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NCLEX-RN

Sources

Every number about the exam on the NCLEX-RN 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 bodies that issue 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-RN covers and how it is delivered and scored.

  • 2026 NCLEX-RN 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 149 Related Activity Statements (shown in our own words, as the Test Plan may not be reproduced commercially), the 82 Appendix A topics, the six clinical judgment steps, and the administration rules: computerized adaptive testing, 85 to 150 items, 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

  • 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 two hours and after three and one half hours; the on-screen calculator; the candidate rules.
    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 and how the next item is chosen; the 95% confidence interval, maximum-length and run-out-of-time rules, which our mock models.
    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
    Partial credit by plus/minus, zero/one and rationale scoring; no skipping and no going back; the easy first item; bolded key words; generic drug names; lab values with their reference ranges; calculation items; the entry-level nurse.
    Read it at the source

  • Passing Standard

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

Clinical judgment and item formats

  • NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model and Next Generation NCLEX

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    NCLEX.com page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    The six measurable steps each case study item tests: recognize cues, analyze cues, prioritize hypotheses, generate solutions, take action, evaluate outcomes.
    Read it at the source

  • Building a Method for Writing Clinical Judgment Items for Entry-Level Nursing Exams

    Issued by
    Betts, Muntean, Kim, Jorion and Dickison (Pearson VUE and NCSBN), Journal of Applied Testing Technology
    Version
    Vol. 20 (S2), 2019
    What we use it for
    The Next Generation item and response types our items use (multiple response, highlighting, drop-down, drag and drop, matrix) and how a case study unfolds.
    Read it at the source

Candidate rules, reports and research

Read in NCSBN's 13 November 2026 sources review.

  • 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

  • Sample NCLEX-RN Candidate Performance Report

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    March 2026
    What we use it for
    Indicators per content area, for clinical judgment and for each of its six steps, with no points, and the abbreviated report under the minimum: the model for our report.
    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

  • 2024 RN Practice Analysis (NCSBN Research Brief Vol. 89)

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    April 2025
    What we use it for
    Where the Test Plan's activity statements come from.
    Read it at the source

  • 2024 RN Nursing Knowledge Survey (NCSBN Research Brief Vol. 91)

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    April 2025
    What we use it for
    The knowledge statements behind each activity, our authors' checklist.
    Read it at the source

  • National Guidelines for Nursing Delegation

    Issued by
    NCSBN and the American Nurses Association (ANA)
    Version
    Effective 29 April 2019
    What we use it for
    Delegation content in Management of Care.
    Read it at the source

  • NCSBN Model Act

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    Revised August 2026 (the Test Plan cites the 2021 edition)
    What we use it for
    Scope of practice principles.
    Read it at the source

  • Assessing Higher Order Cognitive Constructs by Using an Information-Processing Framework

    Issued by
    Dickison, Luo, Kim, Woo (NCSBN), Muntean and Bergstrom (Pearson VUE), Journal of Applied Testing Technology
    Version
    Vol. 17 (1), 2016
    What we use it for
    The layers of the Clinical Judgment Measurement Model.
    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

  • Isolation Precautions Guideline; Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions; enhanced barrier precautions; Core Infection Prevention and Control Practices

    Issued by
    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
    Version
    CDC pages, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    Infection prevention content in Safety and Infection Prevention and Control.
    Read it at the source

Internationally educated nurses: NCSBN and regulators

The section on the Overview for nurses educated outside the US and Canada. Requirements are the regulator's; we link, we do not decide.

  • NCLEX Frequently Asked Questions (eligibility, test centres, identification)

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    NCLEX.com page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    Each regulator sets its own eligibility; any Pearson location regardless of jurisdiction; passports at international centres; the same exam for US and Canadian entry to practice; the French exam for Canadian candidates.
    Read it at the source

  • Testing Locations

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    NCLEX.com page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    Domestic and international test centres and the countries with international centres.
    Read it at the source

  • NCLEX & Other Exams

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    ncsbn.org page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    Candidates meet the requirements determined by their regulator before registering.
    Read it at the source

  • NCLEX Pass Rates

    Issued by
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
    Version
    ncsbn.org dashboard, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    Linked for pass rates of domestic and internationally educated candidates; we quote no figure.
    Read it at the source

  • Registration Examination

    Issued by
    College of Nurses of Ontario
    Version
    cno.org page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    RN applicants in Ontario must pass the NCLEX-RN.
    Read it at the source

  • Outside Canada (registration guide)

    Issued by
    College of Nurses of Ontario
    Version
    cno.org page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    Education validated by an approved credential assessment provider; English or French proficiency; nursing practice within the past three years.
    Read it at the source

  • Applicants from the United States

    Issued by
    BC College of Nurses and Midwives
    Version
    bccnm.ca page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    US and Canadian jurisdictions use the same regulatory exam for RNs; language proficiency and practice experience reviewed together.
    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.
  • Which partial credit method each format uses follows NCSBN's own rule for when each method applies.
  • The performance indicators in our report use thresholds of our own: one standard error either side of the passing standard.

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-RN and NCSBN are registered trademarks of NCSBN. Every item and guide on the NCLEX-RN path is our own.