NCLEX requirements: who can take it and how to apply

What every candidate does

Your registration with Pearson stays open for 365 days while the board decides. If it doesn’t make you eligible in that time, you lose the fee.

1. Apply for licensure or registration with your board, before its deadline.
2. Meet that board’s eligibility rules. Most of them are about your nursing education.
3. Register with Pearson using your nursing program’s code, from NCSBN’s list of education codes.
4. Wait for the board to make you eligible. Pearson then emails your Authorization to Test (ATT).

An example: California

The California Board of Registered Nursing says you must finish a nursing program that meets all of California’s requirements, and take any missing course before you sit the NCLEX-RN. You apply online through BreEZe with the RN Initial Exam Application. California programs send your transcript for you. Out-of-state schools send it electronically, and international programs mail official transcripts along with extra forms about your program, diploma and license.

Other boards have their own steps, such as fingerprints or background checks, so read your own board’s page rather than going by another state.

Testing accommodations

Ask your board for accommodations when you apply, before you register with Pearson, and follow its rules for the request. If they’re approved, your ATT email lists them. Some approved accommodations let you book online. For the rest you call Pearson and ask for the NCLEX Accommodations Coordinator.

Find your board

There are 59 nursing regulatory bodies in the U.S., one or more per state and territory, and all are NCSBN members. NCSBN’s directory links to each one.