A candidate to be licensed as an RN or PN (Sometimes referred to as LPN, VN or LVN) must take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX® examination). 

The NCLEX is required by every US State board of Nursing.

85% of the US State Boards of nursing require the CGFNS in order to be eligible to write the NCLEX. 

The maximum number of questions is 265 for the NCLEX-RN® examination and 185 for the NCLEX-PN® examination. 

The time limit for both the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN examination is 5 hours including all keyboard tutorials and rest breaks. 

Although the National Council of State Boards of Nursing develops and administers the NCLEX® examination, it is the responsibility of each state board of nursing to release results. It takes approximately three to four weeks for boards of nursing to process and mail results

Overview of the NCLEX® Examination Testing Process 

In order to take the NCLEX® examination, candidates must generally go through the following steps listed in chronological order: 

1. Apply to the board of nursing for a license following instructions from that board of nursing. 

2. Candidate gets an NCLEX® Examination Candidate Bulletin from the board of nursing or their educational program. 

3. Candidate submits a registration form to The Chauncey Group (the National Council's contracted testing service) or registers by phone. The Chauncey Group will acknowledge the candidate's registration by mail. 
Note: Candidates seeking licensure from Illinois and Massachusetts do not register directly with The Chauncey Group. Follow registration instructions provided by those boards of nursing. 

4. The board of nursing will communicate the candidate's eligibility to test to The Chauncey Group. 

5. The Chauncey Group will send the candidate an Authorization To Test (ATT) with a booklet called Scheduling and Taking your NCLEX® Examination and a list of test centers. 

6. The candidate will call a Sylvan test center and schedule an appointment to test. 

7. On the scheduled day, the candidate will take the test at a Sylvan Technology Center. 

8. Sylvan transmits the test results to The Chauncey Group. After verifying the accuracy of the results, The Chauncey Group transmits them to the designated board of nursing. 

9. The board of nursing sends results to the candidate.

Scheduling Your NCLEX® Examination

A candidate to be licensed as an RN or PN (Sometimes referred to as LPN, VN or LVN) must take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX® examination).

 In order to take the NCLEX® examination, candidates must generally go through the following steps listed in chronological order: 

1. Apply to the board of nursing for a license following instructions from that board of nursing.
 
2. Candidate gets an NCLEX® Examination Candidate Bulletin http://www.ncsbn.org/public/res/bulletin2001.pdf  from the board of nursing or their educational program. 

3. Candidate submits a registration form to The Chauncey Group (the National Council's contracted testing service) or registers by phone. The Chauncey Group will acknowledge the candidate's registration by mail.
Note: Candidates seeking licensure from Illinois and Massachusetts do not register directly with The Chauncey Group. Follow registration instructions provided by those boards of nursing. 

4. The board of nursing will communicate the candidate's eligibility to test to The Chauncey Group. 

5. The Chauncey Group will send the candidate an Authorization To Test (ATT) with a booklet called Scheduling and Taking your NCLEX® Examination and a list of test centers. A list is available via Prometric's web site at: http://www.2test.com/tcl/ZipCode.jsp?pts=996181746843
  
6. The candidate will call a Prometric test center and schedule an appointment to test. 

7. On the scheduled day, the candidate will take the test at a Prometric Technology Center. 

8. Prometric transmits the test results to The Chauncey Group. After verifying the accuracy of the results, The Chauncey Group transmits them to the designated board of nursing. 

9. The board of nursing sends results to the candidate. 

NCLEX - Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) Overview

Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) is a method for administering tests which uses current computer technology and measurement theory. The NCLEX® examination administered via CAT uses standard NCLEX® examination multiple-choice questions. With CAT, each candidate's test is unique: it is assembled interactively as the individual is tested. As the candidate answers each question, the computer calculates a competence estimate based on all earlier answers. 

The test questions, which are stored in a large item bank and classified by test plan area and level of difficulty, are then scanned and the one determined to measure the candidate most precisely in the appropriate test plan area is selected and presented on the computer screen. This process is repeated for each question, creating an examination tailored to the individual's knowledge and skills while fulfilling all NCLEX® test plan requirements. The examination continues in this way until a pass or fail decision is made. CAT provides greater measurement efficiency, as it administers only those questions which will offer the best measurement of the candidate's competence.

The way a CAT examination works is very similar to the way an educator might administer an oral examination. After a candidate's response to the first question asked, the educator assesses the candidate's competence level, then asks another question, based on this preliminary assessment. The candidate's answer to this second question provides the educator more information about the candidate's competence, and the educator's assessment is becoming more precise. 

This process continues, with the educator asking either easier or more difficult questions, based on the candidate's responses. This type of examination, like a CAT examination, is tailored to each individual candidate, and only those questions which will measure the candidate's competence the best are administered. During an oral examination, the educator makes an assessment of the candidate's competence, then chooses the appropriate level of difficulty for each question administered. In a CAT examination, this process is built into the computer system. 

NCLEX® examination decisions are not based solely on how many questions a candidate answers correctly, but also the difficulty of the questions a candidate answers correctly. CAT administers questions with difficulty levels so that each candidate will answer about half correctly; these questions provide the most information. Thus, all candidates answer about 50 percent correctly: passing candidates answer 50 percent of more difficult questions correctly, and failing candidates answer 50 percent of easier questions correctly. 

Even though candidates may answer different questions and different numbers of questions, the NCLEX® examination administered using CAT is fair to every candidate. All examinations conform to either the NCLEX-RN® or NCLEX-PN® Test Plan which controls inclusion of important nursing content, and all candidates have ample opportunity to demonstrate their true competence, as the examination won't end until stability of the pass/fail result is assured or time runs out. ff

How CAT Works A Candidate Primer 

The goal of computerized adaptive testing, or CAT, is to determine your competence, based on the difficulty of questions you can answer correctly, NOT how many questions you can answer correctly. This is a fundamentally different approach than is used on paper-and-pencil tests, where everyone receives the same questions. CAT examinations are individualized.
We know the exact difficulty of each of the approximately 3,000 questions in the NCLEX® examination item pool because each has been taken as a tryout question by thousands of candidates and then statistically analyzed. Picture the questions all lined up, from easiest to hardest.

 If we asked you the easiest questions, you'd get most of them right. If we asked you the hardest, you'd probably get most wrong. As we move from easy to hard, there will come a point where you go from getting more right to getting more wrong. This is the point where you are answering 50 percent correctly. Questions harder than that you would probably answer incorrectly (you'd get some right, but more wrong); questions easier than that, you would probably answer correctly. The goal of CAT is to find that point for you. That point is different for everyone. Nursing experts could probably answer at least one-half of the hardest questions we could ask. Whereas, we'd have to ask beginning nursing students the very easiest ones before they could answer even one-half correctly. You probably fall somewhere between those two points.

First, the computer asks a relatively easy question, and if you answer it correctly, it asks a somewhat harder question. As you continue answering correctly, the questions get harder and harder. When you start missing questions, they get easier until you start answering them right again, then they get a little harder. Each time you answer one correctly, the next is harder. Each time you answer one incorrectly, the next is easier. This process continues as it zigzags, narrowing in on the point where you answer 50 percent correctly, e.g., one right, then one wrong. That point represents your competence level. This is why everyone ends up correctly answering about 50 percent of the questions they are asked.

After you have answered the minimum number of questions, the computer compares your competence level to the passing standard and makes one of three decisions:
One, if you are clearly above the passing standard, you pass and the examination ends. 
Two, if you are clearly below the passing standard, then you fail and the examination ends. 
Three, if your competence level is close enough to the passing standard that it's still not clear whether you should pass or not, then the computer continues to ask you questions.
"Clearly" passing or failing is defined as when the "gray zone" around your competence level falls entirely above or below the passing standard. The gray zone is the region within which your competence level might vary if you answer more questions. The gray zone shrinks a little after each question because your competence level is based on more information.

After each question, your competence level and the gray zone are recomputed, adding your new response to all of your previous answers. When the gray zone is entirely on one side or the other of the passing standard, you've clearly passed or failed and the examination ends.
Of course, some people's competence level is very close to the passing standard. For some of these people, all 3,000 questions in the item pool still might not be enough to make it "clear" whether they should pass or fail. These are the people who take the maximum number of questions. At that point, the computer disregards the gray zone and simply looks at whether the final competence level, based on every question answered, is above or below passing. If you are above it, you pass. If not, you do not pass.

NCLEX® examination stopping and passing rules

A candidate's NCLEX® examination will end when the maximum number of questions* has been taken or when the time limit** is reached. In addition, testing will also stop when a candidate's pass or fail status has been determined with a high level of certainty.

The NCLEX® examination will end when: 

1. a candidate's measure of competence is known to be above or below the passing standard with at least 95 percent confidence (is significantly above or below the standard) and at least the minimum number of questions has been answered; or 

2. a candidate has taken the maximum number of questions; or 

3. a candidate has been testing for the maximum time. 

Candidates will pass the NCLEX® examination when: 

1. they answer at least the minimum number of questions, within the time allowed, and achieve a competence measure significantly above the passing standard; or 

2. they answer the maximum number of questions, within the time allowed, and achieve a final competence measure above the passing standard (even if not significantly above); or
 
3. they answer at least the minimum number of questions, but not the maximum, using all of the time allowed, and have a competence measure above the passing standard consistently for all of the last 60 questions. Not all of the last 60 items need to be answered correctly, but the competence estimate must remain above the passing standard after each of the last 60 items answered. 

Candidates will NOT pass the NCLEX® examination when: 

1. they answer at least the minimum number of questions, within the time allowed, and achieve a competence measure significantly below the passing standard; or 

2. they answer the maximum number of questions, within the time allowed, and achieve a final competence measure below the passing standard (even if not significantly below); or 

3. they answer at least the minimum number of questions, but not the maximum, using all of the time allowed, and have a competence measure that has not been above the passing standard for all of the last 60 questions; or 

4. they answer fewer than the minimum number of questions before the maximum time allowed elapses. 

After your NCLEX

DIAGNOSTIC PROFILE

The NCLEX® Candidate Diagnostic Profile is an individualized document sent to candidates who fail the NCLEX-RN® examination or NCLEX-PN® examination. 
The OVERALL PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT box on your Diagnostic Profile is designed to let you know how close you were to passing. It is the large box in the middle of the page. The vertical bar in the box represents the passing point and the 'X' marks your level of performance. If you were close to passing, your X will be close to the bar. The further your 'X' is from the bar, the further you were from passing.

Another indication of how close you were to passing is the number of questions you answered. There is a small box within the text of the paragraph directly above the Overall Performance Assessment. Within this box is the number of questions you answered. Only candidates whose performance was close to the passing standard, either just above or just below it, had to answer the maximum number of questions. For candidates whose performance was much higher or much lower than the passing standard, fewer items were required before a confident pass or fail decision could be made.

The reverse side of the Diagnostic Profile shows your relative performance in each of the NCLEX® Test Plan content areas. The assessments of how much improvement is needed in the Test Plan areas will range from "a very small amount of improvement" to "a very large amount of improvement". These descriptions can be used to determine in which areas of the Test Plan you have shown the greatest weakness and as a guide to prepare to retake the examination. You should not use these Test Plan performance assessments to determine your pass/fail status; they are only meant to be used as relative indications of your strengths and weaknesses. The NCLEX examination is not graded in sections; only overall performance on the entire examination determines a candidate's pass/fail status.
The content included in each of the Test Plan areas is also defined on the back of the Diagnostic Profile.

CANDIDATES WHO RAN OUT OF TIME ON THE NCLEX® EXAMINATION

If your examination ended because your five hours expired, the computer did not have sufficient evidence to make a clear pass or fail decision (or it would have already stopped administering questions). Candidates whose competence is either far above or far below the passing standard are identified quickly, and their examinations end after the minimum number of items have been administered. Candidates whose competence is closer to the passing standard (neither extremely high nor low) need to provide more information (by answering more questions) before a confident decision can be made. We have established a maximum number of items that provides as much information as was obtained from the paper-and-pencil NCLEX® examination. However, when you run out of time before taking the maximum number of questions, we do not have even that much information.
 
Because the primary mission of boards of nursing is to protect the public, it can be argued that candidates should fail whenever it's not clear if they should pass. However, when we looked at the response patterns of people who ran out of time during the field tests, we found some of them had been performing consistently above the passing level, and their true competence level appeared to be above passing, although close to it. The "last 60" rule provides a mechanism to permit these candidates to demonstrate acceptable competence and pass. 
Instead of just looking at how well you were doing at the very end of the examination, when you run out of time we require you to have been consistently above passing. 
When you run out of time, we know that you were not far enough above or below the passing standard for the test to have finished early, and we don't have as much information to use in calculating your competence level as we require for people whose performance is close to the passing standard. 

So, in addition to requiring that your final competence estimate was above passing, we also require that it had been consistently above the passing standard throughout the final portion of your examination. 
After each question, the computer recalculates your competence level, using your performance on all of the questions you have answered to that point. If each of the last 60 competence levels that were calculated were above the passing standard, then you will pass the examination, even though you ran out of time. This does NOT mean you need to answer all of the last 60 questions correctly. You just have to answer enough of them correctly so that your competence level stays above the passing standard. Therefore, if your performance has been consistently above passing, you will pass, despite having run out of time. 

For your future NCLEX® examination preparation refer to the Candidate Bulletin. This bulletin contains information regarding how computerized adaptive examinations are structured, and provides guidelines on how to approach the examination. In addition, keep up a steady pace when you take the NCLEX® examination again, averaging about one minute per item, on the assumption you will need to take the maximum number of questions.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q: I'm confused about the procedures for registering for the NCLEX® examination. How do I know if my registration has been received? How do I make an appointment? Who's The Chauncey Group?
A: The National Council's test service, The Chauncey Group, processes NCLEX® examination registrations. A candidate submits the registration form with the $120 fee to Chauncey. Registration forms are enclosed in the NCLEX® Examination Candidate Bulletin, which can be obtained from the state board of nursing where a candidate wishes to be licensed or from the candidate's nursing school. (Note: If applying for licensure in either Illinois or Massachusetts, candidates must register through those jurisdictions. For Illinois and Massachusetts candidates, the registration form and fee must not be sent to Chauncey. Candidates must contact the Illinois or Massachusetts board of nursing for instructions.) If the registration form is complete (the money order or cashier's check is for the correct amount and the registration has no missing information), a postcard is sent to the candidate verifying receipt of the registration. This postcard should be checked carefully to verify that the candidate's name is correct. 

It is best for candidates to always use the same form of their name on the NCLEX® examination registration form and licensure application to the board of nursing. The candidate's name on registration materials must exactly match the name on the picture identification that must be presented at the test center. If there is a name discrepancy, candidates need to contact The Chauncey Group at 800/551-1912.
At the same time a candidate submits the registration for the NCLEX® examination, he/she should also be submitting a licensure application to the board of nursing. Each board of nursing can inform candidates of their licensure application procedures.
Once a candidate has satisfactorily completed the board of nursing licensure application procedures, the board of nursing notifies The Chauncey Group that a candidate is "eligible" to take the examination. If the candidate's examination registration is also complete, The Chauncey Group will mail the Authorization to Test (ATT) to the candidate approximately two days after receipt of eligibility from the board of nursing. Included with the ATT is a booklet, Scheduling and Taking Your NCLEX® Examination, and a list of Sylvan Technology Center locations. Once a candidate receives an ATT, then he/she can make an appointment to test either by calling a local Sylvan Technology Center directly or through the national toll-free telephone number that is indicated at the bottom of the list of test centers.

Q: I don't think I'm going to be able to keep my appointment to test due to a medical emergency in my family. Can I cancel my appointment and not lose my registration fee?
A: Effective October 1, 1999, candidates can cancel an appointment for their NCLEX® examination two days prior to the date of the appointment. 

Q: I don't know how to work on a computer. Can I take the NCLEX® examination on paper?
A: No, a paper-and-pencil NCLEX® examination is not available. National Council's membership (i.e., all state and territorial boards of nursing) made the decision to administer the NCLEX® examination using computerized adaptive testing (CAT) in all states, effective April 1, 1994.
All legal and psychometric studies, as well as field tests of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) methodology, indicate that the NCLEX® examination as delivered via CAT is valid, reliable and fair. Studies have consistently shown that the NCLEX® examination using CAT provides comparable candidate performance to the paper-and-pencil NCLEX® examination.

Q: What kind of identification (ID) do I need to bring to the test center?
A: In addition to the ATT, candidates must have two forms of identification. Both pieces must be signed, current and non-expired, and one must bear a recent photograph of the candidate. The name on the identification that includes the photograph must be exactly the same as the name that appears on the ATT.
Candidates must bring at least one of the following types of acceptable primary and secondary identification to the test center in order to be admitted to test. Acceptable forms of primary identification (must include signature and photograph) are: valid driver's license with photo; valid employee identification (ID) card with photo; valid state identification (ID) card with photo; valid passport or recent school identification (ID) card with photo.
Secondary forms of identification must include the candidate's signature. Acceptable forms of secondary identification include the candidate's Social Security card, valid credit cards and non-expired bank automated teller machine cards. Military ID or Alien Registration cards are not considered valid forms of identification.
If a candidate cannot present acceptable identification, the candidate will be turned away from the center and will have to re-register and repay to take the examination at a later date.

Q: I've been married/divorced since I submitted my NCLEX® examination registration form. How do I get my name changed?
A: Candidates must always use the same form of their name on the NCLEX® examination registration form and licensure application to the board of nursing. However, if a name change occurs after submitting the NCLEX® examination registration form, and the candidate has been made eligible to take the examination by a board of nursing and received the ATT, the candidate must bring legal name change documentation to the test center on the day of the examination. The only acceptable forms of legal documentation are: marriage license, divorce decree, and/or court action legal name change documents.
Candidates must also contact their board of nursing to report a legal name change or to change an address.

Q: I've heard that candidates are randomly assigned a short or maximum length examination. Is this true?
A: No. The goal of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) is to determine competence based on the difficulty of questions the candidate can answer correctly, not on how many questions are answered correctly. This is a fundamentally different approach than is used on paper-and-pencil tests, where everyone receives the same questions. CAT examinations are individualized.
After answering the minimum number of questions, the computer compares the candidate's competence level to the passing standard and makes one of three decisions: 
If clearly above the passing standard, the candidate will pass and the examination ends. 
If clearly below the passing standard, the candidate will fail and the examination ends. 
If the competence level is close enough to the passing standard that it's still not clear whether the candidate should pass or not, then the computer continues to ask questions. 
It is part of the nature of the CAT methodology that different candidates receive a different number of questions. The number of questions a candidate receives is totally dependent on the candidate's own performance in the examination. Regardless of the length of the examination, all candidates have ample opportunity to demonstrate their true competence because the examination won't stop until stability of the pass/fail result is assured.

Q: Are the same questions used more than once during an examination?
A: No. There are several reasons why candidates may receive questions that appear to cover similar content areas. The candidate may have received tryout questions (i.e., questions imbedded in the examination that do not count) or questions in which the content was similar but the question covered a different area of the nursing process. All examinations conform to the NCLEX-PN® Test Plan or the NCLEX-RN® Test Plan, which control inclusion of important nursing content. All examinations, regardless of their length, have the required proportion of items from each area of the respective test plan.

Q: How long does it take to receive my examination result?
A: Although the National Council of State Boards of Nursing develops and administers the NCLEX® examination, it is the responsibility of each state board of nursing to release results. It takes approximately three to four weeks for boards of nursing to process and mail results. DO NOT CALL the board of nursing, The Chauncey Group or the National Council for results. Answering such calls delays processing of results, causing lengthier time frames before boards of nursing are able to mail results to candidates.

Q: I've heard that you can get your results over the phone. What number do I call to get my result?
A: The "Results-by-Phone" service is provided by National Council's Special Services Division in conjunction with the National Council's test service provider, The Chauncey Group. The service is currently available only to candidates who have applied for licensure in a participating state. If the candidate's board of nursing participates in this service, the candidate receives notification with the ATT along with information on the cost and the 900 number to call. Candidates need the first eight digits of the 13-digit authorization number from the ATT form. Candidates must wait three business days before calling the Results-by-Phone service.

Q: I've heard that you can get your results on the Web. Where can I find that Web site?
A: There is no central Web site where NCLEX® examination results are posted. However, some states maintain a Web site where a list of all licensed professionals for their state is posted. Candidates would need to contact the board of nursing where they applied for licensure to find out if their state has such a site.

Q: What is the passing grade for the NCLEX® examination?
A: The NCLEX® examination is not graded, and there is no "passing grade." The methodology of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) means that pass/fail decisions are based on the difficulty of the questions that candidates answer, not the percentage of correct answers.
For 1998, the overall passing rate (for U.S. and foreign-educated first-time testers and repeaters) for NCLEX-RN® examination candidates was 71.8 percent. For NCLEX-PN® examination candidates, the overall passing rate was 77.9 percent. The passing standards of both the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN examinations are reevaluated every three years for their effectiveness in producing entry-level nurses who exceeded established minimal competency.

Q: I don't understand my Diagnostic Profile. Can you explain what it is?
A: The Diagnostic Profile is meant to be a personalized study guide that can help candidates identify the content areas of the NCLEX® Test Plan needing the most improvement. The Overall Performance Assessment box on the front of the Diagnostic Profile is designed to let the candidate know how close they were to passing. It is the large box in the middle of the page. The vertical bar in the box represents the passing point and the 'X' marks the candidate's level of performance. If the candidate was close to passing, the 'X' will be close to the bar. The further the 'X' is from the bar, the further the candidate was from passing.

Another indication of how close the candidate was to passing is the number of questions answered. There is a small box within the text of the paragraph directly above the Overall Performance Assessment. Within this box is the number of questions answered. Only candidates whose performance was close to the passing standard, either just above or just below it, had to answer the maximum number of questions. For candidates whose performance was much higher or much lower than the passing standard, fewer items were required before a confident pass or fail decision could be made.
The reverse side of the Diagnostic Profile shows the candidate's relative performance in each of the NCLEX® Test Plan content areas. The assessments of how much improvement is needed in the test plan areas will range from "a very small amount of improvement" to "a very large amount of improvement." 

These descriptions can be used to determine in which areas of the test plan the candidate has shown the greatest weakness and as a guide to prepare to retake the examination. Candidates should not use the test plan performance assessments to determine pass/fail status; they are meant to be used only as relative indications of strengths and weaknesses.
The content included in each of the test plan areas is also defined on the back of the Diagnostic Profile. Even more explicit definitions can be found in the NCLEX® Test Plan, which can be purchased from the National Council's communications department.

Q: I failed the NCLEX® examination, but I don't want to wait 91 days to take it again. Why do I have to wait?
A: National Council's repeat policy states candidates must wait a minimum of 91 days between each examination. In addition, each board of nursing may establish their own retake policies with retakes permitted no more frequently than the policy established by the National Council. This is an important policy that allows the National Council to be certain all candidates receive a valid examination.

Q: I have taken the NCLEX® examination more than once and have not passed the examination. Do you recommend any review classes or courses?
A: The National Council does not recommend any NCLEX® examination review materials, review disks or review courses. However, independent publishers do market review materials that can be found in large bookstores and large public libraries. It is important to know that the NCLEX® examination questions themselves are highly proprietary and considered secure materials. Therefore, while various review materials on the market may offer sample questions in the NCLEX® examination style and on topics that NCLEX® examination questions may likely cover, keep in mind they are only sample questions.
National Council's Special Services Division has a review course available for RN candidates on the Web at http://www.nclex.com. For information, call 312/787-6555, Ext. 160.

Can You Provide Further Explanation of My Diagnostic Profile?
The OVERALL PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT box on your Diagnostic Profile is designed to let you know how close you were to passing. It is the large box in the middle of the page. The vertical bar in the box represents the passing point and the 'X' marks your level of performance. If you were close to passing, your X will be close to the bar. The further your 'X' is from the bar, the further you were from passing.
Another indication of how close you were to passing is the number of questions you answered. There is a small box within the text of the paragraph directly above the Overall Performance Assessment. Within this box is the number of questions you answered. Only candidates whose performance was close to the passing standard, either just above or just below it, had to answer the maximum number of questions. For candidates whose performance was much higher or much lower than the passing standard, fewer items were required before a confident pass or fail decision could be made.

The reverse side of the Diagnostic Profile shows your relative performance in each of the NCLEX® Test Plan content areas. The assessments of how much improvement is needed in the Test Plan areas will range from "a very small amount of improvement" to "a very large amount of improvement". These descriptions can be used to determine in which areas of the Test Plan you have shown the greatest weakness and as a guide to prepare to retake the examination. You should not use these Test Plan performance assessments to determine your pass/fail status; they are only meant to be used as relative indications of your strengths and weaknesses. The NCLEX examination is not graded in sections; only overall performance on the entire examination determines a candidate's pass/fail status.
The content included in each of the Test Plan areas is also defined on the back of the Diagnostic Profile. Even more explicit definitions can be found in the NCLEX® Test Plan, which can be ordered from the National Council's Communications Department at the telephone number indicated on the front of the Diagnostic Profile, or through the National Council Web site at http://www.ncsbn.org.

If the Candidate Ran Out of Time, Why Doesn't the Diagnostic Profile Show an Overall Performance Assessment Box?
Perhaps this question is best answered by explaining how the five-hour time limit relates to the pass/fail decision.
Candidates whose competence is either far above or far below the passing standard are identified quickly, and their examinations end after the minimum number of items has been administered. Candidates whose competence is closer to the passing standard (neither extremely high nor low) need to provide more information (by answering more questions) before a confident decision can be made. Therefore, if the examination ended because the five-hour time limit expired, the computer did not have sufficient evidence to make a clear pass or fail decision (or it would have already stopped administering questions).
The National Council has established the maximum number of items to provide as much information as was obtained from the paper-and-pencil NCLEX examination. However, when the candidate runs out of time before taking the maximum number of questions, the National Council does not have even that much information.
Because the primary mission of boards of nursing is to protect the public, it could be argued that candidates should fail whenever it's not clear that they should pass. However, when looking at the response patterns of people who ran out of time during the computerized adaptive testing field test research, the National Council found some of these candidates had been performing consistently above the passing level and their true competence level appeared to be above passing, although close to it. Thus, a mechanism is in place to permit these candidates to demonstrate acceptable competence and pass.
When a candidate runs out of time, the National Council knows that the candidate's performance was not far enough above or below the passing standard for the test to have finished early, and the National Council doesn't have as much information to use in calculating the competence level as required for people whose performance is close to the passing standard. So, in addition to requiring that the candidate's final competence estimate is above passing, the National Council also requires that the competence estimate be consistently above the passing standard throughout the final portion of the examination, a mechanism called the "last 60" rule.
After each question, the computer recalculates a candidate's competence level using the performance on all of the questions that have been answered to that point. If each of the last 60 competence levels that were calculated were above the passing standard, then the candidate will pass the examination. This does not mean the candidate needs to answer all of the last 60 questions correctly. The candidate just has to answer enough of them correctly so that the competence level stays above the passing standard. Therefore, if the candidate's performance has been consistently above passing, the candidate will pass, despite having run out of time.

Do New York and California Require a Higher Passing Standard for Nursing Licensure?
All states accept National Council's recommended passing standard for the NCLEX-RN® examination or NCLEX-PN® examination to be eligible for nursing licensure. California and New York do not require a different passing standard on the NCLEX-RN or the NCLEX-PN examinations for initial nurse licensure by examination.

Overview of the NCLEX® Examination Testing Process

Scheduling Your NCLEX® Examination

NCLEX - Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) Overview

How CAT Works A Candidate Primer
 
NCLEX® examination stopping and passing rules

The NCLEX® examination will end when…

Candidates will pass the NCLEX® examination when…

Candidates will NOT pass the NCLEX® examination when…

After your NCLEX 

   Diagnostic profiles
 
   Candidates who ran out of time
   on the NCLEX® EXAMINATION

Frequently asked questions