How to Use Mark Klimek's Audio Lectures Without Wasting a Week (2026)

Mark Klimek's audio lectures are a rite of passage, but there is a wrong way to use them: pressing play, half-listening while you cook, and calling it studying. That burns a week and teaches you almost nothing. Here is how to actually use the audio so it turns into points.

Listen with the notes, always

The audio and the notes are a pair. Never listen without the matching notes (the Blue Book or Yellow Book) in front of you. The audio gives the reasoning and the memory hooks; the notes give you the page to mark up and return to. Passive listening alone does not stick.

Find your right speed

Most students do well at 1x to 1.25x on the first pass and faster on review. Do not crank it to 2x on material you have never seen just to finish faster. Speed on first exposure feels productive and teaches nothing. Save the fast passes for lectures you already know.

Do not go strictly 1 to 12

Lead with your weak and highest-yield topics. Acid-base (Lecture 1), prioritization and delegation (Lecture 12), and the endocrine and pharm lectures are worth doing first while your focus is fresh. For a full map of what each lecture covers, see our breakdown of Klimek lectures 1 to 12.

Take notes that force thinking

Do not transcribe. Write down only the rules, the "always and never" statements, and anything that surprises you. After each lecture, close everything and say the main rules out loud from memory. If you cannot, replay that section.

Turn every lecture into questions

This is the step almost everyone skips. Immediately after a lecture, do 15 to 20 practice questions on that exact topic and read every rationale. The audio teaches content. Questions build the answering skill the NCLEX actually scores.

A realistic listening schedule

The full series is roughly 10 to 12 hours. Do not binge it in two days. Spread it across one to two weeks, one to two lectures a day, each followed by questions. Then use the rest of your timeline for mixed practice in the NGN format.

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Frequently asked questions

How long are the Mark Klimek audio lectures?
About 10 to 12 hours total across 12 lectures. Most students spread them over one to two weeks.

What speed should I listen at?
1x to 1.25x on first pass, faster only on review. Do not rush material you have never seen.

Should I just listen, or take notes?
Both, plus practice questions. Listen with the notes, mark the rules, then immediately do questions on that topic.

You've got this. Listen actively, prove it with questions, and the audio pays off.

Nurse June, BSN, RN
Founder, Your Nursing Space