What is the NCLEX pass rate?

What is the NCLEX-RN pass rate in 2026?

So far in 2026, 87.0% of first-time, US-educated candidates have passed the NCLEX-RN, according to NCSBN’s pass rate dashboard (last updated October 10, 2026). That year-to-date figure runs from January through early October, so it will shift before the year closes. NCSBN also notes that its live dashboard can differ slightly from its final annual reports.

The quarters give a clearer picture than the running total:

2026 quarter (NCLEX-RN, US licensure)	First-time, US-educated	Repeat, US-educated	First-time, internationally educated
January–March	86.7%	52.4%	51.7%
April–June	90.0%	50.2%	50.3%
July–September	83.8%	55.6%	50.5%

For the last full year, the official figure is 86.7%. NCSBN’s 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics report shows 167,272 of 192,916 first-time, US-educated candidates passed.

How have NCLEX pass rates changed over the last few years?

The first-time, US-educated rate climbed sharply after 2022, peaked at 91.2% in 2024 and slipped to 86.7% in 2025. Full years below come from NCSBN’s annual statistics reports; the 2026 row comes from its dashboard.

Year	First-time, US-educated	Repeat, US-educated	First-time, internationally educated	All candidates
2022	79.9%	43.7%	43.3%	63.4%
2023	88.6%	51.1%	52.7%	69.7%
2024	91.2%	50.9%	53.8%	73.3%
2025	86.7%	52.7%	47.3%	69.1%
2026 (as of Oct. 10)	87.0%	53.0%	50.7%	72.8%

The all candidates rate is much lower because it mixes in repeat and internationally educated testers, who pass less often. When you compare a school, or your own odds, against a national number, use the first-time, US-educated column.

Rates also swing inside each year. In NCSBN’s 2025 report, October–December had the lowest first-time rate (81.2%) and also by far the fewest first-time testers: 20,128, compared with 68,091 in April–June.

What is the NCLEX pass rate for repeat and internationally educated candidates?

About half of US-educated repeat test takers pass: 52.7% in 2025 (22,404 of 42,513), per NCSBN. That rate has stayed between 50.9% and 52.7% each year from 2023 to 2025.

Internationally educated candidates testing for US licensure passed at 47.3% on a first attempt in 2025 and 30.5% on a repeat attempt. Through early October 2026, the first-time rate for this group is 50.7%.

NCSBN also splits first-time results by degree. In 2025, baccalaureate graduates passed at 87.6%, associate degree graduates at 86.1% and diploma graduates at 83.3%, a spread of about four percentage points.

Did the Next Generation NCLEX change pass rates?

Pass rates rose after the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) launched on April 1, 2023, though NCSBN’s tables alone can’t explain why. The NGN added new item types and case studies designed to measure clinical judgment. NCSBN’s statistics show the RN exam went from 75–145 items to 85–150 items at the switch.

The quarterly numbers show the shift. In January–March 2023, the last quarter of the old format, 80.5% of first-time, US-educated candidates passed; in April–June 2023, the first NGN quarter, 94.3% did.

The bar to pass did not move. NCSBN raised the NCLEX-RN passing standard to 0.00 logits in April 2013 and kept it at each review since (2016, 2019, 2023 and 2026). The drop to 86.7% in 2025 happened on that same standard, so the higher rates of 2023 and 2024 did not hold.

How does the NCLEX-PN pass rate compare?

First-time, US-educated NCLEX-PN candidates passed at 86.6% in 2025, almost the same as the RN rate that year (NCSBN). The PN trend since 2022 has a similar shape: a jump in 2023, a peak in 2024 and a small decline in 2025.

Year	NCLEX-PN first-time, US-educated	NCLEX-PN repeat, US-educated
2022	79.9%	35.7%
2023	86.7%	42.8%
2024	88.4%	41.9%
2025	86.6%	41.7%
2026 (as of Oct. 10)	86.0%	41.0%

The two exams use different content and different passing standards, and NCSBN states the RN and PN standards aren’t directly comparable. The PN standard has been -0.18 logits since March 25, 2020.

How do you find a specific nursing school’s NCLEX pass rate?

Start with the state board of nursing where the school operates, since boards approve nursing programs and some publish first-time NCLEX pass rates for each one. NCSBN keeps a directory of every US member board, which is the fastest way to find the right website.

California is a useful example. Its Board of Registered Nursing posts first-time NCLEX-RN pass rates for California-educated graduates of every approved prelicensure RN program. Each listing shows the number of testers and percent passing for five July–June years (the latest is 2024/2025). The board notes that rates are posted in October or November and can be corrected afterward.

When you read a school’s number, check three things:

• Number of testers. A 100% rate from 8 graduates tells you less than 92% from 300.
• Time period. Some boards use calendar years and others use July–June, so match periods before comparing.
• Trend. Three or more years says more than one unusually good or bad year.

Then compare the school with the national first-time, US-educated rate for the same period, such as 86.7% for 2025. A school’s own website may list its rate too, but the board’s table is the official record.

What do NCLEX pass rates mean for you?

A national pass rate describes a large group, not your personal chances. NCLEX results are reported only as pass or fail, and NCSBN never reports scores, so its statistics are pass rates rather than average scores.

Two numbers are worth acting on:

• First tries pass far more often. In 2025, first attempts passed at 86.7% and US-educated repeat attempts at 52.7%. So it pays to be fully ready before your first sitting, rather than counting on a retake.
• A long exam alone is not a fail sign. The exam is adaptive. In 2025, 59.1% of first-time, US-educated RN candidates finished at the minimum number of items, and 20.5% went to the maximum.

To see where you stand, take our free NCLEX-RN diagnostic test and turn the results into a personal study plan weighted by the test plan. You can work through NGN-style items and case studies on the free NCLEX-RN practice test, or see every lesson and tool on the NCLEX-RN hub.

Quick answers

What percentage of people pass the NCLEX on the first try? In 2025, 86.7% of first-time, US-educated candidates passed the NCLEX-RN (NCSBN). In 2026 the rate is 87.0% through early October.

Are NCLEX pass rates higher since the NGN? Both full NGN years so far, 2024 and 2025, beat 2022’s 79.9%, but the rate fell from 91.2% in 2024 to 86.7% in 2025.

What is the NCLEX pass rate for retakes? US-educated repeat test takers passed the NCLEX-RN at 52.7% in 2025 (NCSBN).

Where does NCSBN publish pass rates? On its NCLEX pass rates dashboard, which shows quarterly data back to 2016, and in an annual NCLEX Examination Statistics report.

Is the NCLEX-PN pass rate similar? Yes. In 2025, 86.6% of first-time, US-educated NCLEX-PN candidates passed.