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NCLEX-PN

Sources

Every number about the exam on the NCLEX-PN path (the categories and their percentages, the length, the time, the pretest items, the case studies, the stopping rules, the passing standard and the scoring) comes from the documents below, from the body that issues them. Where they are silent, the choice is ours and we say so.

Checked against the issuers' sites on November 13, 2026.

The exam: NCSBN and NCLEX.com

What the NCLEX-PN covers and how it is delivered and scored.

  • 2026 NCLEX-PN Test Plan

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    Effective April 2026
    What we use it for
    The eight Client Needs categories with their percentages, the 153 Related Activity Statements (shown in our own words, as the Test Plan may not be reproduced commercially), the Appendix A topics, the six clinical judgment steps, the settings items are drawn from, and the administration rules: computerized adaptive testing, 85 to 150 items in five hours, 52 content items, three case studies and 15 pretest items in the minimum, the three pass/fail rules and the three partial credit methods.
    Read it at the source

  • Passing Standard

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    -0.18 logits, effective through 31 March 2029
    What we use it for
    The NCLEX-PN passing standard our mock's estimate is compared with.
    Read it at the source

  • Test Plans

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    NCLEX.com page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    Where the Test Plan is published; the 2026 plans are current.
    Read it at the source

Shared with the NCLEX-RN

NCSBN states these once for both exams.

  • 2026 NCLEX Candidate Bulletin

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    April 2026
    What we use it for
    Five hours including the introduction and every break; two optional breaks after about two hours and about three and one half hours; the on-screen calculator.
    Read it at the source

  • NCLEX Frequently Asked Questions

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    NCLEX.com page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    No skipping and no going back; select all that apply wording; generic drug names; lab values with their reference ranges; calculation items; the three partial credit methods.
    Read it at the source

  • Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT)

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    NCLEX.com page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    How the estimate is updated after each item; the 95% confidence interval, maximum-length and run-out-of-time rules, which our mock models.
    Read it at the source

  • Candidate Performance Report

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    NCLEX.com page
    What we use it for
    The words our report uses per area: below, near or above the passing standard.
    Read it at the source

  • NCSBN Examination Candidate Rules

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    Version 6.1, 8 August 2026
    What we use it for
    Scheduled breaks are approximate, unscheduled breaks run on the clock, and no item may be disclosed; our mock and our notice follow them.
    Read it at the source

  • 2026 NCLEX information flyer

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    2026
    What we use it for
    Results come only from the regulator, within six weeks; retakes up to eight a year, 45 days apart.
    Read it at the source

  • Clinical Judgment Assessment: Unfolding Case Studies and NCLEX Results

    Issued by
    Muntean and Betts (NCSBN), NCSBN Scientific Symposium
    Version
    2026
    What we use it for
    The Rasch partial credit model for items worth more than one point, which our mock's estimate uses.
    Read it at the source

What the sources leave open, and what we do

  • NCSBN calibrates each item's difficulty from pretest data and does not publish its item pool or algorithm. Our mock follows the published rules with our authors' difficulty estimates; it is a practice model and cannot predict a result.
  • NCSBN publishes no NCLEX-PN sample of its Candidate Performance Report; our report follows the format NCSBN describes for both exams (per content area, clinical judgment and its steps), with thresholds of our own: one standard error either side of the passing standard.
  • Every item is written for the practical nurse's scope as the Test Plan's own statements set it (reinforce, collect data, assist, monitor); no NCLEX-RN item is copied or relabelled.

ExamDragon is independent exam preparation. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or reviewed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) or Pearson VUE. NCLEX, NCLEX-PN and NCSBN are registered trademarks of NCSBN. Every item and guide on the NCLEX-PN path is our own.