How Hard Is the NCLEX-PN? 2025 Pass Rate, Length and Passing Standard
According to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), 86.6% of first-time, U.S.-educated candidates passed the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) in calendar year 2025: 47,470 of 54,818 candidates (NCSBN, 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics, published June 2026). Across every candidate type combined, the 2025 pass rate was 77.3% (53,362 of 68,996), and for repeat U.S.-educated candidates it was 41.7% (5,558 of 13,342). The exam is adaptive with 85 to 150 items and a five hour limit, and the passing standard is fixed at −0.18 logits as of October 2026, retained by NCSBN for the April 2026 through March 2029 test plan cycle. First-time U.S.-educated candidates answered an average of 100 items in an average of 2 hours 18 minutes. There is no fixed percentage of items you must answer correctly, so none of these numbers predicts any one candidate’s result. This guide anchors the difficulty question to what NCSBN publishes: pass rates by candidate type, how long exams run, and how the passing decision is made.
What NCSBN’s 2025 Pass Rates Say
NCSBN reports results by candidate type. The most quoted figure, first-time U.S.-educated, covers candidates testing for the first time after graduating from a U.S. program. It is the largest group, 54,818 of the 68,996 candidates tested in 2025, which is why the all-candidates figure sits closer to it than to the others. The bars below draw each 2025 pass rate to scale.
Two readings follow directly from the data. First, retesting is much harder than a first attempt: repeat U.S.-educated candidates passed at 41.7% against 86.6% for first-timers, a gap of 44.9 points. Second, the first-time rate moved within a narrow band across the four quarters of 2025, from a low of 83.5% in October through December to a high of 88.8% in July through September. NCSBN’s table of quarterly results also shows the first-time U.S.-educated pass rate at 86.3% for January through March and 86.5% for April through June, so no single quarter explains the year.
| 2025 first-time, U.S.-educated quarter | Tested | Passed | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| January–March | 13,290 | 11,466 | 86.3% |
| April–June | 11,770 | 10,177 | 86.5% |
| July–September | 18,281 | 16,239 | 88.8% |
| October–December | 11,477 | 9,588 | 83.5% |
| Calendar year 2025 | 54,818 | 47,470 | 86.6% |
Length and Time: What the Averages Show
The same NCSBN report publishes summary statistics for first-time U.S.-educated candidates. Among them, 64.6% took only the minimum number of items and 17.7% took the maximum of 150. Only 0.7% used the maximum amount of time. In plain terms, most candidates finished well inside the five hour window and long exams were the exception. NCSBN also reports an estimated decision consistency of 0.91, which it describes as the proportion of pass or fail decisions that would stay the same if the same group retested right away on a different set of items.
Do not read exam length as a verdict. The test plan states that length is not an indication of a pass or fail result, and a candidate may pass or fail at any length. The computer stops once it is 95% certain your ability is clearly above or below the passing standard. Candidates close to the standard keep going until they reach 150 items, when the final ability estimate alone decides.
Why There Is No Percent Correct to Aim For
Because the exam adapts, each item is picked to be challenging for the candidate answering it, neither too easy nor too hard. A strong run produces harder items and a weak run produces easier ones, so two candidates cannot compare raw counts of correct answers. The passing standard is set on a logit scale, which is an abstract measurement unit with no direct link to nursing content. For the NCLEX-PN it is −0.18 logits, retained by NCSBN for the April 2026 through March 2029 test plan cycle. NCSBN’s board reviews it every three years or when the test plan changes. The PN and RN standards are on different scales and are not directly comparable.
One structural fact does raise the effort: the format is not all single answer multiple choice. Under the 2026 test plan every exam includes 18 case study items in three sets of six, plus approximately 10% stand-alone clinical judgment items, and some items award partial credit. If you run out of time before answering 85 items, the exam is scored as a fail. With 15 of the first 85 items unscored pretest items that you cannot identify, every item deserves your full effort.
Here is a routine, easy to medium difficulty item from the Safety content area:
What This Means for Your Preparation
NCSBN’s numbers support a plain conclusion: most first-time, U.S.-educated candidates pass, and the group that struggles most is repeat candidates. That makes the first attempt the one worth preparing for fully, rather than planning to see where you land. Because the pass or fail line is a competence standard, not a curve, the goal is solid, balanced command of all eight content areas, practiced under timed conditions that feel like a long adaptive exam. Retakes also cost time and money: a candidate must wait at least 45 test-free days between attempts, and the registration fee, $200 as of October 2026, rises to $350 on February 1, 2027. For more, see what’s on the NCLEX-PN and NCLEX-RN vs NCLEX-PN.
Ready to test your baseline? Start practicing for the NCLEX-PN now with original questions across every content area, or try a free NCLEX-PN practice test to see the format before you commit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NCLEX-PN pass rate?
According to NCSBN’s 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics (published June 2026), 86.6% of first-time, U.S.-educated NCLEX-PN candidates passed in calendar year 2025. The pass rate across all candidate types combined was 77.3%.
How many questions do you need to get right to pass the NCLEX-PN?
There is no fixed number or percentage. The exam is adaptive and scored against a passing standard of −0.18 logits, and the computer ends the exam when it is 95% certain your ability is above or below that standard, anywhere from 85 to 150 items.
Does a shorter NCLEX-PN mean I passed?
No. NCSBN states that the length of a candidate’s exam is not an indication of a pass or fail result. Candidates can pass or fail at any length from 85 to 150 items.
Do repeat candidates pass the NCLEX-PN at the same rate?
No. NCSBN’s 2025 data show 41.7% for repeat U.S.-educated candidates, compared with 86.6% for first-time U.S.-educated candidates.
Sources
- ncsbn.org, 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics (Research Brief Volume 96, June 2026)
- ncsbn.org, 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics (PDF), Tables 12 and 13
- ncsbn.org, 2026 NCLEX-PN Test Plan, effective April 2026
- ncsbn.org, 2026 NCLEX Examination Candidate Bulletin (retake policy and fees)
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