6 Things to Know About the NCLEX Examination

To practice as a registered nurse, you must first pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). This all-important exam tests the knowledge and skills of recent nursing school grads to ensure they’re ready to earn their nursing license — and take care of patients in the real world.

After graduation, the NCLEX assesses what you learned in nursing school — the knowledge base essential to providing optimal patient care.

Whether your test date is on the horizon or still years away, this guide details six key facts you should know as you prepare for the NCLEX exam.

The NCLEX offers two testing tracks. The NCLEX-RN is designed for registered nurse (RN) candidates, and the NCLEX-PN is for licensed practical nurse (LPN) or licensed vocational nurse (LVN) candidates. The two versions are similar in many ways but have some important differences.

The NCLEX-RN exam has physical science questions and emphasizes assessment and management of care. The exam is designed for graduates of registered nursing programs with a broader scope of practice than basic patient care.

The NCLEX-PN exam focuses more on care coordination and data collection. It is intended for graduates of practical or vocational nursing programs.

The NCLEX is organized into four broad categories: Safe and Effective Care Environment, Health Promotion and Maintenance, Psychosocial Integrity, and Physiological Integrity.

The Safe and Effective Care Environment and Physiological Integrity category is broken down further into subcategories. This is one area where the RN and PN exams differ. This section on the NCLEX-RN version contains questions assessing ethical and legal knowledge and more complex scenarios.

Additionally, the NCLEX-RN adds parenteral therapies to the pharmacological therapies section on the NCLEX-PN, addressing central venous access devices, IV therapy, total parenteral nutrition, and blood transfusion.

The Next Gen NCLEX (NGN) edition was launched in April 2023. This enhanced version has a maximum time limit of five hours and contains between 85-150 questions.

The variation in the number of questions is based on the NGN’s ability to adjust the number and difficulty of questions in real time based on your performance. The total also includes 15 unscored pretest questions sprinkled throughout the exam used for planning future exams.

While the NCLEX mainly consists of multiple-choice questions, there are alternate formats for item responses. Types of questions include:

Use our NCLEX study guide to master all the question formats.

Instead of a percentage-based grade, the NCLEX uses a pass-fail system. The exam uses a scoring algorithm to customize your test-taking experience and questions are based on your answers to previous questions.

A correct answer is followed by a more difficult question, while an incorrect answer is followed by a question that is less challenging. This method allows the computer to become increasingly more precise in assessing your knowledge.

The computer will adapt your exam — and decide whether you’ve passed or failed — using one of three rules:

To register for the NCLEX, you must first apply for a nursing credential from your state licensing board. Since each state has its distinct nursing licensure requirements, check with your state board of nursing for details before applying.

While state-specific mandates exist, graduating from a board-approved and accredited nursing program is a nationwide requirement.

To sit for the NCLEX-RN you must have either a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) or an associate degree in nursing (ADN). LPN and LVN candidates must graduate from an approved certificate or diploma program to take the NCLEX-PN.

There are several important steps in the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN registration process.

Please note that the Pearson VUE testing site will not have access to your scores. Official results can only be obtained through your nursing board.