The NCLEX is the licensure exam you sit after nursing school to practice in the United States, and it is written and scored by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. There are two versions. Registered nurses take the NCLEX-RN, and practical and vocational nurses take the NCLEX-PN.
It is a computerized adaptive test, so the questions adjust to how you are answering rather than following a fixed script, and the exam can end at different lengths for different people. Since 2023 it also carries the Next Generation question types, which ask you to work through a case rather than pick one answer from four.
Everything we have written about it sits below, grouped by what you are trying to work out. If you are early on, exam information and format are the place to start. If your date is booked, go to the study plans.
Start here
- Exam information. What the exam is, who can sit it, what it costs and how to register
- Exam format. How the adaptive test behaves, question types and the pop-up questions
- Preparation. How to study, how long for, and which resources earn their price
- Study plans. Ready-made schedules from 1 week to 3 months
- Results and passing. Passing standards, how long results take and what happens after a fail
- NCLEX-RN. Everything specific to the NCLEX-RN
- NCLEX-PN. Everything specific to the NCLEX-PN
- Next Generation NCLEX. The Next Generation question types introduced in 2023
- Free cheat sheets. Free NCLEX cheat sheets you can download
The most-read NCLEX guides
- 8 Preparation Tips for Retaking the NCLEX
- How to Create an NCLEX Study Calendar That Actually Works
- The No-Nonsense Guide: How to Answer NCLEX Questions Like a Pro (and Actually Pass!)
- What No One Tells You About NCLEX Test Day: Secrets to Stay Calm and Crush It
- How Long to Study for the NCLEX: The Surprisingly Simple Study Plan That Actually Works
- NCLEX-RN Content Outline: A Comprehensive Guide
- NCLEX-PN Content Outline: A Comprehensive Guide
- What is the New NCLEX Format? A Complete Guide
The official registration and eligibility rules live with NCSBN and with your own state board of nursing, and those are the pages to trust when a detail on a forum contradicts them.