All Nursing Exams

NCLEX-RN: the full guide

The NCLEX-RN has 85 to 150 items in five hours. It costs US$200, or CA$360 in Canada, for registrations before February 1, 2027.

Checked November 10, 2026

Short answer: The NCLEX-RN is the licensing exam for registered nurses in the United States and Canada and part of Australia's outcomes-based assessment, with 85 to 150 items in a five-hour limit and a passing standard of 0.00 logits. The registration fee is US$200 (CA$360 plus local taxes in Canada) for registrations completed before February 1, 2027, and US$350 (CA$570 in Canada) for registrations from that date.

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) sets the exam rules on this page. Pearson VUE takes the payment, handles scheduling and runs the test centers.

At a glance

Item NCLEX-RN
Fee, United States licensure US$200. US$350 for registrations from February 1, 2027
Fee, Canadian licensure or registration CA$360 plus local taxes. CA$570 from February 1, 2027
Fee, Australian registration US$200. US$350 from February 1, 2027
Testing at an international center US$150 extra (CA$150 for Canadian candidates), plus value added tax where it applies
Items 85 to 150, including 15 unscored pretest items
Time Five hours, including the introductory screen and all breaks
Passing standard 0.00 logits, in effect through March 31, 2029
Attempts and wait Up to 8 a year under NCSBN policy, with at least 45 test-free days between attempts. Some boards are stricter
Results Official results from your board within six weeks. Unofficial Quick Results (US$7.95) after two business days, for U.S. licensure only, where the board takes part
Where you test Pearson Professional Centers in the United States, Canada and the international locations NCSBN lists. There is no at-home version

The fee rules are in How much does the NCLEX cost?.

Who takes the NCLEX-RN

United States. NCSBN says all U.S. boards of nursing use the NCLEX-RN for registered nurses. Each board sets its own eligibility rules.

Canada. NCSBN states that the same NCLEX-RN exam is used for Canadian and U.S. entry to practice, and Canadian candidates could first take it on January 5, 2015. NCSBN counts 10 regulatory bodies that adopted it. Quebec is not among the jurisdictions in its table. It is offered in French. See NCLEX in Canada and in the United States.

Australia. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) decides who can register, and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) assesses applications for it. Every internationally qualified nurse completes the NMBA Self-check, which assigns a stream. Stream A has no exams. Stream B must complete the outcomes-based assessment, unless a separate NMBA standard for nurses registered in comparable countries applies: first the multiple-choice question (MCQ) exam, which for registered nurses is the NCLEX-RN, then the objective structured clinical exam (OSCE), in person in Adelaide or Melbourne. The NMBA charges an AU$410 assessment fee and an AU$4,000 OSCE fee. An NCLEX-RN pass within 10 years of establishing your portfolio lets you skip the MCQ stage. See The NCLEX for Australia.

How to register

  1. Apply for licensure or registration to the board or regulator where you want to work.
  2. Meet that body's eligibility requirements.
  3. Register and pay with Pearson VUE, using your program code, an email address and a Visa, MasterCard or American Express card.
  4. Receive the Registration Acknowledgment email, which should arrive within two days.
  5. Your board makes you eligible. The registration stays open 365 days while you wait.
  6. Receive the Authorization to Test (ATT) email. Its validity averages 90 days and cannot be extended.
  7. Schedule. First-time candidates are offered an appointment within about 30 days of asking.

Register with the first and last name that is on your ID, exactly. In Australia, you register through the link on your IQNM dashboard once your portfolio is finalized, and Ahpra confirms eligibility within 4 weeks. Details are in How do you register for the NCLEX? and What is the Authorization to Test?.

What is on the exam

The 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan is effective April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2029. It is based on NCSBN's 2024 RN Practice Analysis and tests the entry-level nurse: a newly licensed nurse with no more than 12 months of experience.

Client Needs category Subcategory Range Test plan target
Safe and Effective Care Environment Management of Care 15 to 21% 18%
Safe and Effective Care Environment Safety and Infection Prevention and Control 10 to 16% 13%
Health Promotion and Maintenance 6 to 12% 9%
Psychosocial Integrity 6 to 12% 9%
Physiological Integrity Basic Care and Comfort 6 to 12% 9%
Physiological Integrity Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies 13 to 19% 16%
Physiological Integrity Reduction of Risk Potential 9 to 15% 12%
Physiological Integrity Physiological Adaptation 11 to 17% 14%

Clinical judgment. The NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model (NCJMM) has six steps: recognize cues, analyze cues, prioritize hypotheses, generate solutions, take action and evaluate outcomes. Every exam has three case studies, which make 18 items. Each case study is a set of six items on one unfolding client scenario, one item for each step. NCSBN adds approximately 10% stand-alone items, depending on exam length. The item types are explained in What are the Next Generation NCLEX question types?.

How it is scored

The NCLEX-RN is a computerized adaptive test. After every answer, the computer estimates your ability again and chooses an item that you should have around a 50% chance of answering correctly. One of three rules ends the exam:

  • 95% Confidence Interval Rule: the computer is 95% certain that your ability is clearly above or clearly below the passing standard.
  • Maximum-Length Exam Rule: at 150 items, only your final ability estimate counts.
  • Run-out-of-time (R.O.O.T.) Rule: if time ends before the minimum number of items, you fail. Otherwise, all your answers decide the result.

You pass at or above 0.00 logits. NCSBN reports pass or fail only, never a score, and there is no fixed share of candidates who pass. Items with more than one key can earn partial credit by plus/minus, zero/one or rationale scoring. See How is the NCLEX scored? and How many questions are on the NCLEX?.

Test day

  • Arrive at least 30 minutes early. If you are more than 30 minutes late, you may lose the appointment.
  • Bring one acceptable ID: physical, not expired, government-issued, with your name in Roman characters, a recent photograph and a signature. International centers accept only a passport book or card.
  • Electronic devices are powered off and sealed in a plastic bag from Pearson VUE.
  • You receive an on-screen calculator and an erasable note board.
  • Two optional breaks come after two hours and after three and a half hours. The clock keeps running during breaks.

The full list is in What can you bring on NCLEX test day?.

Results

Your board, not the test center, sends the official result within six weeks. NCSBN says this time varies between boards. Ahpra emails results within six weeks of the exam date.

For U.S. licensure only, Quick Results gives an unofficial result for US$7.95, two business days after the exam, if your board takes part. On November 10, 2026, NCSBN listed 52 participating boards. It is not offered for Canada or Australia. NCSBN's pages word the Quick Results timing slightly differently. See When do NCLEX results come out?.

Retakes

Under NCSBN policy you can take the NCLEX eight times a year, with at least 45 test-free days between attempts. Some boards are stricter, so ask yours. Each retake costs the full registration fee.

If you fail, your board sends a two-page Candidate Performance Report (CPR). It rates each content area and clinical judgment as below, near or above the passing standard. A new attempt starts fresh and excludes items you have already seen.

To retake, tell your board, meet its requirements, reregister and pay with Pearson VUE, and wait for a new ATT, which is not valid until the waiting period ends. See How many times can you retake the NCLEX?.

What changed or is announced

  • Fee, from February 1, 2027: US$350 in the United States and Australia, CA$570 in Canada. Registrations completed before that date pay the current fee. The international scheduling fee and the change fees stay the same.
  • 2026 test plans: in effect since April 1, 2026, replacing the 2023 plans. The passing standard did not change.
  • Candidate rules, August 2026: version 6.1 adds an eyeglasses policy. Glasses that need any kind of charge, such as smart glasses, are prohibited, and if you wear glasses you are photographed wearing them.
  • NCLEX Online: an at-home version is in development. NCSBN says it is not launching in 2026 and has announced no date.

What to do next

  1. Start your application with the board or regulator where you want to work.
  2. If you plan to test in 2027, check whether you can complete your Pearson VUE registration before February 1, 2027.
  3. Download the free 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan and try the Candidate Tutorial.
  4. Plan your time with How long should you study for the NCLEX?.

Common questions

Can I take the NCLEX-RN in another country?

Yes. NCSBN says you can test at any Pearson Professional Testing location, whatever board you applied to. An international scheduling fee applies at international centers. See Can you take the NCLEX outside the United States?.

Is there an official NCLEX practice exam?

nclex.com offers no practice exam today. Its free resources are the test plans, the Candidate Tutorial, the Sample Pack and the Exam Preview. NCSBN does not endorse any review course.

Does a short exam mean I passed?

No. NCSBN says the length of your exam does not show a pass or a fail. Yearly pass rates are in NCLEX pass rates by year.

Prep from our team

NCLEXPace has 3,200+ NCLEX-RN practice questions with rationales, Next Generation NCLEX case studies, CAT Readiness Exams and a personal Study Plan. You can try 10 free questions without payment, and plans start from US$59 paid once, with nothing that renews. All Nursing Exams, NCLEXPace and NPractitioner are run by the same team. See https://www.nclexpace.com.

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