Five Ways Picmonic and TrueLearn Benefit Nursing Students and Faculty

Rising attrition rates and declining first-time pass rates on the NCLEX^® are prompting nursing programs to rethink how they support student success—both in the classroom and on exam day. With so much content to master and retain, many students struggle to absorb complex material through traditional study methods alone.

Audio-visual mnemonic platforms like Picmonic offer a compelling solution. By transforming key nursing concepts into memorable characters and humorous storylines, Picmonic, powered by TrueLearn, helps students better encode and recall information—boosting both comprehension and confidence.

Picmonic leverages memory science, spaced repetition, and retrieval practice to accelerate knowledge acquisition and long-term retention of material learned. Building on this foundation, TrueLearn helps students apply what they’ve learned, track their performance, and develop critical thinking skills required to excel on the NCLEX^® and in clinical practice.

Together, Picmonic and TrueLearn form a powerful learning loop—a continuous cycle of learning, application, and feedback that improves knowledge retention, supports active recall, and delivers measurable gains in performance.

In a randomized, double-blind, controlled study, students who used Picmonic showed a 331% improvement in long-term memory retention and a 50% improvement in test scores. Below are five ways Picmonic, powered by TrueLearn, helps set nursing students and educators up for success.

1. Complements how our minds work behind effective memorization 

Picmonic takes the keywords or attributes of a medical concept and converts them into wacky visuals tied with humorous stories. This combination of strong audio-visual cues with humor creates memorable impressions that align with how the brain encodes and retains information. Compared to rote memorization, nursing students using audio-visual mnemonics taps into the natural way our brains learn—strengthening retention and recall.

TrueLearn reinforces this cognitive process by providing opportunities to immediately apply that knowledge through high-quality, board-style questions. By bridging visual learning with real-world application, students more effectively move from memorization to mastery.

2. Supports practice of low-stakes recall 

While mastering large volumes of information is essential, nursing students must also recall that knowledge under pressure during exams and clinical decision-making. Picmonic supports this by incorporating multiple-choice quizzes that allow students to engage in low-stakes recall, identify areas for improvement, and reinforce learning through repetition.

TrueLearn builds on this with rigorous NCLEX^®-style questions that simulate real testing environments. These formative assessments provide students with repeated retrieval opportunities that reduce test anxiety improve critical thinking, and build confidence over time.

3. Guides student improvement with data

Both Picmonic and TrueLearn offer data-driven insights that empower educators and students to monitor progress and address learning gaps early. Educators can use this performance data to adjust instruction, align lessons with student needs, and support individualized remediation efforts.

TrueLearn’s real-time analytics and longitudinal tracking features allow faculty to quickly identify at-risk students, track trends, and evaluate cohort-wide readiness. These insights support a more targeted, adaptive approach to curriculum planning and student success.

4. Combats the ‘Forgetting Curve’

Nursing students are expected to retain a high volume of information throughout their training. Without reinforcement, much of that content is forgotten—a phenomenon known as the “Forgetting Curve.” Regular review at spaced intervals helps to overcome this decline and supports long-term retention.

Picmonic’s use of spaced repetition, and visual re-engagement, paired with TrueLearn’s adaptive question delivery, ensures that students revisit key concepts at the right time. This strengthens memory consolidation and helps maintain critical knowledge throughout the academic year and into board prep.

5. Ensures better classroom and exam preparedness

Together, Picmonic and TrueLearn create a cohesive learning experience that supports students throughout their academic journey. Students are equipped to retain and apply knowledge more effectively, while educators have the tools to make data-informed decisions that improve curriculum alignment and student outcomes.

By engaging with content through Picmonic, applying knowledge through TrueLearn, and using performance data to guide improvement, students and faculty benefit from a continuous learning loop designed to drive long-term success and higher first-time NCLEX^® pass rates.