United States · Licensing examWhat is the NCLEX pass rate?
January 1 to December 31, 2025. NCSBN reports Canadian results separately, and they’re on our Canada page.
| Candidates (U.S. licensure) | NCLEX-RN | NCLEX-PN |
|---|---|---|
| First-time, U.S.-educated | 86.7% | 86.6% |
| Repeat, U.S.-educated | 52.7% | 41.7% |
| First-time, internationally educated | 47.3% | 53.7% |
| Repeat, internationally educated | 30.5% | 27.6% |
| All candidates | 69.1% | 77.3% |
NCLEX pass rates by state
These are 2025 figures from NCSBN’s tables 8 and 14, which list every U.S. jurisdiction. The RN figures include all degree types and special program codes.
| Jurisdiction | NCLEX-RN, first-time U.S.-educated | NCLEX-PN, first-time U.S.-educated |
|---|---|---|
| California | 89.0% (16,255 tested) | 80.9% (9,136 tested) |
| Florida | 81.8% (17,403 tested) | 78.6% (3,755 tested) |
| Illinois | 84.8% (6,351 tested) | 88.2% (1,667 tested) |
| New York | 82.3% (11,418 tested) | 83.4% (2,353 tested) |
| Texas | 88.6% (16,454 tested) | 91.9% (4,244 tested) |
How to find the NCLEX pass rate for a school
NCSBN’s pass rate dashboard breaks results down by nursing program, by first-time or repeat test takers, and by U.S. or international education. You pick the year at the top of each dashboard, and NCSBN notes the live figures can differ slightly from its older PDF reports.
Some boards publish their own. The California Board of Registered Nursing lists first-time pass rates for each California program for each July-to-June year. As of October 2026 its latest period is 2024/2025, and it posts new rates each October or November.
Pass rates for internationally educated nurses
In 2025, 52,827 internationally educated candidates took the NCLEX-RN for U.S. licensure for the first time, and 47.3% passed. NCSBN lists them by the country where they studied. Among the largest groups:
- Philippines: 45.8% of 22,793
- India: 33.3% of 4,866
- Kenya: 58.2% of 4,096
- Nigeria: 54.4% of 1,983
What your board asks of nurses educated abroad is on our requirements page.
How hard is the NCLEX?
NCSBN doesn’t rate it, but two facts give you a sense of it. The exam is built to stay hard for everyone: it keeps choosing questions pitched at your level, and each question is picked so you have about a 50% chance of getting it right, whether you’re passing or not. And the numbers above show the gap between groups. In 2025, 86.7% of first-time U.S.-educated RN candidates passed, against 52.7% of those retaking it.
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Everything else, in one place
Sources: NCSBN, California Board of Registered Nursing and 1 more. Checked October 2026.
- NCSBN: 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics, June 2026 (PDF) ↗
- NCSBN: NCLEX Pass Rates dashboard ↗
- California Board of Registered Nursing: NCLEX Pass Rates ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.