NCLEX-PN
NCSBN
Complete guide to passing the NCLEX-PN exam on your first attempt.
$200
~85%
One-time (license renewal varies)
USA
NCSBN
$45k-$60k (LPN/LVN)
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Complete Overview
The NCLEX-PN is the licensure examination a candidate must pass to practice as a licensed practical nurse or licensed vocational nurse in the United States, and registration costs $200 USD for candidates seeking U.S. licensure. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) owns and develops the exam, Pearson VUE delivers it at Pearson Professional Centers, and the individual state board of nursing, which NCSBN calls a nursing regulatory body or NRB, decides who is eligible to sit it.
The exam is delivered by computerized adaptive testing. Every LPN/VN candidate must answer a minimum of 85 items, and the maximum is 150 items, all within an allotted five-hour period that includes every break. Fifteen items on every exam are unscored pretest items. At minimum length, 52 items come from the eight content areas of the test plan, 18 items form three clinical judgment case studies of six items each, and the remaining 15 are the pretest items. The computer stops as soon as it is 95 percent certain the candidate is clearly above or clearly below the passing standard, so a short exam and a long exam are both compatible with passing. The 2026 NCLEX-PN Test Plan states plainly that the length of a candidate's exam is not an indication of a pass or fail result.
Scoring uses a logit ability scale rather than a percentage correct. The NCSBN Board of Directors voted to uphold a passing standard of -0.18 logits for the NCLEX-PN through March 31, 2026, and it reevaluates that standard every three years or when the test plan changes. NCSBN's published answer to the question still names -0.18 logits and that end date; no successor value has been posted. There is no fixed percentage of candidates who pass. Results are reported as pass or fail, never as a score, and only the nursing regulatory body releases them, within six weeks of the appointment. Candidates whose NRB participates in the Quick Results Service can buy unofficial results 48 hours after the appointment.
Content is organised into four Client Needs categories and eight subcategories, drawn from the 2024 PN Practice Analysis published by NCSBN in 2025. Clinical judgment is measured through the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model, whose six steps are recognize cues, analyze cues, prioritize hypotheses, generate solutions, take action and evaluate outcomes. Each case study set contains one item per step.
Budget beyond the $200. Candidates testing outside their domestic region pay an additional international scheduling fee of $150, changing the nursing regulatory body after registration costs $50, and switching between the RN and PN exam after registration costs another $50. None of these fees are refundable for any reason, including a missed appointment. NCSBN has announced that effective February 1, 2027 the registration fee rises to $350 USD in the United States and Australia and to $570 CAD in Canada, with the registration date rather than the exam date deciding which fee applies.
Why Get NCLEX-PN Certified?
Passing the NCLEX-PN is the legal gate to LPN/LVN practice in every U.S. jurisdiction. Without it a practical nursing diploma cannot be converted into a licence, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics put the median annual wage for LPN/LVNs at $62,340 in May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent under $47,960 and the highest 10 percent over $80,510.
Registration costs $200 for any registration completed before February 1, 2027. After that date it costs $350 USD, and NCSBN states the date of registration rather than the exam date decides which fee applies, retakes included.
The computer stops as soon as it is 95 percent certain of the outcome, so a candidate whose ability estimate is clearly above the passing standard finishes at 85 items rather than working through all 150.
The 2026 test plan is built on the 2024 PN Practice Analysis and a 2024 LPN/VN knowledge, skills and abilities survey, so the content maps onto tasks entry-level practical nurses actually perform rather than to textbook coverage.
The licence is portable in practice terms: NCSBN lets candidates test at any Pearson Professional Center regardless of which nursing regulatory body they applied to, and NCLEX sites operate in Australia, Brazil, France, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Turkiye and the United Kingdom.
Eligible veterans and their dependents can be reimbursed for the exam fee by the Department of Veterans Affairs using VA Form 22-0803, and NCSBN states that qualifying veteran candidates currently have no limit on the number of times the exam can be taken for reimbursement purposes.
An LPN licence lets a nurse earn clinical income while completing an ADN or BSN bridge programme, rather than studying unpaid for two to four more years first.
Exam Format & Structure
Duration
Five hours in total. NCSBN states the five-hour limit includes all breaks, and the appointment also covers the tutorial and a short closing survey.
Questions
Minimum 85 items, maximum 150 items. Every exam contains 15 unscored pretest items. In a minimum-length exam, 52 items come from the eight content areas in their published percentages and 18 items form three clinical judgment case studies of six items each.
Passing Score
Reported as pass or fail with no numeric score. The passing standard is an ability estimate of -0.18 logits, which the NCSBN Board of Directors voted to uphold for the NCLEX-PN through March 31, 2026 and reevaluates every three years or when the test plan changes. NCSBN has not published a successor value. There is no percentage-correct threshold and no fixed proportion of candidates who pass.
Question Types
- Stand-alone items drawn from the eight Client Needs subcategories
- Clinical judgment case studies: six-item sets covering recognize cues, analyze cues, prioritize hypotheses, generate solutions, take action and evaluate outcomes
- Approximately 10 percent stand-alone clinical judgment items, selected depending on exam length
- Items written in multiple formats, several of which award partial credit through plus/minus, zero/one or rationale scoring
- Calculation items requiring a typed numeric answer, where the decimal point must be entered if the item asks for one or two decimal places
- Chart and exhibit items presenting a tabbed client record that the candidate must open and read
- Items that may embed multimedia such as charts, tables and graphics
- NCSBN publishes the full enumerated list of item formats in the NCLEX Candidate Tutorial rather than in the test plan document
Delivery Method
Computerized adaptive testing at Pearson Professional Centers. NCSBN does not offer an online proctored option for the NCLEX. Domestic centres for U.S. candidates include those in the United States, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Exam Domains & Topics
The largest single subcategory on the exam, published by NCSBN with a range of 18 to 24 percent. It covers how the LPN/VN works inside a health care team: collaborating with other members, contributing to the plan of care, assigning tasks within the practical nursing scope, and advocating for client rights. The test plan states that content area distributions on individual examinations may differ by up to plus or minus 3 percent in every category, which is what the published ranges express.
Key Topics to Master:
- Assigning client care and related tasks to assistive personnel
- Contributing to development and updating of the client plan of care
- Organising and prioritising care based on client needs
- Advocating for client rights and needs
- Informed consent, advance directives and client confidentiality
- Recognising and reporting staff conflict
- Using data from credible sources when making clinical decisions
- Referrals, continuity of care and handoff communication
Published by NCSBN with a range of 10 to 16 percent. The subcategory was renamed from Safety and Infection Control in earlier test plans. It tests protection of clients and staff from injury and from transmissible disease, including standard and transmission-based precautions, restraint use, equipment safety, emergency response planning and reporting of incidents.
Key Topics to Master:
- Standard precautions and transmission-based precautions
- Surgical asepsis and sterile technique
- Safe use and monitoring of restraints and safety devices
- Fall prevention and client identification procedures
- Handling of hazardous and infectious materials
- Home safety assessment and accident prevention
- Emergency response plans and internal disaster procedures
- Reporting of incidents, errors and variances
Published by NCSBN with a range of 6 to 12 percent. This category covers expected growth and development across the lifespan, prevention and early detection of disease, and health screening. Items ask what is normal for a given age, what the LPN/VN should teach, and which findings warrant reporting rather than routine reassurance.
Key Topics to Master:
- Expected developmental stages from infancy through older adulthood
- Ante-, intra- and postpartum care and newborn assessment
- Immunisation schedules and health screening
- Data collection techniques and physical assessment findings
- Self-care and health promotion teaching
- Aging process and age-related physiological change
- High-risk behaviours and lifestyle counselling
Published by NCSBN with a range of 9 to 15 percent. It covers emotional, mental and social wellbeing for clients experiencing stress, acute crisis or chronic mental illness. Therapeutic communication is tested heavily, and correct answers usually keep the conversation open rather than reassuring, advising or changing the subject.
Key Topics to Master:
- Therapeutic communication techniques and blocks to communication
- Coping mechanisms and support systems
- Crisis intervention and de-escalation of aggressive behaviour
- Grief, loss and end-of-life psychosocial care
- Abuse and neglect recognition and mandatory reporting
- Substance use, dependency and withdrawal
- Behavioural interventions and therapeutic environment
- Religious, spiritual and cultural influences on health
Published by NCSBN with a range of 7 to 13 percent. This subcategory of Physiological Integrity covers comfort and assistance with activities of daily living: nutrition and oral hydration, elimination, mobility and immobility, rest and sleep, personal hygiene and non-pharmacological comfort measures. Much of it is hands-on LPN/VN work rather than diagnostic reasoning.
Key Topics to Master:
- Assistive devices, transfers and safe ambulation
- Nutrition, oral hydration and therapeutic diets
- Enteral feeding and tube care
- Elimination, catheter care and bowel programmes
- Prevention of complications of immobility
- Rest, sleep and personal hygiene
- Non-pharmacological comfort interventions including positioning and heat or cold
Published by NCSBN with a range of 10 to 16 percent. It covers administering medication and monitoring the client afterwards. NCSBN states that NCLEX items will on most occasions use generic medication names only, that some items refer to general drug classifications, and that NCSBN does not publish a list of the medications that appear on the exam.
Key Topics to Master:
- Dosage calculation and safe medication administration
- Expected actions, side effects and adverse effects by drug class
- Contraindications, interactions and client teaching
- Central venous access device care and intravenous therapy within LPN/VN scope
- Pharmacological pain management
- Blood and blood product administration monitoring
- Parenteral and enteral routes and equipment
- Recognising and reporting medication errors
Published by NCSBN with a range of 9 to 15 percent. This subcategory covers reducing the likelihood that a client develops a complication from an existing condition, a treatment or a procedure. Laboratory values, diagnostic testing and vital sign interpretation dominate. Since the Next Generation NCLEX launch, items containing a numeric laboratory value include the corresponding normal reference range.
Key Topics to Master:
- Laboratory values and their normal reference ranges
- Diagnostic tests and pre- and post-procedure care
- Therapeutic procedures and monitoring for complications
- Vital sign interpretation and reporting of changes
- Potential for alteration in body systems
- Recognising complications of surgery and anaesthesia
- System-specific assessments
Published by NCSBN with a range of 7 to 13 percent. It covers care of clients with acute, chronic or life-threatening physical health conditions. Items in this subcategory include responding to life-threatening events, caring for clients on ventilators or with tracheostomies, wound care, and management of fluid and electrolyte imbalance.
Key Topics to Master:
- Responding to a client life-threatening situation including cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- Interventions to improve respiratory status such as suctioning, breathing treatment and repositioning
- Tracheostomy and ventilator care
- Ostomy care for colostomy, ileostomy and urostomy
- Wound care, dressing change and removal of sutures or staples
- Fluid and electrolyte imbalance
- Peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis care
- Recognising and reporting basic cardiac monitor abnormalities
- Cooling and warming measures for temperature regulation
Recommended Study Plan
- 1Apply for licensure with your nursing regulatory body and register with Pearson VUE, paying the $200 fee. The two processes are separate and both must be complete before an Authorization to Test is issued.
- 2Download the 2026 NCLEX-PN Test Plan PDF from nclex.com/test-plans.page and read sections I through III in full, not just the percentage table.
- 3Work through the NCLEX Candidate Tutorial on nclex.com so that every item format is familiar before you see one under time pressure.
- 4Take a full-length diagnostic from a question bank such as UWorld NCLEX-PN or Archer Review and record your percentage in each of the eight subcategories.
- 5Read the NCLEX Candidate Rules PDF and the Exam Day page so the check-in requirements hold no surprises.
- 1Study the Coordinated Care activity statements listed in Appendix A of the test plan, one at a time.
- 2Drill assignment and supervision questions until you can distinguish what an LPN/VN may assign to assistive personnel from what requires an RN.
- 3Review informed consent, advance directives, confidentiality and client advocacy in Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-PN Examination.
- 4Complete 100 Coordinated Care questions in your question bank and read every rationale, including those for items you answered correctly.
- 5Write a one-page reference of prioritisation frameworks: ABC, Maslow, safety first, acute over chronic.
- 1Memorise which conditions require airborne, droplet and contact precautions, and what personal protective equipment each demands.
- 2Study restraint policy, fall prevention protocols and the two-identifier rule for client identification.
- 3Review surgical asepsis and the situations where sterile technique breaks down.
- 4Complete 100 Safety and Infection Prevention and Control questions and log every miss by root cause.
- 5Practise five case study sets so that the six NCJMM steps become a familiar rhythm.
- 1Study drug classes by suffix and mechanism rather than memorising individual brand names, since NCLEX items use generic names on most occasions.
- 2Work 50 dosage calculation problems, rounding only at the end of the calculation as NCSBN's FAQ specifies.
- 3Practise typing answers with the required decimal places so the format never costs you a correct item.
- 4Review high-alert medications: anticoagulants, insulin, opioids, digoxin, potassium chloride.
- 5Complete 100 Pharmacological Therapies questions in the question bank.
- 1Study adverse effects and client teaching points for the classes you scored worst on last week.
- 2Review intravenous therapy, blood product monitoring and central line care within the LPN/VN scope.
- 3Cover nutrition, therapeutic diets, enteral feeding, elimination and complications of immobility from Saunders or a comparable review text.
- 4Complete 100 Basic Care and Comfort questions.
- 5Rebuild your subcategory scoreboard and compare it against the week 1 diagnostic.
- 1Build a laboratory value sheet covering electrolytes, complete blood count, coagulation studies, arterial blood gases, renal and hepatic panels, and therapeutic drug levels.
- 2Practise interpreting values in context rather than reciting ranges, since Next Generation items supply the reference range alongside the value.
- 3Study pre- and post-procedure care for common diagnostic tests and surgical procedures.
- 4Complete 100 Reduction of Risk Potential questions.
- 5Time yourself on 30 items to confirm you average well under the pace needed to reach 150 items in five hours.
- 1Review the Physiological Adaptation activity statements in Appendix A, including tracheostomy care, ventilator care, ostomy care and dialysis.
- 2Study fluid and electrolyte imbalance until you can predict the assessment findings from the imbalance and the reverse.
- 3Practise cardiac monitor strip recognition to the level of recognising and reporting basic abnormalities, which is what the test plan asks of the LPN/VN.
- 4Complete 100 Physiological Adaptation questions and 10 case study sets.
- 5Review wound care, dressing change and suture or staple removal procedures.
- 1Drill therapeutic communication until you reliably pick the response that keeps the client talking over the one that reassures or advises.
- 2Study crisis intervention, de-escalation, abuse and neglect reporting, and substance withdrawal timelines.
- 3Cover growth and development milestones, immunisation schedules and maternal-newborn content.
- 4Complete 80 Psychosocial Integrity and 80 Health Promotion and Maintenance questions.
- 5Rewrite the three rationales that surprised you most this week in your own words.
- 1Sit two 150-item timed simulations in a single sitting each, without pausing, to test stamina against the five-hour window.
- 2Rank the eight subcategories by score and give the bottom three the whole of your remaining question volume.
- 3Redo every item you have ever missed in the question bank and confirm you now know why the distractors are wrong.
- 4Complete at least 15 further clinical judgment case study sets.
- 5Schedule your Pearson VUE appointment if the Authorization to Test has arrived, noting that the ATT is typically valid for about 90 days and cannot be extended.
- 1Drop to 50 to 75 questions a day and stop adding new content.
- 2Reread your laboratory value sheet, prioritisation frameworks and high-alert medication list each morning.
- 3Confirm your identification is valid and unexpired and that the first and last names match your Authorization to Test exactly.
- 4Drive or map the route to the Pearson Professional Center and plan to arrive 30 minutes early.
- 5Stop studying the evening before and sleep, since the exam runs five hours including breaks.
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Best Study Resources
2026 NCLEX-PN Test Plan
Official blueprint PDFThe authoritative document. It contains the eight content areas with their published percentage ranges, the exam length rules, the passing and failing scenarios, and Appendix A sample content with activity statements drawn from the 2024 PN Practice Analysis.
Free
NCLEX Candidate Tutorial and exam preview
Official practice toolNCSBN's own walkthrough of how to answer each item format, with sample items similar to those on the live exam. This is where the full enumerated list of item formats lives, since the test plan does not reproduce it.
Free
NCLEX Candidate Rules
Official policy PDFThe terms and conditions every candidate signs at check-in. It defines irregular behaviour, lists prohibited aids including handheld calculators, conversion tables and dictionaries, and explains the grounds for dismissal and result cancellation.
Free
Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-PN Examination
Review textbook with question bankA content review organised around the four Client Needs categories, which is the same organisation the test plan uses, with practice questions and rationales.
Paid, price set by Elsevier
UWorld NCLEX-PN QBank
Question bank subscriptionPractice questions with detailed rationales and illustrations, filterable by client needs subcategory, which makes it straightforward to run the subcategory-by-subcategory drilling this study plan calls for.
Paid subscription, tiers set by UWorld
Archer Review NCLEX-PN
Question bank and readiness assessmentsQuestion bank plus timed readiness assessments intended to estimate probability of passing. Its timed readiness assessments are what weeks 9 and 10 of this plan call for.
Paid subscription, tiers set by Archer Review
NCSBN Learning Extension NCLEX-PN review course
Structured online courseA review course from the organisation that writes the exam. NCSBN states in its FAQs that it does not recommend or endorse review courses generally, so treat this as one option rather than an official seal of approval.
Paid, price set by NCSBN
Lippincott Q&A Review for NCLEX-PN
Practice question bookA large bank of practice items with rationales in print form, organised by clinical area. Suits candidates who retain more from paper drilling than from screen-based question banks.
Paid, price set by Wolters Kluwer
ATI PN Comprehensive Predictor and PN review modules
Assessment and review packageMany practical nursing programmes already licence ATI, which means the predictor and review modules may cost the candidate nothing extra. The predictor gives a programme-benchmarked estimate of readiness.
Paid, often bundled by nursing programmes
NCLEX Pass Rates dashboard
Official statisticsNCSBN's interactive dashboard breaks pass rates down by educational programme, first-time versus repeat status, and domestic versus internationally educated candidates. It is the correct source for pass rate claims about your own candidate type.
Free
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Reading the number of items you received as a verdict. Candidates who shut off at 85 items often leave the centre convinced they failed, and candidates who reach 150 assume the same.
The 2026 test plan states directly that the length of the candidate's exam is not an indication of a pass or fail result, and that a candidate may pass or fail regardless of length. Shutting off at 85 means the algorithm reached 95 percent certainty in either direction. Stop counting items during the exam and keep answering.
Studying from the NCLEX-RN test plan or RN-oriented review materials because more of them exist.
The PN plan has different subcategory weights and a different scope. Coordinated Care carries 21 percent on the PN exam, the subcategory is titled Safety and Infection Prevention and Control, and the activity statements describe contributing to the plan of care rather than authoring it. Work from the 2026 NCLEX-PN Test Plan Appendix A, which lists the PN activity statements explicitly.
Answering delegation and assignment items from an RN scope of practice, giving the LPN/VN authority the test plan does not grant.
Reread the Coordinated Care activity statements. The LPN/VN assigns client care and related tasks to assistive personnel and other LPN/VNs, contributes to and updates the plan of care, and reports changes in client condition. Any option that has the LPN/VN performing initial assessment or independently altering the plan is usually the distractor.
Bringing a handheld calculator, a conversion table or a drug reference card to the test centre.
The NCLEX Candidate Rules list handheld calculators, conversion tables and dictionaries as prohibited aids, and possession is treated as irregular behaviour. Pearson supplies an on-screen calculator and an erasable note board with a marker. Practise dosage calculations using an on-screen calculator so the tool is not new on exam day.
Answering a chart or exhibit item after opening only the first tab of the client record.
NCSBN's FAQ confirms that candidates are not prompted to open all of the exhibit tabs. The exam will let you answer having read one tab and having missed the vital sign trend or the medication list in another. Make opening every tab a mechanical habit before you even read the answer options.
Rounding partway through a dosage calculation, or omitting the decimal point on a fill-in answer.
NCSBN states that answers to calculation items should be rounded at the end of the calculation, and that when an item asks for one or two decimal places the decimal point must be entered for the answer to be scored correct. Carry full precision through the working and match the requested format exactly.
Skimming past the bolded word in a stem and answering a question the item did not ask.
NCSBN confirms the NCLEX bolds key words including best, most, essential, first, priority, immediately, highest, initial, next, refute, increased, decreased and support. A stem asking what to do first usually has three or four actions that are all appropriate. Reread the bolded word before you commit.
Memorising brand names and proprietary drug lists in the hope of matching what appears on the exam.
NCSBN states that the NCLEX will on most occasions use generic medication names only, that some items refer to general classifications, and that it does not specify a list of medications on the exam. Learn class-level mechanism, adverse effects and monitoring, which transfers to any drug in the class.
Letting the Authorization to Test expire while waiting to feel ready, or missing the appointment window.
NCSBN states the average ATT validity is 90 days and that the dates cannot be extended for any reason. Missing the window means reregistering and paying the fee again, with no refund. Cancelling inside 24 business hours of the appointment forfeits the fee too. Book a date roughly six weeks out and study toward it.
Exam Day Tips
- 1
Arrive at the Pearson Professional Center at least 30 minutes before your appointment. NCSBN warns that candidates more than 30 minutes late may be required to forfeit the appointment, reregister and pay another exam fee.
- 2
Bring identification that is valid and unexpired. Since August 2, 2021 candidates have been turned away for presenting expired identification. Only the first and last names need to match the Authorization to Test, and the address does not need to match.
- 3
Expect to give biometrics before admission: a signature, a photograph and a palm vein scan are all required, and you will repeat the security scanning protocol every time you return from a break.
- 4
Refusing the security scan without a pre-approved exception from your nursing regulatory body means being turned away and forfeiting the exam fee. There is no discretion at the centre.
- 5
Power off every electronic device, including a smart watch, and seal it into the plastic bag Pearson provides. NCSBN states Pearson maintains a zero-tolerance policy and that a device found at any point during the appointment means immediate removal and possible loss of fees.
- 6
Leave hats, scarves, gloves and outerwear including fleece jackets outside the testing room, and dress in layers you can keep on. Provisions are made for religious and cultural dress.
- 7
The NCLEX Candidate Bulletin states that the first optional break is offered after two hours of testing and the second after three and one-half hours. Both come out of the same five hours, so a long break is time removed from the exam.
- 8
Use the on-screen calculator and the erasable note board and marker Pearson supplies. Write out dosage calculations rather than doing them in your head, since you cannot return to an item once you confirm the answer and press Next.
- 9
The exam ends with a short survey, after which you raise your hand and wait for the test administrator to dismiss you. No score is available at the centre, and technical delays over 30 minutes entitle you to reschedule without an additional fee.
Career Paths & Salary Ranges
Licensed practical nurse, long-term care
Skilled nursing and long-term care facilities employ the largest share of LPN/LVNs, and BLS puts the May 2024 median for nursing and residential care facilities at $64,170. The work maps closely onto the Basic Care and Comfort and Physiological Adaptation content: medication passes, wound care, ostomy and tracheostomy care, and reporting changes in condition to the supervising RN.
$64,170 median (BLS, May 2024)
Licensed practical nurse, physician office or outpatient clinic
Clinic LPNs handle intake vital signs, immunisations, specimen collection, patient teaching and prescription refill workflow. BLS reports offices of physicians as the lowest-paying of the five largest LPN/LVN industries.
$57,660 median (BLS, May 2024)
Home health licensed practical nurse
Home health LPNs deliver scheduled visits for wound care, catheter management, medication administration and home safety assessment. The Health Promotion and Maintenance content about home safety and accident prevention becomes daily practice.
$61,300 median (BLS, May 2024)
Charge nurse or unit lead, skilled nursing facility
Experienced LPNs in many states take charge nurse roles on a skilled nursing unit, coordinating assistive personnel, managing the medication cart and escalating to the RN or provider. BLS does not publish a separate charge nurse wage, so the $64,170 nursing and residential care median is the floor to reason from. Coordinated Care, the 21 percent subcategory, is the exam content that most directly predicts this job.
Above the $64,170 nursing and residential care median
LPN completing an LPN-to-RN bridge programme
Many LPNs work clinically while completing an ADN or BSN bridge, then sit the NCLEX-RN. BLS put the RN median at $93,600 in May 2024 against $62,340 for LPN/LVNs. The PN licence funds the RN education instead of deferring income, and the NCLEX-RN uses the same computerized adaptive format with a different test plan.
$93,600 RN median (BLS, May 2024)
Prerequisites & Requirements
- Graduate from a practical or vocational nursing programme recognised by the nursing regulatory body where you seek licensure.
- Be declared eligible by that nursing regulatory body. NCSBN does not set eligibility requirements and does not maintain a list of them; each NRB publishes its own, and many add fingerprinting and a criminal background check.
- Complete two separate processes: apply for licensure or registration with the NRB, and register for the NCLEX with Pearson VUE. Both must be finished before an Authorization to Test is issued.
- Pay the $200 USD registration fee for U.S. licensure, or $360 CAD for Canadian registration, plus a $150 international scheduling fee if you test outside your domestic region.
- Receive and keep the Authorization to Test email. It carries an authorization number, a candidate identification number and an expiration date, and NCSBN states the average validity is 90 days with no extensions.
- There is no minimum age, no required work experience and no prerequisite certification set by NCSBN itself. Every eligibility condition comes from the state or provincial regulator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the NCLEX-PN cost?
Registration is $200 USD for candidates seeking U.S. licensure and $360 CAD for candidates seeking Canadian registration, excluding local taxes. Candidates seeking Australian licensure also pay $200 USD. An additional international scheduling fee of $150 applies when testing outside your domestic region, plus value added tax where applicable. Changing your nursing regulatory body after registration costs $50, and switching between the RN and PN exam after registration costs another $50. Licensure fees charged by the regulator itself are separate, and NCSBN directs candidates to contact their NRB for those.
Is the NCLEX fee going up?
Yes. NCSBN has announced that effective February 1, 2027 the NCLEX registration fee becomes $350 in the United States and Australia, and $570 CAD in Canada. The date of registration determines the fee, not the exam date, so any registration completed before February 1, 2027 is charged the current $200. NCSBN attributes the increase to 25 years without a change and to rising exam, data protection and cybersecurity costs. Other fees, including the international scheduling fee and the change fees, remain the same.
What happens if I fail the NCLEX-PN?
You receive a Candidate Performance Report and may retest after satisfying the waiting period. NCSBN's baseline policy allows retesting after 45 test-free days and up to eight attempts in a twelve-month period, but the nursing regulatory body where you seek licensure can impose stricter limits, and some states cap total attempts or require remediation first. Each retake requires a new registration, a new fee and a new Authorization to Test. NCSBN provides the performance report to failing candidates specifically to direct remediation, and does not provide equivalent feedback to candidates who pass.
How does the Candidate Performance Report work?
It reports your performance in each content area relative to the passing standard rather than as a score. A content area can be reported as above, near or below the passing standard, where near the passing standard means your ability estimate in that area was not clearly above or clearly below it. NCSBN describes the NCLEX as a screening tool and provides this detail only to failing candidates, on the reasoning that feedback to candidates who do not need remediation could be misused in employment decisions.
How is the NCLEX-PN scored?
Scoring uses a logit ability scale, not a percentage correct. After each answered item the computer re-estimates your ability, and the exam stops under one of three rules: the 95 percent confidence interval rule, the maximum-length rule at 150 items, or the run-out-of-time rule. Under the run-out-of-time rule, a candidate who has not answered the minimum 85 items fails automatically, while a candidate who has answered at least 85 is scored on the final ability estimate. Fifteen pretest items on every exam are excluded from scoring entirely.
What is the passing score for the NCLEX-PN?
The passing standard is an ability estimate of -0.18 logits. The NCSBN Board of Directors voted to uphold that standard for the NCLEX-PN through March 31, 2026, and it reevaluates the standard every three years or when the test plan changes. NCSBN's published answer still names -0.18 logits and that end date, and no successor value has been posted. A logit is a unit of measurement expressing the difference between a candidate's ability estimate and item difficulty. There is no percentage correct that guarantees a pass, and NCSBN states there is no fixed percentage of candidates who pass or fail.
How long do NCLEX-PN results take?
Official results come only from your nursing regulatory body, within six weeks of the exam appointment. Pearson and NCSBN do not release results, and no score is available at the test centre. Candidates whose NRB participates in the Quick Results Service, which applies only to candidates seeking U.S. licensure, can access unofficial results 48 hours after their exam date and time for a fee.
What identification do I need for the NCLEX-PN?
Identification must be valid and unexpired, and it must meet NCSBN's acceptable identification criteria. Since August 2, 2021 candidates have been turned away from the testing site if their acceptable identification is not valid, and being turned away means reregistering and paying another exam fee. Only the first and last names need to match the Authorization to Test; the address does not need to match. International test centres, including Puerto Rico, accept a narrower list of identification documents than domestic centres, and candidates holding identification from a country on the U.S. government's sanctioned list must follow additional requirements.
Can I take the NCLEX-PN online with remote proctoring?
No. The NCLEX is administered only at Pearson Professional Centers. Every candidate completes an in-person check-in that captures a signature, a photograph and a palm vein scan, and must complete a security scanning protocol before entering the testing room and again after each break. Candidates are monitored at all times and are subject to audio and video recording. Refusing the scan without a pre-approved exception from the nursing regulatory body means forfeiting the exam fee.
Am I allowed a calculator on the NCLEX-PN?
An on-screen calculator is provided, and handheld calculators are prohibited. The NCLEX Candidate Rules classify handheld calculators, conversion tables and dictionaries as prohibited aids, and using or attempting to access one is treated as irregular behaviour that can lead to dismissal and cancelled results. Pearson also supplies an erasable note board and marker for working out calculations.
Can I skip a question and come back to it?
No. The computer will not let you proceed without answering the current item, and once you confirm an answer and press Next you cannot return to it. NCSBN's guidance is to consider all response options and give your best answer rather than stalling. You may change a selected answer freely up until you press Next. There is no time limit on any individual item, only the overall five-hour limit.
How many breaks do I get and do they use up my time?
Breaks come out of the same five hours. NCSBN states plainly that the five-hour limit to complete the examination includes all breaks, and the NCLEX Candidate Bulletin states that the first optional break is offered after two hours of testing and the second after three and one-half hours. Every break also requires repeating the security scanning protocol before you re-enter the testing room, so budget for that overhead as well as the break itself.
Are accommodations available for the NCLEX-PN?
Yes, but they are arranged through your nursing regulatory body rather than through Pearson or NCSBN directly. Because each NRB sets its own eligibility process and NCSBN does not maintain a central list of requirements, requests for testing accommodations go to the NRB where you are seeking licensure, and approval must be in place before you register. NCSBN's exam day guidance also notes that provisions are made for religious and cultural dress, and that exceptions to the security scanning protocol require pre-approval by the NRB.
Does the NCLEX-PN licence expire and what is the renewal requirement?
The exam is a one-time hurdle, but the licence it supports is not permanent. Passing the NCLEX-PN never has to be repeated for the same jurisdiction; the LPN/VN licence issued afterwards is renewed on a cycle set by the state board of nursing, commonly every one to two years, with continuing education requirements that differ by state. NCSBN does not set renewal periods or continuing education hours, so check the requirements published by your own board of nursing rather than assuming a national standard.
How does the NCLEX-PN compare to the NCLEX-RN?
Both use computerized adaptive testing with a five-hour limit including breaks, but the exams differ in length, weighting and scope. The PN exam runs from 85 to 150 items; the RN exam has its own minimum and maximum published in the 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan. The PN plan weights Coordinated Care at 21 percent and frames the LPN/VN as contributing to the plan of care and assigning tasks, while the RN plan assumes broader assessment and care planning authority. NCSBN sets the two passing standards separately, and the PN readability ceiling is 1,200 Lexiles against 1,300 for the RN exam.
Do I have to test in the state where I want to be licensed?
No. NCSBN states that candidates may take the NCLEX at any Pearson Professional Testing location regardless of where they are applying for licensure or registration. What determines your fee is where you are seeking licensure, not where you live or test: a candidate resident in Canada but seeking U.S. licensure pays the U.S. fee. International locations offering the NCLEX include Australia, Brazil, France, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Turkiye and the United Kingdom, and testing there adds the $150 international scheduling fee.
Can I get a refund if I have to cancel?
No. NCSBN states there is no refund of registration fees for any reason, and no refund of the international scheduling fee for any reason. Failing to reschedule or cancel outside 24 business hours of the appointment forfeits the fee, as does failing to appear. Duplicate registrations are also non-refundable, and candidates cannot hold more than one active registration for the same exam. After a forfeited appointment you must be made eligible again by your NRB, receive a new Authorization to Test and pay a new fee.
Are medications on the NCLEX-PN given by brand name or generic name?
Generic names, on most occasions. NCSBN states the NCLEX will reflect the use of generic medication names in most cases because generic naming is more consistent than brand naming, and that some items refer to general classifications of medications instead. NCSBN does not publish a list of the medications that appear on the exam. Items containing a numeric laboratory value include the corresponding normal reference range, a change introduced with the Next Generation NCLEX launch on April 1, 2023.
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