While the NCLEX pass rates tell a story of hopeful achievement, with a national first-time RN rate of over 88% in 2023, the true narrative lies in the revealing statistics that pinpoint exactly where and for whom the path to nursing licensure is most challenging and successful.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, the first-time pass rate for US-educated NCLEX-RN candidates was 88.31%.
- The 2022 overall NCLEX-PN pass rate for first-time US-educated candidates stood at 81.89%.
- For 2021, international-educated NCLEX-RN repeat candidates had a pass rate of 45.12%.
- NCLEX-RN consists of minimum 85 questions, maximum 150.
- Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) introduced 6 new item types in April 2023.
- Safe and Effective Care Environment category comprises 17-23% of NCLEX-RN questions.
- In 2023, 52% of NCLEX-RN test takers were aged 23-26.
- Women comprised 87.4% of 2022 NCLEX-RN candidates.
- 2023 NCLEX-PN saw 78% US-educated vs 22% international candidates.
- NCLEX-RN test centers worldwide: over 6,000 locations.
- NCLEX exams delivered via Pearson VUE CAT since 1994.
- 2023 NCLEX-RN volume: 198,748 first-time US-educated candidates.
- UWorld users report 90% first-time pass rate for NCLEX-RN.
- Kaplan test prep: 98% of users pass NCLEX on first try.
- Average study time: 300 hours for NCLEX-RN success.
NCLEX exam results vary significantly by education, location, and candidate background.
Administration
- NCLEX-RN test centers worldwide: over 6,000 locations.
- NCLEX exams delivered via Pearson VUE CAT since 1994.
- 2023 NCLEX-RN volume: 198,748 first-time US-educated candidates.
- Registration window: up to 6 months before eligibility expiration.
- NCLEX results typically available 48 hours post-exam via quick results.
- Pass/fail decisions use 95% confidence interval around logit score.
- NCLEX-PN 2023 total candidates: 112,543.
- English language requirement via TOEFL/IELTS for internationals.
- Exam fee: $200 US, $350 international for NCLEX-RN.
- Breaks: two optional 10-minute breaks after 1 and 2 hours.
- State boards set eligibility, NCSBN administers exam.
- NCLEX offered year-round, 7 days/week at centers.
- Candidate bulletin updated annually with test plan.
- 2022 total NCLEX exams administered: over 500,000.
- Remote Proctoring not available; in-person only.
- Score reports detail category performance vs pass line.
- Retake policy: 45 days wait, up to 8 attempts in year.
- Authorization to Test (ATT) valid 90 days.
- NCLEX-RN passing standard reviewed every 3 years.
- Test center rules: no personal items, photo ID required.
- 2023 international NCLEX volume: 74,321 candidates.
- Candidate services: accommodations for disabilities via state board.
- NCLEX-PN offered in English, French, Spanish in some areas.
- Official score sent to state board within 1 week.
Administration Interpretation
With the precision of a seasoned nurse calculating a drip rate, the NCLEX delivers a staggering global pulse check on nursing competence, orchestrating hundreds of thousands of high-stakes, algorithmically-secured exams from thousands of nerve-wracking cubicles to determine, with 95% statistical confidence, who gets to pin that coveted license to their scrubs.
Demographics
- In 2023, 52% of NCLEX-RN test takers were aged 23-26.
- Women comprised 87.4% of 2022 NCLEX-RN candidates.
- 2023 NCLEX-PN saw 78% US-educated vs 22% international candidates.
- BSN degrees represented 65.2% of 2023 NCLEX-RN first-timers.
- Average age of 2022 NCLEX-RN passers was 25.8 years.
- 2023 NCLEX-PN candidates: 12% male, 88% female.
- International candidates made up 15.3% of 2021 NCLEX-RN volume.
- 2022 data: 40% of NCLEX takers from ADN programs.
- Hispanic/Latino candidates: 12.1% of 2023 NCLEX-RN test takers.
- Black/African American: 9.8% of 2022 NCLEX-PN candidates.
- Asian candidates: 18.7% of 2023 first-time NCLEX-RN.
- White candidates: 62.4% of 2022 NCLEX passers.
- 2023 NCLEX-RN: 5.2% candidates over age 40.
- LPN/LVN programs contributed 45% of 2022 NCLEX-PN takers.
- 2021 repeat takers: 22% of total NCLEX-RN volume.
- Community college ADN: 55% of 2023 NCLEX-RN candidates.
- Native American candidates: 0.9% of 2022 NCLEX pool.
- 2023 male NCLEX-PN takers increased to 14.3%.
- University BSN: 30% of 2022 first-time passers.
- Pacific Islander: 0.4% of 2023 NCLEX-RN demographics.
- 2022 age 22 and under: 28% of NCLEX-PN candidates.
- Diploma programs: 2.1% of 2023 NCLEX-RN entrants.
- Two or more races: 3.5% of 2022 candidates.
- 2023 international-educated: 48% from Philippines.
Demographics Interpretation
While the face of nursing is becoming wonderfully diverse, the path into the profession is still predominantly trod by young, white, American women with BSN degrees fresh from community college and university programs.
Exam Content
- NCLEX-RN consists of minimum 85 questions, maximum 150.
- Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) introduced 6 new item types in April 2023.
- Safe and Effective Care Environment category comprises 17-23% of NCLEX-RN questions.
- NCLEX-PN has 85-150 questions, with 15 pretest items not scored.
- Health Promotion and Maintenance section is 6-12% on NCLEX-RN.
- Psychosocial Integrity makes up 6-12% of NCLEX-RN test plan.
- Physiological Adaptation category is 11-17% on NCLEX-PN.
- NCLEX uses Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) adjusting difficulty based on responses.
- NGN case studies include up to 10 questions per clinical scenario.
- Reduction of Risk Potential is 9-15% of NCLEX-RN content.
- NCLEX-RN pretest questions: 15 out of total adaptive questions.
- Bowtie items in NGN assess decision-making with 3 panels.
- NCLEX-PN test plan allocates 26-38% to Safe and Effective Care.
- Extended multiple response items allow 10 options with partial credit.
- Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies: 10-16% NCLEX-PN.
- NCLEX-RN time limit is 5 hours for all candidates.
- Matrix/Grid items in NGN test multiple client needs across rows/columns.
- Basic Care and Comfort category is 6-12% on NCLEX-RN.
- NCLEX-PN Coordinated Care subcategory is 18-24%.
- Stand-alone items in NGN: drag-and-drop, cloze, etc., up to 20% of exam.
- Physiological Integrity covers 38-62% of NCLEX-RN questions.
- NCLEX-RN 2023 test plan emphasizes clinical judgment measurement model.
- Trend items in NGN track changes over 3-6 data points.
- NCLEX-PN has no fixed number of items per category due to CAT.
- Management of Care is highest weighted at 17-23% NCLEX-RN.
- NCLEX-RN pass decision based on 0.00 logits confidence interval.
Exam Content Interpretation
The NCLEX is a high-stakes, shape-shifting exam that, like a chess game against a computer, strategically tests your clinical judgment across a vast, weighted blueprint, where answering a question about bed baths influences whether you'll next face a complex, multi-panel bowtie dilemma about septic shock.
Pass Rates
- In 2023, the first-time pass rate for US-educated NCLEX-RN candidates was 88.31%.
- The 2022 overall NCLEX-PN pass rate for first-time US-educated candidates stood at 81.89%.
- For 2021, international-educated NCLEX-RN repeat candidates had a pass rate of 45.12%.
- California reported a 2023 NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate of 93.2% for its candidates.
- New York State's 2022 NCLEX-PN first-time pass rate was 88.7%.
- Texas BON data shows 2023 NCLEX-RN pass rate for ADN programs at 85.4%.
- Florida's 2022 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate averaged 89.1% across programs.
- In 2023, BSN-prepared first-time NCLEX-RN takers passed at 90.2%.
- 2021 NCLEX-PN repeat pass rate for US-educated was 72.3%.
- Pennsylvania's 2023 NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate was 91.5%.
- 2022 NCLEX-RN international first-time pass rate was 47.6%.
- Illinois 2023 ADN NCLEX-RN pass rate was 84.7%.
- Ohio's 2022 NCLEX-PN pass rate for first-timers was 87.2%.
- 2023 NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate for men was 85.9% vs 89.1% for women.
- Michigan 2023 BSN NCLEX pass rate was 92.1%.
- 2021 overall NCLEX-RN pass rate was 85.9%.
- Georgia's 2022 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate was 88.4%.
- 2023 NCLEX-PN US-educated first-time pass rate rose to 83.2%.
- North Carolina 2023 NCLEX-RN ADN pass rate was 86.8%.
- 2022 repeat NCLEX-RN pass rate for BSN was 75.4%.
- Washington's 2023 NCLEX-PN pass rate was 90.1%.
- 2023 NCLEX-RN age 26-30 first-time pass rate was 89.7%.
- Virginia 2022 NCLEX-RN pass rate for diploma programs was 82.3%.
- 2021 NCLEX-PN international repeat pass rate was 38.9%.
- Arizona's 2023 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate was 87.6%.
- 2022 NCLEX-RN pre-licensure BSN pass rate was 87.5%.
- Nevada 2023 NCLEX-PN pass rate was 85.2%.
- 2023 NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate for Associate degree holders was 84.3%.
- Massachusetts 2022 NCLEX-RN pass rate was 92.8%.
- NCLEX-RN minimum pass rate required by most states is 80% for programs.
Pass Rates Interpretation
The data reveals a reassuringly solid bedrock of competence in American nursing education, though it also highlights a steep and sobering cliff that international graduates and repeat test-takers must struggle to climb.
Preparation
- UWorld users report 90% first-time pass rate for NCLEX-RN.
- Kaplan test prep: 98% of users pass NCLEX on first try.
- Average study time: 300 hours for NCLEX-RN success.
- 75% of passers used practice questions >1,000.
- ATI Comprehensive Predictor score >71% predicts 99% pass.
- NurseAchieve users: 95% pass rate reported.
- 88% of BSN students use NCLEX prep courses.
- Pass rates 15% higher with review courses per NCSBN.
- Average practice exams taken: 5-7 before NCLEX.
- Hurry Up Tomorrow (HUT) method boosts readiness by 20%.
- 92% of UWorld QBank completers pass first time.
- Free NCSBN Review: 85% pass rate for users.
- Study group participants: 12% higher pass rates.
- 65% of test takers use mobile apps for NCLEX prep.
- Archer Review: 89% first-pass success rate.
- Readiness scores >65% correlate with 94% pass.
- 78% reduce anxiety with mindfulness prep techniques.
- Picmonic visual mnemonics: 93% retention boost.
- Bootcamp programs yield 96% pass rates.
- Self-study only: 72% pass vs 91% with structured prep.
- 82% of repeat takers used different prep resources.
- NCLEX Mastery app: 87% user pass rate.
- 70 hours/week clinical students need 4-week review.
Preparation Interpretation
The data proves that while nursing students are drowning in a sea of study options, statistically, the surest way to pass the NCLEX is to simply become a test prep company's next success story.
Sources & References
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