How Hard Is the NCLEX-RN? Pass Rates and What They Mean
According to NCSBN’s own published statistics, the first-time, U.S.-educated NCLEX-RN pass rate for calendar year 2025 was 86.7%, down from 91.2% in 2024 (NCSBN, 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics, published June 2026). That means roughly 1 in 7 first-time, U.S.-educated candidates did not pass on the first attempt in 2025. The picture looks different once repeat test takers and internationally educated candidates are included: across every NCLEX-RN exam administered for U.S. licensure in 2025, regardless of candidate type, the overall pass rate was 69.1%. Neither number describes any individual candidate’s odds, because the NCLEX-RN is a computerized adaptive test (CAT). There is no fixed percentage of items a candidate must answer correctly. The computer adjusts the difficulty of each new item to match the candidate’s demonstrated ability and stops once it is 95% confident that ability is above or below the passing standard. This guide breaks down what NCSBN’s published numbers actually say, how CAT difficulty adaptation works, and why “how hard is the NCLEX-RN” does not have one answer that applies to everyone.
What NCSBN’s Pass Rate Numbers Actually Say
NCSBN publishes NCLEX pass rates every year, broken out by candidate type. The most commonly quoted figure, the first-time, U.S.-educated pass rate, only covers candidates who are testing for the first time after graduating from a U.S. nursing program. It is the best-case group: motivated, freshly educated, and testing under standard conditions. The table below compares that figure to two other candidate types NCSBN also reports.
| Candidate Type | 2024 Pass Rate | 2025 Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|
| First-time, U.S.-educated | 91.2% | 86.7% |
| Repeat, U.S.-educated | 50.9% | 52.7% |
| All candidates (every type, every attempt) | 73.3% | 69.1% |
Two things stand out in NCSBN’s own data. First, the first-time, U.S.-educated pass rate dropped nearly five full points between 2024 and 2025. Second, repeat candidates (those retesting after a previous fail) pass at far lower rates than first-time candidates in both years, 50.9% versus 91.2% in 2024 and 52.7% versus 86.7% in 2025. That gap is a large part of why the “all candidates” figure sits well below the number most schools and prep sites quote. The NCLEX-RN passing standard itself, measured in logits on NCSBN’s ability scale, has stayed at 0.00 logits since April 2013 and was retained at each three-year review since, most recently in April 2026, so the year-over-year change in pass rate is not explained by NCSBN having moved the bar for passing.
How Computerized Adaptive Testing Makes Difficulty Personal
Every item on the NCLEX-RN is selected to be challenging for the specific candidate answering it: per the test plan, the computer picks items the candidate should find neither too easy nor too difficult, based on the candidate’s ability estimate at that moment. A candidate performing well is served harder items. A candidate struggling is served easier ones. After every response, the computer recalculates the ability estimate using every answer given so far, then picks the next item to match both that estimate and the content areas the test plan still needs to cover.
This is why the exam has no fixed passing percentage and why comparing “I got X questions right” between two candidates tells you nothing. Three scenarios determine the outcome. Most candidates fall under the 95% confidence rule: testing stops once the computer is 95% certain the candidate’s true ability sits clearly above or clearly below the passing standard. Candidates whose ability is close to the passing standard keep answering items until they reach the maximum of 150, at which point the final ability estimate alone decides the result. If a candidate runs out of time before either of those conditions is met, a separate rule applies: candidates who have not yet answered the minimum of 85 items automatically fail, while candidates who have answered at least 85 items are scored on their final ability estimate at the moment time expires.
Here is the style of prioritization question the exam leans on, at a routine difficulty level:
What This Means for Your Preparation
Because CAT adapts to ability in real time, the most reliable way to prepare is to be solidly competent across all eight Client Needs categories rather than trying to guess which topics will show up. A shorter exam is not a good sign and a longer exam is not a bad sign. Given how much lower the repeat-candidate pass rate is compared to the first-time rate, treating the first attempt as the one that counts, rather than planning to “see where you land” and retake if needed, is the more defensible strategy based on NCSBN’s own numbers.
Want to see where you stand before test day? Try our NCLEX-RN practice test to work through original questions across every content area, or start with a free NCLEX-RN practice test to check your baseline first.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current NCLEX-RN pass rate?
According to NCSBN’s 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics (published June 2026), the pass rate for first-time, U.S.-educated candidates in calendar year 2025 was 86.7%. The pass rate across all candidate types combined, including repeat test takers and internationally educated candidates, was 69.1%.
Does a shorter exam mean a candidate passed?
No. Exam length reflects how quickly the computer reached 95% confidence in a candidate’s ability level, not whether that ability was above or below the passing standard. Candidates pass and fail at both short and long exam lengths.
Is the NCLEX-RN passing score the same every year?
The passing standard is set in logits on NCSBN’s ability scale and is reevaluated by the NCSBN Board of Directors roughly every three years. It has remained at 0.00 logits since April 2013, retained at every review since, most recently in April 2026.
Do candidates retaking the NCLEX-RN pass at the same rate as first-time candidates?
No. NCSBN’s 2025 data show a 52.7% pass rate for repeat, U.S.-educated candidates, compared with 86.7% for first-time, U.S.-educated candidates.
Sources
- ncsbn.org, 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics (Research Brief Volume 96, June 2026)
- ncsbn.org, 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan, effective April 2026
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