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How do you register for the NCLEX, step by step?

Apply to your nursing board, register and pay with Pearson VUE, then schedule after the Authorization to Test. A registration stays open 365 days.

Checked November 10, 2026

Short answer: You apply to the nursing regulatory body where you want a license, register and pay with Pearson VUE, and schedule your exam after you receive the Authorization to Test (ATT) email. A registration stays open for 365 days while you wait for the board to make you eligible, and the registration fee is not refunded for any reason.

The steps below come from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), which publishes them in the 2026 NCLEX Candidate Bulletin. Pearson VUE delivers the exam, so payment and scheduling go through Pearson VUE, not through your board. NCSBN says this two-part process applies to nursing regulatory bodies in the United States and Canada. If you are seeking registration in Australia, read our page on the NCLEX for Australia.

The official steps in order

  1. Apply to the nursing regulatory body (NRB). Submit an application for licensure or registration to the board or regulator where you want to be licensed.
  2. Meet that board's eligibility requirements. Each board sets its own requirements. NCSBN does not keep a list of them, so ask your board.
  3. Register for the NCLEX with Pearson VUE and pay. You can register online or by telephone. You need your program code, an email address and a Visa, MasterCard or American Express card. The card can be credit, debit or prepaid.
  4. Receive the Registration Acknowledgment email. It should arrive within two days. Pearson VUE writes to candidates by email only.
  5. The board makes you eligible in the Pearson VUE system. Your board does this step, not you.
  6. Receive the ATT email from Pearson VUE.
  7. Schedule your exam appointment with Pearson VUE. You must have the ATT email to schedule.

NCSBN's 2026 information flyer lists eight steps, because its last two steps are the exam day and the official results.

If more than two weeks pass after the acknowledgment email and you still have no ATT, NCSBN says you may want to contact your board. The ATT has its own rules: see What is the Authorization to Test, and how long is it valid?.

The name-matching rule

The first name and last name you give when you register must match exactly the identification you present at the exam appointment. Only the first and last names need to match. Your address does not need to match.

If the name on your identification does not match the name you registered with, the test center turns you away. You then have to reregister and pay another exam fee.

To correct a name, an address or an email address, contact your board. Pearson VUE test center staff cannot make this change on exam day.

How long a registration stays open

NCSBN states that an NCLEX registration stays open for 365 days while it waits for the board to make you eligible. If the board does not make you eligible within the 365 days, or denies eligibility, you forfeit the registration and the exam fee.

You cannot hold two open registrations for the same exam type. If you register again before the current registration expires, the second registration is processed and denied, and its fee is not refunded.

A nursing school, an agency or an employer may register and pay for you.

What cannot be refunded

  • The registration fee. NCSBN gives no refund for any reason.
  • The international scheduling fee. The fees page says there is no refund for any reason. The bulletin states one case: if your international test center becomes unavailable and you choose a domestic test center, this fee is refunded.
  • A missed appointment. If you do not arrive, or do not change or cancel with enough notice, you forfeit the exam fee and the ATT becomes invalid.
  • A stopped payment. If you or your bank stop the payment, you may not take the NCLEX.

To keep your fee, change or cancel an appointment at least 24 hours (one full business day) before it. For a Saturday, Sunday or Monday appointment, call Pearson VUE no later than Friday and at least 24 hours ahead.

The fee amounts are on How much does the NCLEX cost?.

What to do next

  1. Read the Candidate Bulletin before you register. NCSBN asks candidates to do this.
  2. Look at the identification you will use on exam day, and register with exactly that first and last name.
  3. If you need testing accommodations, ask your board before you register. Only the board can authorize them.
  4. Read What can you bring on NCLEX test day? before your appointment.

Common questions

Can I register by telephone?

Yes. In the United States and Canada, call Pearson Candidate Services at 866.496.2539 and pay by credit, debit or prepaid card.

Do I have to take the exam where I applied for my license?

No. NCSBN says you can take the NCLEX year-round at any Pearson Professional Testing location, whatever board you applied to.

Does NCSBN decide if I am eligible?

No. Each nursing regulatory body has its own eligibility requirements and makes that decision.

Prep from our team

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