NCLEX-RN Pass Rate, Format & Study Guide

The NCLEX-RN is the national licensing exam for registered nurses in the United States. It is a computerized adaptive test of 85 to 150 items taken within five hours, built by NCSBN from the 2026 RN Test Plan and scored pass/fail. Passing it is the final examination step before a state board of nursing issues your RN license.

Every graduate of a U.S. registered-nursing program must pass the NCLEX-RN to be licensed, and nursing employers hire only licensed RNs. Because the exam measures clinical judgment rather than recall alone, it rewards candidates who can reason through client scenarios across the eight client-needs categories.

Nursing students and recent graduates preparing for first-time licensure, internationally educated nurses seeking U.S. licensure, and repeat test takers. Eligibility and the Authorization to Test are handled by your state or territory board of nursing.

NCSBN's 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics report that 192,916 first-time, U.S.-educated candidates tested for U.S. licensure with the NCLEX-RN in 2025 and 167,272 passed, a pass rate of 86.7%. By program type the rates were 87.6% for associate-degree graduates in the table's totals, 86.1% for baccalaureate graduates and 83.3% for diploma graduates; pass rates also varied by quarter and by state.

If you do not pass, you may retake the NCLEX-RN after a waiting period set by NCSBN and your state board, and you pay the registration fee again. The 2025 Candidate Bulletin and your board of nursing give the current waiting period and the maximum number of attempts per year; check both before you re-register.

The NCLEX-RN is scored pass/fail using computerized adaptive testing. You receive between 85 and 150 items and have five hours in total. The test ends when the computer is confident, with 95% certainty, that your ability is above or below the passing standard, or when you reach the maximum number of items or the time limit. Items include multiple-choice, multiple-response, fill-in-the-blank, ordered-response, hot-spot and case-study formats.

The exam adapts to your performance: each item is chosen based on your previous answers, you receive 85 to 150 items, and the time limit is five hours regardless of the number of items. The test ends when the computer is 95% certain of your result or when you reach the item or time limit. The result is pass or fail.

• Management of Care18%
• Safety and Infection Prevention and Control13%
• Health Promotion and Maintenance9%
• Psychosocial Integrity9%
• Basic Care and Comfort9%
• Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies16%
• Reduction of Risk Potential12%
• Physiological Adaptation14%

The 2026 RN Test Plan weights: Management of Care 18%, Safety and Infection Prevention and Control 13%, Health Promotion and Maintenance 9%, Psychosocial Integrity 9%, Basic Care and Comfort 9%, Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies 16%, Reduction of Risk Potential 12%, Physiological Adaptation 14%. Use the portal's topic breakdown to see which categories you miss most.

You apply to a state or territory board of nursing, which determines whether you meet its education and other requirements and, if so, declares you eligible. You then register with Pearson VUE, pay the NCLEX fee and receive an Authorization to Test with a validity window in which you must test. Requirements and timelines differ by jurisdiction.

The NCLEX registration fee for U.S. licensure is US$200, paid when you register. NCSBN has announced that it will be US$350 in the United States and Australia from February 1, 2027. Your board of nursing charges its own application and licensing fees, and you may pay separately for fingerprinting or background checks.

After you pass, you hold an RN license issued by your state board. Licenses must be renewed on the board's cycle, usually with continuing-education or practice requirements that vary by state and by the Nurse Licensure Compact.

Management of Care (18%) and Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies (16%) are the two largest categories, followed by Physiological Adaptation (14%) and Safety and Infection Prevention and Control (13%), so build your first weeks around those four, which together make up 61% of the test plan. Then cover Reduction of Risk Potential (12%) and the three 9% categories. Because the exam is adaptive and heavy on clinical judgment, practise answering mixed sets under timed conditions in the final weeks.

NCSBN revises the RN Test Plan on a three-year cycle and announces fee changes ahead of time; this guide follows the 2026 RN Test Plan and the fees published in October 2026. Check nclex.com for the current test plan, candidate bulletin and fees before you register.