two new cards fill gaps the practice questions test: a long-term beta-blocker is continued through the morning of surgery, and the four requisites of valid informed consent.

   • Improved
     Thirty-four flashcards linked to the right practice question. more ▾less ▴

     Thirty-four flashcards now link to the practice question that teaches their fact; most had no linked question before.

   Undo sits right beside the pen on cram sheets

   Improved

   • Improved
     Undo and Redo now sit beside the pen on cram sheets, always in the same spot. more ▾less ▴

     On cram sheets, Undo and Redo now sit at the left of the drawing tools, right beside the pen, and stay in the same spot whichever tool you pick. On phones they no longer slide off the screen while the pen or highlighter is out. Clear page, night reading, stylus only, reporting an issue and keyboard shortcuts moved into the new More (⋯) button at the right, so every pen and highlighter option fits on an iPad without swiping.

   Two more student photos

   Improved

   • Improved
     Two student stories now show a photo. more ▾less ▴

     Two nurses on the student stories page sent in their formal photos, so their stories now show their photo in place of their initials.

   Timezone changes once a week

   Improved

   • Improved
     Your timezone can now change once a week. more ▾less ▴

     Your daily free questions and cards reset at midnight in your own timezone, so your timezone can now change once a week. If you change it again sooner, the rest of your profile still saves and the page tells you the date of your next change.

   Multiple sclerosis questions rewritten to board-exam length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     All 55 multiple sclerosis questions rewritten to board-exam length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     Every practice question on multiple sclerosis (the disease courses, early signs, diagnosis, the drugs that prevent relapses and treat attacks, heat, bladder care, fatigue and safety) was rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam, with tighter options and a clearer explanation. All 55 questions keep their answers.

   • Improved
     Thirty-one questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Thirty-one of those questions used to repeat each other, such as heat making symptoms worse, choking on water, or MRI confirming the diagnosis. They now test ground no other question asked: smoking and the Epstein-Barr virus as risk factors, why a bladder drug can bring on heat symptoms, spinal fluid oligoclonal bands, a slow pulse after the first dose of fingolimod, and a clinically isolated syndrome.

   • Fixed
     A question using a retired type of multiple sclerosis now uses the current name. more ▾less ▴

     One question named progressive-relapsing multiple sclerosis as its answer, a type retired from the current classification. It now uses the current name, primary progressive with disease activity, and its answer letter is unchanged.

   One look for every page, and clearer locked features

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     Every page now shares one header, with its way back above the title. more ▾less ▴

     Every page now opens the same way: a way back above the title when you came from somewhere, one title size, and one short line under it. The Exit links on the right are gone.

   • Improved
     Locked features now look the same and point to what you can still do for free. more ▾less ▴

     On the free plan, every locked feature now looks and reads the same, and each one says what you can still do for free, such as taking the free mock or using today's 5 free cards. Your Vault shows how many questions are waiting for you, and your History shows how many sessions are saved. When today's free questions or cards run out, you now get a calm note that they reset at midnight.

   • Fixed
     Free sample decks no longer say "all caught up" when today's free cards are used. more ▾less ▴

     A free sample deck said "You're all caught up" after you had used today's 5 free cards. It now says the free cards are done for today.

   Crisis intervention questions rewritten to board-exam length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     All 52 crisis intervention questions rewritten to board-exam length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     Every practice question on crisis intervention (crisis types and phases, the steps of crisis work, suicide risk, grief, disaster support and calming an agitated client) was rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam, with tighter options and a clearer explanation. All 52 questions keep their answers.

   • Improved
     Twenty-three questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Twenty-three of those questions used to test facts the bank already asks many times, such as asking directly about suicide or guiding slow breathing. They now test ground no other question asked: the types of grief (anticipatory, delayed and disenfranchised), what to tell emergency services about a person in a mental health crisis, how to tell a family that someone has died, where a client keeps a written safety plan, and why one staff member leads when calming an agitated client.

   • Fixed
     A crisis-type question that its own source contradicted now matches it. more ▾less ▴

     One question called a fire at a single family's home a situational crisis, while its own source lists fire as an adventitious crisis. It now uses an event the source clearly calls situational, and its answer is unchanged.

   • Fixed
     A question built on a no-suicide contract now tests the safety plan instead. more ▾less ▴

     One question described a client who had agreed to a no-suicide contract, which current guidance replaces with a written safety plan. It now tests the safety plan itself.

   Topic Mastery, redesigned

   Improved

   • Improved
     Topic Mastery now starts with your 3 weakest topics, with filters and a bar for every subject. more ▾less ▴

     Topic Mastery now opens with Start here: your three weakest topics, each one tap away from practice. One bar shows how many of the exam's topics you have practiced, and the six tiles under it double as filters, so you can list only the topics that need work, or only the ones you have not started. Each subject shows its own small bar, so you can see where you stand without opening it, and topics you have not started sit in their own fold at the bottom. A topic now gets its score and its color together, after 10 answers, instead of a score at 5 and a color at 10. The weakest topics list on Performance follows the same rule.

   Neuro assessment questions rewritten to board-exam length

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     All 49 neuro assessment questions rewritten to board-exam length, answers unchanged. more ▾less ▴

     Every practice question on neuro assessment basics (cranial nerves, the Glasgow Coma Scale, levels of consciousness, reflexes and muscle strength, posturing, the brain lobes and the sensory pathways) was rewritten to the length and shape of the board exam, with tighter options and a clearer explanation. All 49 questions keep their answers.

   • Improved
     Eighteen questions now test ground no other question asked. more ▾less ▴

     Eighteen of those questions used to repeat facts the bank already tests elsewhere, such as what PERRLA stands for or the three parts of the Glasgow Coma Scale. They now test ground no other question asked: how the Glasgow Coma Scale is scored for a client with a breathing tube or a neck injury, why a drooping mouth with a normal forehead points to a stroke rather than Bell palsy, what the Babinski sign means in an adult, why a weak reflex is retested after the client relaxes, and why smell is the one sense that skips the thalamus.

   • Fixed
     A cerebellum question with two defensible answers now has one. more ▾less ▴

     One question on what the cerebellum does had two options that could both be defended as correct. It now has one.

   Back buttons that go where you came from, and one name for everything

   Improved

   • Improved
     Back buttons now return you to the page you came from. more ▾less ▴

     Back buttons now take you to the page you actually came from. Open Topic Mastery from Home and it says Back to Home; open it from a mock board and it takes you back there. The same goes for lessons, flashcard sessions, mock boards, the screen at the end of a practice set, and the Privacy, Terms and Refund pages, which now have a way back into the app.

   • Improved
     One name per feature, one Pricing page, and the Diagnostic Exam now sits under Practice. more ▾less ▴

     Each feature now goes by one name everywhere. Your day-by-day plan is always the Study Plan, paid plans are always full access, and every upgrade button says Get full access. Plans & Pricing and the upgrade page are now one Pricing page under Account, where members also see their current plan. The Diagnostic Exam moved to the Practice menu, next to Mock Boards. Each page also names itself in your browser tab.

   Twenty more student stories

   New

   • New
     Twenty more student stories are up on the stories page. more ▾less ▴

     Twenty more nurses who passed the August 2026 board exam now share how BoardPal fit into their review, from the study calendar that kept them showing up each day to practice questions that left them time to spare on the exam. Students who sent a message without a photo now appear with their initials. That makes 100 stories on nleboardpal.com/stories. Thank you for sharing them, and congratulations to all of you.

   Pages that fit small phones and larger text

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     Profile, Performance and the home page now fit small phones and larger text. more ▾less ▴

     We checked every page at four screen sizes, and with larger text turned on, for words running out of their boxes. On small phones the Profile page no longer slides sideways, the Study Consistency numbers on Performance now fit their boxes, and the number cards on the home page fit when your text size is larger.

   Three topics corrected in questions, flashcards and cram sheets

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     Gestational diabetes screening, recovery from Guillain-Barré syndrome and glucose-check delegation now match current sources. more ▾less ▴

     We checked three topics against Philippine guidelines and review-center material, and corrected what the app teaches about each. Screening for gestational diabetes now leads with the Philippine test: one 75-gram, 2-hour glucose tolerance test at 24 to 28 weeks, where one high value makes the diagnosis. The American two-step test, a 50-gram screen followed by a 3-hour test, is still mentioned, because many review books teach it. Recovery from Guillain-Barré syndrome is now taught as gradual over weeks to months, with the feet usually the last to recover, instead of recovering from the head downward, which neurology sources do not support. And a question on delegating finger-stick glucose checks now says the client is stable and the attendant is trained, because the nurse still reads and acts on every result. The changes cover 11 practice questions, 3 flashcards and 4 cram sheets. No correct answer moved, and your highlights on those cram sheets are still in place.

7. 24Sep · Thu

   Missing spaces fixed, and a tidier study plan sample

   FixedImproved

   • Fixed
     Words that were stuck together, like "155topics", now read correctly. more ▾less ▴

     Seven places in the app were showing two words stuck together, such as "155topics" on Home and "a few hours(72 hours" on the Upgrade page. Each one now has its space back.

   • Improved
     The sample plan stays inside its boxes, and weak spots now name the NP. more ▾less ▴

     In the sample study plan, long topic names now wrap inside their day instead of spilling out of the box, and the Sample label no longer covers Wednesday. The Your weak spots card now names the NP that is below the passing line, for example NP2 · MCN & Pedia.

   Flashcard notes state the fact instead of calling it a trap

   Improved

   • Improved
     14 flashcard notes now state the fact plainly instead of calling it a trap. more ▾less ▴

     14 flashcard notes no longer call a wrong idea "the trap", "a distractor" or "a red herring", or warn about "the exam". Each now states the fact itself, such as "Do not strap the chest tightly; it promotes atelectasis" in place of "tight chest strapping is the dangerous trap". The Parkinson's memory aid TRAP stays as it was.

   Explanations say what a wrong choice is, not how it looks

   Improved

   • Improved
     197 explanations now say plainly why a wrong choice is wrong, without describing how it looks. more ▾less ▴

     197 practice-question explanations no longer describe how a wrong choice looks or sounds to the reader, such as "a salt substitute looks like a genuine way to obey the diet" or "a plausible-sounding aim". Each now says plainly what the action is meant to do and why it is still wrong. Lines that describe how a patient or finding really looks, such as "what recovery looks like on the scale", stay as they were.

   A clearer weak spots card on Home

   Improved

   • Improved
     Weak spots now show as full-width rows with a bar to the 60% mark, and each topic opens its own practice set. more ▾less ▴

     The Your weak spots card on Home now shows each weak section and topic on its own full-width row, with a bar that shows how close it is to the 60% passing mark. Topic names are no longer cut off on larger screens, and tapping a topic starts a practice set on that topic alone.

   • Improved
     Plainer wording for what the study plan does, including catching up in one tap. more ▾less ▴

     The study plan is now described in plainer words across the site: Premium lays out every topic and all 5 mock boards day by day until your exam, sized to the hours you can study, and if you fall behind, one tap spreads what is left evenly across the days you have.

   Student stories in the Account menu

   Improved

   • Improved

     Student stories now has its own spot in the Account menu, so you can read how past takers reviewed and passed from anywhere in the app, whatever your plan.

   146 more practice questions revised to follow the board exam

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     146 more practice questions across 36 topics were revised to follow the structure and style of the actual board exam. more ▾less ▴

     146 more practice questions were revised to follow the structure and style of the actual board exam, across 36 topics: heart attacks, shock and critical care equipment; stomach, liver and kidney disorders in adults and children; leadership, nursing law, quality improvement and research; laboratory values, acid-base balance, electrolytes and IV fluids; and bones and joints, Parkinson disease, dementia, nerve disorders and the ear. This completes the set that began with the 133 and 110 questions revised over the past week. Each question now presents a focused clinical situation and tests your judgment the way the board exam does, and its explanation states the principle behind the correct answer. Where a question covered the same point as another question in the bank, it was redirected to a concept the bank did not yet cover rather than removed. No questions were deleted and no correct answers changed, so your past attempts and topic scores remain accurate.

   • Fixed
     Several questions that taught something out of date, from where IV saline goes to otosclerosis in pregnancy, are now corrected. more ▾less ▴

     Checking those questions against current sources turned up several that taught something out of date or had two defensible answers, and each one is now corrected. An IV fluid question said normal saline stays in the blood vessels; it actually spreads into the tissue spaces within about half an hour, and the question now teaches that. A question on a torn heart muscle after a heart attack placed it after the wrong kind of heart attack; it now describes the lower-wall heart attack that usually causes it. A sepsis question called the quick bedside score a screening tool, which the 2021 sepsis guideline advises against, and it now teaches what the score does and does not tell you. An ear question said otosclerosis hearing loss worsens with each pregnancy, which a 2023 expert review found no evidence for. A leadership question said a nurse who reports wrongdoing is protected by law, but the Philippines does not yet have a general whistleblower protection law, so the question no longer claims it. A kidney failure question gave high phosphate as the cause of itching, where current research finds several causes working together. And a Parkinson disease question listed side effects as belonging to other drugs when the amantadine label lists them too, so its wrong options were rebuilt.

   New cram sheet: Leadership & Management

   NewImproved

   • New
     A new cram sheet, Leadership & Management, covering styles, power, the management functions, care-delivery models, staffing, conflict, change and quality improvement. more ▾less ▴

     There is a new cram sheet in your Resources library, Leadership & Management, on the Foundations shelf. It covers what the leadership and management questions actually test: the leadership styles and when each one is the right answer (autocratic in a crisis, laissez-faire with expert staff), the kinds of power, the management functions from planning to controlling, the organization chart with chain of command, unity of command and span of control, shared governance and Magnet, the five ways to organize patient care, staffing and scheduling, budgets, motivation theories, conflict, Lewin's change theory, quality improvement, incident reports, performance appraisal and progressive discipline. It closes with a table of what a charge nurse handles first when everything arrives at once, and a table that turns 32 common question stems into their answers.

   • New
     Seven new illustrations, from the leadership styles to the five conflict modes. more ▾less ▴

     Seven illustrations were made for it: the three leadership styles side by side, where a nurse's power comes from, the management process as a cycle, how to read an organization chart, the five care-delivery models showing who is assigned to whom, Lewin's three stages with a force field, and the five ways to handle a conflict.

   • New
     The Philippine staffing rules and nurse-manager qualifications, with both answers shown where review notes and the textbook disagree. more ▾less ▴

     The Philippine layer is here too: the DOH staffing standard of one nurse to 12 beds with a reliever for every three nurses, the 40-hour week for hospital staff under RA 5901, the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers, and what RA 9173 requires of a nurse manager and a chief nurse. Where review notes and the textbook disagree, as they do on how many management functions there are and what counts as a wide span of control, both answers are shown.

   • Improved
     Read the cram sheet under leadership questions opens the new sheet, and the site now counts 45 cram sheets. more ▾less ▴

     Under every leadership and management question and flashcard, Read the cram sheet now opens this new sheet, and the home, plans and upgrade pages now count 45 cram sheets.

   Easier-to-read explanations on 329 select-all questions

   Improved

   • Improved
     Select-all explanations now put a full stop after each quoted statement. more ▾less ▴

     In 329 select-all explanations, each quoted statement now ends with a full stop before the explanation starts, so a line no longer runs straight on from the quote into the next sentence. The words themselves did not change.

   Five practice-question explanations corrected

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     Five explanations corrected, including the crisis theory question (Aguilera, not Caplan). more ▾less ▴

     The crisis question now credits the balancing factors (perception of the event, support and coping) to Aguilera's crisis model, not Caplan's. The low-calcium question after thyroid surgery now names all three risks it prepares for: muscle, airway and brain. The clot-prevention question now says calf massage is dangerous because it can send an existing clot to the lungs. Two more explanations lost a line about how the answer choices were built.

   Clearer explanations on 60 select-all questions

   Improved

   • Improved
     Sixty select-all explanations now say only why each wrong statement is wrong. more ▾less ▴

     Sixty explanations for select-all practice questions no longer end with lines like "Statement 4 is the easiest wrong entry to wave through in error". Each wrong statement is now explained only by why it is wrong, and every explanation still names the correct combination.

   The cram sheet count now reads 44

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     The home, plans and upgrade pages and the FAQ now count 44 cram sheets. more ▾less ▴

     With the new Nursing Research sheet on the shelf, the home page, the plans and upgrade pages and the FAQ now say "All 44 illustrated cram sheets". They still said 43.

   Clearer explanations on seven practice questions

   Improved

   • Improved
     Seven explanations now say plainly why each wrong choice is wrong. more ▾less ▴

     Seven practice-question explanations no longer describe a wrong choice as "the option that is hardest to set aside" or with similar wording. Each one now says plainly why that choice is wrong, for example that in an incomplete abortion the cervix stays open and bleeding continues.

   New cram sheet: Nursing Research & Evidence-Based Practice

   NewImproved

   • New
     A new cram sheet, Nursing Research & Evidence-Based Practice, covering the research process, study designs, sampling, statistics, research ethics and evidence-based practice. more ▾less ▴

     There is a new cram sheet in your Resources library, Nursing Research & Evidence-Based Practice, on the Foundations shelf. A student asked for it, so we built it. It walks the research process from the first problem to sharing the results, and it sorts the study designs with one decision tree so you can name a true experiment, a quasi-experiment, a cohort or a case-control study straight from the stem. The qualitative traditions sit side by side: phenomenology with bracketing, grounded theory, ethnography and historical research, with data saturation and the four trustworthiness criteria. It covers sampling, with Slovin's formula worked out, the levels of measurement, validity against reliability, and the statistics an item asks about: the p-value, Type I and Type II errors, correlation and which test to use. The ethics part takes the Nuremberg Code, the Declaration of Helsinki and the three principles of the Belmont Report, informed consent, coercion and undue influence, vulnerable groups and research misconduct. The evidence-based practice part gives the seven steps, PICOT, the seven levels of evidence and the difference between a systematic review and a meta-analysis. It closes with a table that turns 30 common question stems into their answers.

   • New
     Seven new illustrations, from the design decision tree to the evidence pyramid. more ▾less ▴

     Seven illustrations were made for it: the five phases of the research process, the design decision tree, eight ways of drawing a sample shown on the same 48 people, three targets that show reliable against valid, the Type I and Type II error table, the evidence pyramid, and a timeline of the research ethics documents from 1947 to today. The chart for choosing a statistical test is shared with the Epidemiology sheet, so the two always agree.

   • New
     The Philippine rules for research with children and for ethics review, with both answers shown where review notes and sources disagree. more ▾less ▴

     The Philippine layer is the part most reviewers skip. The sheet gives the current national rules for research with children from the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board's 2022 guidelines: no assent is needed below age 7, verbal assent from 7, a simplified written assent form from 12, and from 15 the child co-signs the parents' consent form. It explains the three kinds of ethics review (exempt, expedited and full), when consent may be waived, Republic Act 10532 that created the national health research system and its ethics board, and the research duty that Republic Act 9173 gives every nurse. Where review notes and the original sources disagree, as they do on who coined evidence-based practice and on the size of a Phase 3 drug trial, both answers are shown.

   • Improved
     Read the cram sheet under nursing research questions now opens the new sheet. more ▾less ▴

     Under every nursing research question and flashcard, Read the cram sheet now opens this new sheet.

   Signup notes sent to Meta now carry an average value

   Improved

   • Improved
     Signup notes sent to Meta now carry a fixed average value, the same for everyone. more ▾less ▴

     If you allowed Meta's ad cookies, the note Meta receives when a new account is created now includes a fixed estimate of what a signup is worth to BoardPal on average. It is the same number for everyone and says nothing new about you; it only helps us judge whether our ads pay for themselves. If you tapped Decline, nothing is sent, as before.

   We now ask before any ad cookies are used

   Improved

   • Improved
     A small box now asks before Meta's ad cookies are used, and the privacy policy now says exactly what Meta receives. more ▾less ▴

     BoardPal uses Meta's (Facebook's) ad tool to see whether our Facebook and Instagram ads bring people here. Now a small box asks first: tap Accept and Meta's cookies are used, tap Decline and Meta's code never loads at all. BoardPal works exactly the same either way. You can change your answer anytime at the bottom of section 6 of the privacy policy, and the policy now lists exactly what Meta receives if you allow it.

   A way past a stuck security check at login

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     A Try again button now appears when the login security check gets stuck. more ▾less ▴

     If the Cloudflare security check on the login, signup or password-reset page keeps spinning or fails, a Try again button now appears under it, with a short tip on what usually fixes it (turning off a VPN, the 1.1.1.1 app or an ad blocker, or switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data).

8. 23Sep · Wed

   Flashcard and question fixes from the five-round review

   FixedImproved

   • Fixed
     Four practice-question explanations corrected. more ▾less ▴

     Four practice-question explanations were corrected against their sources: pyridostigmine blocks cholinesterase rather than increasing acetylcholine release; in cast syndrome the superior mesenteric artery compresses the duodenum; a simple face mask runs about 5 to 10 L/min; and the pancreatitis question now describes Chvostek's sign (tapping the cheek) and Trousseau's sign (inflating the blood pressure cuff) correctly.

   • Improved
     Sepsis now taught with the Sepsis-3 definition. more ▾less ▴

     The sepsis flashcard and two practice explanations now use the current Sepsis-3 definition: life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated response to infection.

   • Improved
     Two US-only flashcards now teach the Philippine version. more ▾less ▴

     Two flashcards that taught US-only content now teach the Philippine version: the DepEd-DOH school immunization round (MR and Td in Grades 1 and 7, HPV for Grade 4 girls) and RA 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

   • Improved
     Sixty-four more flashcards linked to their practice question. more ▾less ▴

     Sixty-four more flashcards now link to the practice question that teaches their fact.

   Ten more flashcard decks read whole, fifty-eight cards sharpened

   ImprovedFixedNew

   • Improved
     Ten more flashcard decks read whole; fifty-eight cards sharpened. more ▾less ▴

     Every card in ten more decks was read against its practice question: Adolescent Health, Cancer Basic Concepts, Oral, Esophageal and Gastric Disorders, Peripheral Neuropathies, Cognitive and Other Psychiatric Disorders, Crisis Intervention, Tuberculosis and DOTS, Pediatric Respiratory Disorders, Electrolyte Imbalances, and Acute GI, Metabolic and Renal Crises. Fifty-eight cards were sharpened: cards that printed most of a list and asked for one item now ask for the whole set (the ABCDE melanoma features, the stages of carcinogenesis, Aguilera's balancing factors, the ADHD criteria), look-alike cards now name each other (correcting low against high sodium, the two suicide first actions), and fronts that gave their answer away now ask the question plainly.

   • Fixed
     Four flashcards corrected against their sources. more ▾less ▴

     Four cards were corrected against their sources: dextrose is added in DKA once the glucose is falling while the anion gap is still open; enamel erosion is the most consistent finding in bulimia; a patient with dementia asking for a dead spouse is gently redirected to a comforting activity; and the low-sodium correction limit now gives the slower rate for chronic cases.

   • New
     Four new flashcards fill gaps in their decks. more ▾less ▴

     Four new cards fill gaps in sets the decks already teach: mixed delirium beside the hyperactive and hypoactive types, photographing injuries before they are cleaned, the 5 mm tuberculin cut-off for HIV-infected or severely malnourished clients, and the four cardinal signs of TB.

   • Improved
     Twenty flashcards linked to the right practice question. more ▾less ▴

     Twenty flashcards now link to the practice question that teaches their fact; they had no linked question before, or pointed at one about something else.

   Ten more flashcard decks read whole, forty-one cards sharpened

   ImprovedFixedNew

   • Improved
     Ten more flashcard decks read whole; forty-one cards sharpened. more ▾less ▴

     Every card in ten more decks was read against its practice question: Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Ostomies, Parathyroid Disorders, Reproductive Systems and the Menstrual Cycle, Personality Disorders, Upper Airway Disorders, Neuroanatomy and Neuro Assessment, Shock and Sepsis, Endocrine Emergencies, and Glaucoma and Cataract. Forty-one cards were sharpened: cards that printed most of a list and asked for one item now ask for the whole set (the qSOFA screen, the causes of obstructive shock, hypoglycemia treatment by client status), look-alike cards now name each other (Chvostek against Trousseau, peristomal yeast against irritant and allergic rashes), and fronts that gave their answer away now ask the question plainly.

   • Fixed
     Three flashcards corrected against their sources. more ▾less ▴

     Three cards were corrected against their sources: recovery from Guillain-Barre syndrome is taught as gradual over weeks to months, without the claim that proximal areas recover first; adrenal crisis is no longer called the only endocrine emergency that needs a steroid; and the shock card no longer says vasopressors never start alongside fluids.

   • New
     Four new flashcards fill gaps in their decks. more ▾less ▴

     Four new cards fill gaps in sets the decks already teach: partial against complete ileostomy food blockage, the normal menstrual cycle values, the three signs of Beck's triad, and the initial stage of shock.

   • Improved
     Twenty flashcards linked to the right practice question. more ▾less ▴

     Twenty flashcards now link to the practice question that teaches their fact, including every card in the Ostomies deck, which had none.

   Ten more flashcard decks read whole, sixty-one cards sharpened

   ImprovedFixedNew

   • Improved
     Ten more flashcard decks read whole; sixty-one cards sharpened. more ▾less ▴

     Every card in ten more decks was read against its practice question: Post-operative Care, Pediatric Renal Disorders, Normal Labor and Delivery, IV Fluids, Seizure Disorders, Theories of Growth and Development, Pharmacology Core Principles, Retinal Detachment and Macular Degeneration, Normal Pregnancy, and Inflammatory Bone and Joint Disorders. Sixty-one cards were sharpened: cards that printed most of a list and asked for one item now ask for the whole set (the retinal detachment warning signs, the levetiracetam mood effects, the signs of fluid volume deficit), look-alike cards now name each other (potentiation against synergism, enzyme inducers against inhibitors, laryngospasm against a tongue-blocked airway), and thin notes under the answer now carry what the practice question teaches.

   • Fixed
     Five flashcards corrected against their sources. more ▾less ▴

     Five cards were corrected against their sources: a scotoma is the central blank patch, and the wavy lines are a separate finding called metamorphopsia; D5W is isotonic only in the bag; the new-onset bedwetting card now describes a school-age child, not an infant; the glomerulonephritis delay of 1 to 2 weeks is tied to a strep throat; and the PCA card no longer says family pressing the button defeats the lockout.

   • New
     Four new flashcards fill gaps in their decks. more ▾less ▴

     Four new cards fill gaps in sets the decks already teach: identifying a generalized tonic-clonic seizure, addiction beside tolerance and physical dependence, scotoma against metamorphopsia, and the fundal height landmarks at 16, 28 and 36 weeks.

   • Improved
     Seven flashcards linked to the right practice question. more ▾less ▴

     Seven flashcards now link to the practice question that teaches their fact; they had no linked question before, or pointed at one about something else.

   Ten more flashcard decks read whole, fifty-nine cards sharpened

   ImprovedFixedNew

   • Improved
     Ten more flashcard decks read whole; fifty-nine cards sharpened. more ▾less ▴

     Every card in ten more decks was read against its practice question: Musculoskeletal Interventions, Increased Intracranial Pressure, Peripheral Vascular Disease and Hypertension, Malnutrition and Obesity, Postpartum Complications, Somatic and Behavioral Therapies, Health Laws on Nursing Practice, Basic Needs, Leadership and Management, and Pediatric Neurologic Disorders. Fifty-nine cards were sharpened: cards that printed most of a list and asked for one item now ask for the whole set (Cushing's triad, the 4 Ts of postpartum hemorrhage, the five rights of delegation, Lewin's three stages), look-alike cards now name each other (the face mask and nasal cannula flow rates, the two uterotonics to hold, shunt infection against shunt blockage), and fronts that gave their answer away now ask the question plainly.

   • Fixed
     Six flashcards corrected against their sources. more ▾less ▴

     Six cards were corrected against their sources: the first drop in a hypertensive emergency is no more than about 25 percent in the first hour; RA 9173 names gross incompetence and serious ignorance, but negligence needs no qualifier; the Board of Nursing itself revokes and suspends a certificate; the delegation card now names the nursing attendant; a change in level of consciousness belongs to infants and older children alike; and the DVT activity limit applies to a fresh clot before anticoagulation starts.

   • New
     Five new flashcards fill gaps in their decks. more ▾less ▴

     Five new cards fill gaps in sets the decks already teach: instillation of hope and cohesiveness among the group therapy factors, the three expected effects after ECT, RA 877 as the first nursing law, and the accommodating conflict style.

   • Improved
     Nineteen flashcards linked to the right practice question. more ▾less ▴

     Nineteen flashcards now link to the practice question that teaches their fact; they had no linked question before, or pointed at one about something else.

   Ten more flashcard decks read whole, sixty-six cards sharpened

   ImprovedFixedNew

   • Improved
     Ten more flashcard decks read whole; sixty-six cards sharpened. more ▾less ▴

     Every card in ten more decks was read against its practice question: Schizophrenia, Heart Anatomy and ECG, IMCI, Primary Health Care, Foundations of Mental Health Nursing, Adrenal Disorders, Myasthenia Gravis, Nursing Research, Sanitation, and the Normal Puerperium. Sixty-six cards were sharpened: cards that printed most of a list and asked for one item now ask for the whole set (the heart auscultation areas, the drug groups that worsen myasthenia gravis, the three parts of evidence-based practice), look-alike cards now name each other (IVIG against plasmapheresis, Conn syndrome against Cushing's, the S1 and S2 heart sounds, the five environmental laws), and thin notes under the answer now carry what the practice question teaches.

   • Fixed
     Three flashcards corrected against their sources. more ▾less ▴

     Three cards were corrected against their sources: the ACTH stimulation test is read by how high cortisol peaks (below 18 mcg/dL suggests adrenal insufficiency), not by how much it rises; a pour-flush toilet is a Level I facility, and Level II is the water-sealed flush into the household's own septic tank; and the lochia card no longer calls odor the single most reliable warning sign, since the amount matters too.

   • New
     Three new flashcards fill gaps in their decks. more ▾less ▴

     Three new cards fill gaps in sets the decks already teach: the IMCI young-infant classifications followed up in 2 days, how a barangay health worker gains official standing under RA 7883, and the Level III excreta disposal facility.

   • Improved
     Nineteen flashcards linked to the right practice question. more ▾less ▴

     Nineteen flashcards now link to the practice question that teaches their fact; they had no linked question before, or pointed at one about something else.

   Add your full name so we can recognize you when you pass

   New

   • New
     Add your full name (optional, private) so we can recognize you when board results come out. more ▾less ▴

     You can now add your full name, written the way it will appear on the PRC list of passers. It is optional and private: only the BoardPal team sees it, and your display name stays what other students see on the leaderboard. There is a new box for it when you sign up and in Profile under Edit profile, and if you signed up before today a small card on your Home page asks once (Not now hides it for good). Next to the box is a tick box, off unless you tick it, that says BoardPal may recognize you by name if you pass. You can change either one anytime in Profile.

   110 more practice questions revised to follow the board exam

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     110 more practice questions across 25 topics were revised to follow the structure and style of the actual board exam. more ▾less ▴

     110 more practice questions were revised to follow the structure and style of the actual board exam, across 25 topics: community health nursing and the health laws, communicable diseases, diabetes, thyroid and adrenal disorders, family planning and the postpartum period, cancer care, and pharmacology, including dosage calculation. This continues the 133 questions revised last week. Each question now presents a focused clinical situation and tests your judgment the way the board exam does, and its explanation states the principle behind the correct answer. Questions that ask you to identify the correct law still list the laws by number alone, since those test recall. Where a question covered the same point as another question in the bank, it was redirected to a concept the bank did not yet cover rather than removed. No questions were deleted and no correct answers changed, so your past attempts and topic scores remain accurate.

   • Fixed
     Several questions that taught something wrong, from a furosemide infusion rate to two family planning timings, are now corrected. more ▾less ▴

     Checking those questions against current sources turned up several that taught something wrong or had two defensible answers, and each one is now corrected. A question on an 80 mg dose of furosemide into a vein said to give it over twenty minutes; for that dose the drug label says to push it slowly over one to two minutes (the slower rate is for much larger doses given as a drip). Two family planning questions were set on a day or week that made the listed answer wrong under the WHO family planning handbook, and the timing now matches the answer. A question about a late progestin-only pill did not say which pill she was taking, and one kind allows a longer delay than the others, so two answers could be defended; it now names the pill. A sanitation law question had two laws among its options that both require the same thing, and it now asks about the one duty only the correct law covers. A school vaccination question followed the United States schedule, and it now follows the DOH school immunization program. And one dosage calculation explanation had an arithmetic slip in how it explained a wrong option.

   A shorter Study menu

   Improved

   • Improved
     My Notes and Bookmarks now open from Resources; the Study menu has four items. more ▾less ▴

     My Notes and Bookmarks were listed twice: in the Study menu and as the two cards at the top of Resources. They now live only in Resources, so the Study menu is down to Study Plan, Diagnostic Exam, Flashcards and Resources. While you are on My Notes or Bookmarks, Resources stays highlighted in the menu so you can see where you are. Nothing inside either page changed.

   A shorter, up-to-date Start Here lesson

   Improved

   • Improved
     The Start Here lesson is shorter and describes the app as it works today. more ▾less ▴

     The Start Here lesson now takes about three minutes instead of five and matches BoardPal as it is today. It covers your daily loop on Home, the parts of your plan you can change (Rebalance and its undo, skipping a task, adding a practice topic to any day, and Focus), how many mock boards your plan holds, and the tools on every question, including the Pen, bringing back a crossed-out choice, Bookmarks, Make a flashcard and Focus mode. The video-coming-soon note at the top of each lesson is gone.

9. 22Sep · Tue

   A clearer What's New page

   Improved

   • Improved
     One date per day, a month picker, weekly pages and a filter by type. more ▾less ▴

     This page now shows each date once, with everything from that day together, instead of repeating the date above every update. Each update is its title and its labels; tap it to read the notes. You move between months with the arrows or the month name at the top, and between weeks with Newer and Older at the bottom, and the labels line up so every line starts at the same edge. You can also show only New, Improved or Fixed updates. Long titles were shortened so the list is easier to scan. Links to older pages of this page still work.

   The student stories page knows you are signed in

   Fixed

   • Fixed
     The stories page no longer asks signed-in students to log in again. more ▾less ▴

     Opening the student stories page from inside BoardPal showed a Log in link, and tapping it took you to the login form even though you were already signed in. When you are signed in, that link now reads Home and takes you to your dashboard, and the button at the bottom of the page reads Back to studying. The Log in and Sign up pages also send a signed-in student straight to the dashboard now, wherever the link came from.

   Intrapartum labor time limits and 3 reported questions

   ImprovedFixed

   • Improved
     The Intrapartum cram sheet's labor time limits now follow the 2024 ACOG guideline. more ▾less ▴

     The time limits box on the Intrapartum cram sheet now follows the current (2024) ACOG labor guideline. Arrest of dilation is counted from 6 cm with the membranes ruptured: no change after 4 hours of adequate contractions, or 6 hours of weak contractions on oxytocin. A protracted active phase is less than 1 cm of dilation in 2 hours, and arrest in the second stage means no descent or rotation after 3 hours of pushing for a first-time mother or 2 hours for a mother who has given birth before. The earlier lines gave the older two-hour and one-hour limits. Nothing was re-paginated, so every highlight and note you have made on this sheet is exactly where you left it.

   • Fixed
     An epidural fever question now uses the right timing and presents both explanations for the fever. more ▾less ▴

     A student pointed out that the cause of fever after an epidural is still debated, and that was right: a sterile inflammatory response is the leading explanation and reduced heat loss is another. While checking we found a second problem. The question placed the fever one hour after the epidural, when this fever usually appears four to six hours in. The scenario now fits that timing and gives the findings that separate it from infection, and the explanation presents both theories. The correct answer did not move, so your past attempts and topic scores are unaffected.

   • Fixed
     An arrest of dilation question now includes oxytocin in the six-hour rule. more ▾less ▴

     The same student noted that the 2024 ACOG definition of arrest of dilation counts six hours of weak contractions only once oxytocin is running, and that the guideline itself rates the definition as a conditional recommendation. A practice question on it now says both.

   • Improved
     A pre-operative question now explains how a hearing aid is kept track of through surgery. more ▾less ▴

     A student asked what happens to a hearing aid left in before surgery, in case it is forgotten. The explanation now spells it out: the aid is recorded on the pre-operative checklist and named at handover, removed after anesthesia is induced, kept in a labeled container and returned once the patient is awake. We also removed a line saying it is handed to the family.

   Forty more student stories

   New

   • New
     Forty more student stories are up on the stories page. more ▾less ▴

     Forty more nurses who passed the August 2026 board exam now share how BoardPal fit into their review, from daily practice questions on a break to mock boards and the progress checks that showed them where to improve. That makes 80 stories on nleboardpal.com/stories. Thank you for sharing them, and congratulations to all of you.

   Twenty-five more student stories

   New

   • New
     Twenty-five more student stories are up on the stories page. more ▾less ▴

     Twenty-five more nurses who passed the August 2026 board exam now share, in their own words, how BoardPal fit into their review, from the mock boards and rationales to the study plan and the days they just needed a break. Every story is on nleboardpal.com/stories. Congratulations to all of you.

   Ten more student stories, including two topnotchers

   NewImproved

   • New
     Ten more student stories are up, two of them from PRC top-10 placers. more ▾less ▴

     Ten more students who passed the August 2026 board exam now share how they reviewed with BoardPal, in their own words. Two of them placed in PRC's top 10: Allanah Beatriz Tubal of the University of St. La Salle (Top 5) and Lance Martin Santos of Calamba Doctors' College (Top 10). On the front page of nleboardpal.com, the stories now sit in a row you can swipe or step through with the arrows, and every story is on its own page at nleboardpal.com/stories. Congratulations to all fifteen.

   • Improved

     The student stories on the plans page now sit in a row you can swipe through too, and the page with every story has a Back button that returns you to wherever you opened it from.