How to register and schedule the NCLEX

Step by step

1. Apply for licensure or registration with your nursing regulatory body. Ask for any testing accommodations at the same time.
2. Create a Pearson VUE account and register for the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN, online or by phone. Use your first and last name exactly as they appear on your ID.
3. Pay the fee: $200 in the U.S. as of October 2026. Pearson emails a confirmation, usually within two days.
4. Wait for your board to make you eligible. This has to happen within 365 days of registering, or you lose the fee.
5. Get your ATT email from Pearson. It has your authorization number, candidate ID and the dates you must test between.
6. Book your appointment online or by phone with Pearson VUE, then check the confirmation email carefully.

How long your ATT lasts

Your nursing board sets the validity dates. NCSBN says the average ATT lasts 90 days. The dates can’t be extended for any reason.

Don’t wait until near the end to book. A test center may not have a seat in time, and if your ATT expires you have to register and pay again.

If more than two weeks pass after Pearson’s acknowledgment email and you still have no ATT, contact your board. It may be waiting on a document from you.

Which dates you’ll be offered

The NCLEX runs year-round, and you can test at any Pearson test center, whichever board you’re applying to. First-time test takers are offered an appointment within 30 days of asking, and you can always pick a later date. If you’re retaking, appointments start 45 days after your last attempt.

Rescheduling or canceling

• Change your appointment at least 24 hours before it, online or with a Pearson agent.
• For a Saturday, Sunday or Monday exam, make the change by the Friday before, at the same time of day.
• A voicemail doesn’t count. Wait for the confirmation email.
• Missing the exam or changing too late means you lose the fee, your ATT is canceled and your board is told.

Where you can test, and who to call

The NCLEX is given at Pearson VUE test centers across the U.S. and its territories, and at international centers in countries including Australia, India, the Philippines and the United Kingdom. Testing outside the U.S. adds a $150 fee, and a passport is the only accepted ID there.

For registration or booking problems, call Pearson NCLEX Candidate Services. From the U.S. and Canada it’s toll-free on 1-866-496-2539, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time. French support is on 1-866-288-8454. Questions about your eligibility or results go to your nursing board, not Pearson.