The data
NCLEX pass rates: what the official NCSBN numbers actually say
The pass rate you have seen quoted is almost certainly 86.7%, and it describes first-time, US-educated candidates only. Across everyone who sat the NCLEX-RN in 2025, 69.1% passed. Which number applies to you depends entirely on which group you are in, and the spread between groups is enormous.
Updated 17 September 2026·7 min read
In 2025, 328,443 people sat the NCLEX-RN for US licensure. Of those, 93,014 were educated outside the United States, which is 28% of the total. That mix is why a single headline number is close to meaningless.
By candidate type, 2025
| Group | Pass rate |
|---|---|
| All NCLEX-RN candidates | 69.1% |
| First-time, US-educated RN | 86.7% |
| Repeat, US-educated RN | 52.7% |
| First-time, US-educated PN | 86.6% |
| Repeat, US-educated PN | 41.7% |
NCSBN statistics for US licensure.
Two things stand out. The overall rate fell to 69.1% in 2025 from 73.3% in 2024, the first decline since the Next Generation format launched in 2023. And the repeat rates are far below the first-time rates, with the PN drop worse than the RN drop.
By country of education
NCSBN publishes first-time pass rates by country of education. This is the table almost nobody reproduces, and it is the most useful one if you trained abroad.
| Country of education | First-time pass rate | Candidates |
|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 69.1% | 3,740 |
| Nepal | 61.6% | 2,659 |
| South Korea | 57.9% | 2,636 |
| Philippines | 51.7% | 28,112 |
| India | 40.5% | 5,807 |
First-time internationally educated candidates, NCLEX-RN for US licensure, 2024. Source: NCSBN 2024 Examination Statistics, Table 9.
The Philippines sends more nurses to the NCLEX than any other country by a wide margin, and roughly half of them do not pass first time. India has the lowest rate among the large cohorts at 40.5%.
Across all internationally educated first-time candidates in 2024, the pass rate was 53.8%, against 91.2% for US-educated candidates. That is a 37-point gap between two groups of qualified nurses.
What these numbers mean for you
If you are a first-time, US-educated candidate, your baseline is genuinely strong. Ordinary preparation is likely to be enough, and the main risks are pace and the Next Generation item types.
If you are retaking, treat the 52.7% figure as a warning that repeating your first approach is close to a coin flip. Something specific went wrong and it needs naming before you book again.
If you trained abroad, the 53.8% figure is not a prediction about you. It reflects a conventions gap that is learnable, and candidates who study those conventions directly close most of it.
Common questions
- What is the NCLEX pass rate in 2026?
- The most recent full-year figures are for 2025: 69.1% across all NCLEX-RN candidates, 86.7% for first-time US-educated candidates, and 52.7% for repeat candidates. NCSBN publishes updated statistics annually.
- Why did pass rates fall in 2025?
- Two factors are usually cited. The candidate mix shifted, with more repeat and internationally educated candidates, both of whom pass at lower rates. And the initial uplift that followed the Next Generation format launch in 2023, partly from new partial-credit scoring, has levelled off.
- How many questions do you need to pass?
- The exam is computer-adaptive and runs between 85 and 150 items over five hours. Finishing in 85 items means the exam reached a confident decision early, in either direction. Question count tells you nothing about your result.
- Does the NCLEX-PN have a higher pass rate than the RN?
- For first-time US-educated candidates the rates are nearly identical: 86.6% for PN against 86.7% for RN. The idea that the PN is much easier is not supported by the data. Repeat PN candidates do noticeably worse, at 41.7%.