The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) is an exam used to determine if recently graduated nursing students are safe to practice.
Aspiring nurses are required to pass the NCLEX-RN to earn licensure and legally practice nursing in the United States.
There are 2 NCLEX tests: the NCLEX-RN for registered nurses and the NCLEX-PN for licensed practical nurses/licensed vocational nurses.
Both the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN test critical thinking skills using information students learned in nursing school.
The goal of the NCLEX is to ensure that graduates can make quality nursing judgments and provide safe patient care.
If you're preparing to take the NCLEX, or will need to at some point, keep reading for everything you need to know about this important exam including what's on it, how to pass, what happens if you don't pass, and more.
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NCLEX-RN candidates must have graduated from an accredited ADN or BSN program, and NCLEX-PN candidates must have graduated from an accredited LVN program.
To be eligible to take an NCLEX-RN exam, candidates must have graduated from a program accredited by one of the following two bodies:
Accreditation is also essential if you decide to go back to school to advance your nursing education later. Acceptance into a higher-level nursing program requires a degree or certificate from an accredited program.
There is a two-step process to register for the NCLEX:
You may register online or over the phone (although it is much quicker to do so online).
There is a 365-day time limit for your NCLEX registration. If the NRB denies you eligibility, you forfeit your exam fee and NCLEX registration. However, you can re-register again at a later date.
On April 1st, 2023, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) launched the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN).
The NGN is the latest version of the NCLEX exam, designed to measure the competencies required of entry-level nurses in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape.
With new ways to ask questions and a more comprehensive assessment framework, the NGN aims to provide a more accurate representation of a candidate's ability to make complex decisions while caring for patients.
The NCBSN puts out test plans that nurses preparing to take the NCLEX can review to get more detailed information about content areas they need to know about.
The NGN exam uses a new framework called the Clinical Judgment Model (CJM) to evaluate a nursing candidate's ability to make sound clinical judgments and decisions in patient care.
The CJM has several layers, and they all interact with the others:
These components are designed to evaluate the test taker's ability to recognize contextual factors, analyze patient data, prioritize patient needs, and exhibit professional behavior.
The NGN also has some new question formats. Test takers should be prepared for a variety of types of test questions, including:
Learning how to answer Next Gen NCLEX questions can help you manage your time while taking the exam. Understand how to answer NCLEX drop-down questions, NCLEX highlight questions, and other question formats ahead of your test date.
The NGN utilizes different scoring techniques and question-asking methods; however, the subject areas are very similar to the prior version of the NLCEX.
The NGN test plan is structured around four primary “client needs” categories.
Here are the NCLEX subject categories with the percentages of each to expect on the exam:
Exam takers have up to five hours to complete NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN. However, candidates may complete the test in a shorter time frame depending on how quickly they answer questions and how many correct or incorrect answers they have.
The new NGN It is essential to take your time to answer as accurately as you can because once you submit an answer, you cannot go back and change it.
The NGN exam still uses Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT), which means that for every answer you give, the computer estimates your ability based on:
The CAT then determines what our next question should be. The goal is to give you a 50% chance of answering correctly. The CAT aims to get as much information about your nursing level as possible. As you answer more questions, the program can estimate your nursing ability more accurately.
It is a good idea to start preparing for the NCLEX during your nursing program. Here are a few tips for success:
For the top NCLEX tips from real nurses, check out 11 Tips to Pass the NCLEX the First Time! If you’re looking for more help studying for the NCLEX, take a look at our Top NCLEX Review Courses article.
Want to pass the NCLEX exam on the first try?
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New members receive 30% off first three months (discount automatically applied at checkout)
Study.com is an online education platform that helps learners excel academically and build knowledge and confidence. From test prep and homework help to earning affordable college credit, Study.com's online courses, short, animated video lessons and study tools have made learning simple for over 30 million learners and educators.
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If you are seeking to take the Next Gen NCLEX soon, congratulations on nearing the start of a fantastic nursing career!
The NGN has three different types of scoring models that are applied to candidate responses:
The NCLEX CAT program determines if you passed or failed based on the following rules:
This rule is the most common. The computer stops giving a candidate questions after it determines with 95% certainty that you have a safe and competent level of knowledge. In this scenario, you have answered enough questions correctly and clearly above a passing nursing knowledge level.
At this point, the computer disregards the 95% Confidence Rule. When you are close but not exceeding the passing standard, the computer continues asking more questions and determines whether you pass or fail based on the final ability estimate. If the candidate’s final ability meets or is below the passing standard, they do not pass.
This happens when a candidate runs out of time before the program can decide whether the candidate passed or failed with 95% certainty. Without answering the minimum number of questions needed, the candidate will have a failing exam.
The NCSBN reports that the 2022 NCLEX pass rates for first-time U.S.-educated nursing students are the following:
Students can get their “unofficial results” and see if they passed the exam within two business days if their NRB uses the Quick Results Service.
However, candidates must wait until they receive their final results before they can begin practicing.
Official results are given through your NRB and take approximately six weeks to be delivered by mail.
If you don’t pass the NCLEX, you will get an NCLEX Candidate Performance Report (CPR).
This report will give you more information about how you performed and what you need to work on to pass the exam later.
If you don’t pass the NCLEX on the first try, don’t fret. You can retake the exam within 45 days from your first test date. Graduates must pass the NCLEX within three years of graduation.
To retake the NCLEX, take the following steps or check out our article on what to do if you did fail the NCLEX:
