NCLEX-RN Test Guide

To work as a registered nurse in any state in the US, licensure is required. The NCLEX-RN is the national licensure exam that each state uses to determine who is qualified to work as a registered nurse, or RN. Over 6 million people have taken the NCLEX since 1994.

Every state has its own set of eligibility requirements that must be met before one is eligible for the NCLEX-RN, but generally a nursing candidate must have successfully completed an approved nursing education program that leads to either an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in nursing (ADN or BSN). RN candidates can find their state’s requirements on their home state’s board of nursing website. The National Council of the State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), the administrator of the NCLEX-RN, provides a database of each state’s nursing board’s contact information at https://www.ncsbn.org/.

The NCLEX-RN exam consists of 150 multiple choice questions, of which you must answer a minimum of 85 items and you are given five hours to complete the exam. You may answer a maximum of 150 questions during the allotted time. Only 135 questions on the test will be scored. The other 15 are used for statistical data and trials for future tests. The exam is administered in a computer-adaptive format, which means that each question is chosen based on the answer given to the previous question. The test continues until a pass or fail determination can be made. The computerized exam may include questions that are multiple-choice, fill in the blank, or drag and drop.

Of the minimum-length examination, 52 questions will come from these eight content areas:

• Physiological Adaptation (14%)
• Management of Care (18%)
• Safety and Infection Control (13%)
• Health Promotion and Maintenance (9%)
• Reduction of Risk Potential (12%)
• Pharmacological and Parental Therapies (16%)
• Basic Care and Comfort (9%)
• Psychological Integrity (9%)

There will be three clinical judgment case studies. Case studies will consist of six items that measure each of the six domains of the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model (NCJMM): recognizing cues, analyzing cues, prioritizing hypotheses, generating solutions, taking action and evaluating outcomes. They will be counted independently of the content-area-specific items.

To register for the NCLEX-RN, candidates must contact their state board of nursing to request an application for licensure. This application will determine if one is qualified to test for nursing licensure.

Additionally, all nursing candidates must register to test through Pearson VUE, the national testing vendor for the NCLEX-RN. Candidates can register online at pearsonvue.com, by phone or through the mail using a registration form from their board of nursing. The $200 exam fee must be paid during registration.

Once a candidate has been approved to test by both the state board of nursing and PearsonVUE, they will receive an Authorization to Test form in the mail. This document will include instructions on how to schedule the test, and it is also required for admission to the test center on test day. Tests can be scheduled any day of the week, year round. PearsonVUE has test centers in every US state and territory.

Test results will be made available by each state’s board of nursing approximately one month following the test date. Some states participate in the Quick Result Service and may make unofficial score reports available 48 hours after the test.

Test takers who do not pass the NCLEX-RN must wait 45 or 90 days to retest, depending on the rules of their state board of nursing. To retake the test, one must contact their state board of nursing and determine what paperwork is required, and then reregister with PearsonVUE and pay the $200 test fee again.

For more on the NCLEX-RN and to find materials to help you study, check out our NCLEX-RN Test Directory.

Sources: National Council of the State Boards of Nursing; PearsonVUE