Frequently Asked Questions

The NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) is a standardized exam that determines whether a candidate is prepared for entry-level nursing practice. It covers the four major categories of client needs: Safe and Effective Care Environment, Health Promotion and Maintenance, Psychosocial Integrity, and Physiological Integrity.

The Next Generation NCLEX introduces clinical judgment scenarios to better assess a candidate's ability to make safe nursing decisions. Question types include standalone items and unfolding case studies with formats like drag-and-drop, matrix multiple-choice, and enhanced hotspots.

CAT selects each question based on your response to the previous question. It estimates your ability dynamically, ensuring items aren't too easy or too hard. The exam ends when the system is 95% confident in your pass/fail result or after a maximum time/item limit.

There is no fixed percentage. The passing standard is a single theta score on an IRT-based scale. If your final ability estimate meets or exceeds the standard, you pass. NCSBN reevaluates the passing standard about every three years alongside its test-plan review, and may either adjust or uphold it.

Both exams are the same length under the 2026 Candidate Bulletin: NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN each range from 85 to 150 items (including 15 unscored pretest items), with a five-hour time limit. Some NGN items have more than one key and use partial-credit scoring, so a single item can contribute more than one scorable point.

If you haven't answered enough items, the exam ends. The pass/fail decision is based on all answered items: if your ability estimate is above the passing standard, you pass; if below, you fail. If your estimate is too close to call, additional rules are applied.