Where to study

Tests

Driving testsCitizenship testsSchool and university admissionsNursing, medicine and healthEnglish and French testsTeachingMoney, law and insuranceTrades and work certification and licensesPilots, drones, boats and radio

Countries

United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomAustraliaNew Zealand

Canada · Licensing exam

REx-PN exam results, failing and retakes

Your result comes from your regulator, and nobody can give it to you at the test centre. For the Regulatory Exam for Practical Nurses (REx-PN), that’s the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) or the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM). Don’t call Pearson, the test centre or the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) about REx-PN exam results: they won’t give them out.

  • 6Attempts allowed a year, at most
  • 60Test-free days between attempts
  • NoneLifetime attempt limit, Ontario or B.C.
Read NCSBN’s results page

Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

When do REx-PN exam results come out?

NCSBN gives an outside limit, and each regulator gives its own timing.

Who saysWhen
NCSBN, for both provincesWithin about 6 weeks
CNO, in OntarioWithin 1 week
BCCNM, in B.C.Within a few days

CNO sends a message through its Maintain Your Membership portal, and BCCNM sends an email. Every exam is scored twice, once by the computer at the test centre and again after the record reaches Pearson. If six weeks have gone by with no result, contact your regulator.

NCSBN: Results ↗

What happens after you pass

A pass meets the exam requirement, but your regulator also checks the rest of your application. In Ontario, you also need the jurisprudence exam and CNO’s other requirements. In B.C., BCCNM tells you what’s left. If you hold a provisional licence and have met every requirement, it converts to a practising licence on its own.

What else Ontario requires →What else B.C. requires →

If you fail: the Candidate Performance Report

You get a Candidate Performance Report (CPR). It’s a three-page document showing how many items you answered and how you did in each of the eight test plan areas: below, near or above the passing standard. BCCNM emails it within two weeks of your first notice, and CNO sends it to you.

NCSBN suggests working on “below the passing standard” areas first, then “near”, while keeping up the rest. If you answered fewer than 90 items, you get a shorter report with no diagnostic information.

NCSBN: Candidate Performance Report ↗NCSBN: Sample report (PDF) ↗Study options for your retake →

How many times can you retake the REx-PN?

CNO says there’s no limit on attempts before you pass. BCCNM says the same, as long as you have a valid application. Both tie that to the adaptive format: the system knows you’re retaking and gives you different items. In practice, you’re limited by the 60-day wait and by your regulator’s application. A CNO application stays open for two years, and then you’d have to reapply. NCSBN notes that a regulator can require a longer wait, which would show in the dates on your new Authorization to Test (ATT).

To retake it:

  1. Tell your regulator you plan to retake, and ask what fees or materials it needs.
  2. Register with Pearson again and pay the exam fee.
  3. Wait for your new ATT.
  4. Book a new appointment.
How to book with Pearson →CNO: Registration examination rules ↗

When results get cancelled

NCSBN can cancel or withhold a result if it has a good-faith reason to doubt it, even with no evidence you did anything wrong. Unusual answer patterns and unusual score jumps between exams are two examples it gives. If your result is cancelled without a finding of irregular behaviour, you can appeal, and you may be offered a free retest.

Had a problem with the exam itself? Tell the test administrator before you leave. NCSBN asks you to report it within two weeks.

NCSBN: REx-PN rules ↗
Sources: NCSBN · CNO · BCCNM and 6 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

OverviewStudy optionsBookingPassing scoreOntario RPNsB.C. LPNsCanada’s exams