National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX)
The NCLEX is a nationally recognized examination required to become either a registered nurse (NCLEX-RN) or a licensed practical nurse (NCLEX-PN). The examinations are developed and maintained by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). State boards of nursing, which ultimately will issue or deny a candidate's nursing license, consider the results of the NCLEX when deciding whether or not to issue a nursing license.
According to NCSBN's 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics, 328,443 candidates tested for the NCLEX-RN and 68,996 candidates tested for the NCLEX-PN in 2025.
NCLEX Pass Rates
The NCLEX pass rate for all RN candidates in 2025 was 69.1% (226,946 of 328,443 tested), with first-time, U.S.-educated candidates passing at a rate of 86.7%. The practical nurse pass rate for the NCLEX was 77.3% for all candidates in 2025 (53,362 of 68,996 tested), with first-time, U.S.-educated candidates passing at a rate of 86.6%. Some universities boast high pass rates as a possible indication of the value of their program.
NCLEX Application and Registration
To take your NCLEX, you must submit an application for licensure/registration to the nursing regulatory board in the state of your practice, register for the NCLEX and pay the applicable fee. NCLEX needs to receive notice of eligibility from your nursing regulatory board within 365 days to proceed with examination. You may register for the NCLEX online or by phone.
NCLEX Fees and Payments
When registering for the NCLEX, you will also submit a registration fee of $200 for U.S. licensure, $360 CAD for Canadian licensure or $200 for Australian licensure.
There are additional fees for international scheduling, changing your nurse regulatory board after registration, changing examination type (RN/PN) after registration, changing exam language and your state's nursing regulatory board fees.
Both fees are scheduled to increase to $350 (US and Australia) or $570 CAD (Canada), effective February 1, 2027, per NCLEX fee information.
Taking the NCLEX
The NCLEX is offered at test centers domestically and internationally. You must schedule an appointment online or by phone through Pearson VUE, after you've received an authorization to test (ATT).
NCLEX-RN
The NCLEX-RN Test Plan effective April 2026 covers:
- Physiological Adaptation
- Management of Care
- Safety and Infection Control
- Health Promotion and Maintenance
- Psychosocial Integrity
- Basic Care and Comfort
- Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies
- Reduction of Risk Potential
The NCLEX-RN includes between 85 and 150 items. Fifteen of these are pretest items that are not scored. The maximum testing time for the NCLEX-RN is five hours, which includes the tutorial, sample items and optional breaks.
NCLEX-PN
The NCLEX-PN Test Plan effective April 2026 covers:
- Physiological Adaptation
- Coordinated Care
- Safety and Infection Control
- Health Promotion and Maintenance
- Psychosocial Integrity
- Basic Care and Comfort
- Pharmacological Therapies
- Reduction of Risk Potential
NCLEX-PN candidates answer between 85 and 150 items within the allotted five hours. The time includes tutorial, sample questions and all breaks.
Since taking—and passing—the NCLEX is an important step toward becoming a nurse, these tips may help you pass. Study methods may help you prepare for the exam and get a better score. Everyone’s best study method is unique to them, so while some of these tips may help, they don’t guarantee success. If you’re wondering how to study for the NCLEX, here are some ideas:
If you’re ready to take the NCLEX, it means you’ve completed a nursing program. If you can, schedule your exam a bit further out and budget a week or so to relax and decompress after school. The Yerkes-Dodson Law suggests stress can improve performance, but only up to a point. If you experience too much stress, it stops helping and can make tasks harder.
One way to help study for the NCLEX is to take a practice exam in a casual setting. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) offers official NCLEX exam information and preparation resources for the RN and the PN exams. For self-paced learning, there are books that offer hundreds of sample questions, often pulled from previous tests. One example is the current, Next Generation NCLEX-updated Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN® Examination, 10th edition.
While flashcards from school may be useful, there is an entire industry devoted to helping nurses pass the NCLEX. Test-prep companies such as Kaplan, as well as the NCSBN, offer weeks-long study courses that may help with test-taking strategy. There are also a number of study guides with practice questions and reviews of key portions of the exam available for purchase.
While some may prefer hitting the books alone, others appreciate studying with peers who are taking the exam. Studying with a partner or group may be helpful because not only does it provide accountability and camaraderie, but explaining a concept is an effective way to make sure you understand the material. Study partners can also help decipher questions and find solutions much more collaboratively than a book.
Preparing for a major licensing exam like the NCLEX should be more like a marathon than a sprint. Research suggests spaced, repeated study sessions produce meaningfully better long-term learning and retention than massed, last-minute cramming. Studying for shorter periods consistently over a long time may help students retain information better.
Not every study method works for everyone. Some people thrive in an interactive or instructor-led study group, while others work best on their own with a workbook. It's important to evaluate your own academic performance and use study methods that fit your learning style.
Information on NCLEX fees, questions and other information found on this page was last retrieved as of September 2026. For the most up-to-date information please refer to the NCLEX website.
Information last updated: September 2026