Florida Board of Nursing NCLEX: steps, fees and timeline

Applying to take the NCLEX in Florida starts with the Board of Nursing, not Pearson VUE. Here are the RN and LPN steps, board-stated fees, timing and re-exam rules.

Who applies to the Florida board

The board runs separate applications depending on where you are in the process. Picking the right one saves you from paying for steps you do not need.

Licensure by examination vs. already passed vs. re-examination

1. Applying to take the NCLEX: This is for people seeking initial RN or LPN licensure in Florida who have not yet passed the NCLEX.
2. Already passed the NCLEX: This is for people who have already passed but may not qualify for Florida's MOBILE endorsement pathway. The board says these applicants do not need to register with Pearson VUE or retake the exam if their passing results can be verified.
3. Re-examination: This is for people who previously applied by examination in Florida but did not pass.

The board also lists an initial license by MOBILE endorsement and one by multi-state upgrade. If you already hold a license elsewhere, ask the board which application fits you.

Education routes the board lists

The board says the requirements to take the exam are found in section 464.008, Florida Statutes. The routes it lists on its page are:

1. Florida program: Graduation from a Florida approved or accredited nursing education program as defined in section 464.003, F.S.
2. ACEN or CCNE program: Graduation from an ACEN or CCNE accredited program that has been issued an NCLEX code by NCSBN.
3. Program recognized in its own jurisdiction: Graduation from a program approved or recognized where it is based that has an NCSBN-issued NCLEX code.
4. RN applicants with a graduate degree: Graduation from a pre-licensure Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or higher program with an NCLEX code.
5. LPN applicants and PNEQ: If you are currently in an RN program and have finished coursework equivalent to the LPN, you can apply for an LPN license under the Practical Nursing Equivalency (PNEQ) option. Extra documentation is required at application.
6. Non-NCSBN or international programs: Graduation from a program the board determines to be equivalent to an approved program.
7. Military programs: Graduation from a military nursing education program that has an NCSBN-issued NCLEX code.

If you were educated in Canada, read the board's key considerations on its page. They treat Canadian RNs and Canadian LPNs differently depending on exam history and licensure in another state or territory.

The order of steps for Florida candidates

The board tells applicants to complete its steps in the order shown to help avoid processing delays. Here is that order, with the reason behind each step.

Step 1: proof of education

Documentation requirements vary depending on whether you graduated from a Florida program, an out-of-state program, a non-NCSBN or international program, or are applying through PNEQ. Start here because the board cannot review your application without it.

Step 2: Level 2 background screening and fingerprints

Florida passed House Bill 975 after the 2024 legislative session, which requires this profession to complete electronic fingerprinting. The board says your application cannot be approved until this requirement and all other criteria are met.

You use a Livescan service provider to send fingerprints to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). Any FDLE-approved provider works, and you are responsible for choosing one and making sure results reach the department. Three details trip people up:

1. The ORI number: Use the correct Board of Nursing Originating Agency Identification (ORI). If you give none or the wrong one, the board office will not receive your fingerprint results.
2. The TCN: Ask for your Transaction Control Number at the appointment. The board says it lets you track the status of your screening.
3. The form and the cost: For applications after December 15, 2012, the board says to print its form and bring it to the provider. All screening costs are yours.

Step 3: online application and fees

After the steps above, you submit your application for licensure by examination through the MQA Online Services Portal and pay the required fees. The board's fees are covered in their own section below.

Step 4: supporting documents if you answer yes to screening questions

If you answer yes to any screening question on the application, you submit supporting documentation, and the board notes that additional review may be required. The next section explains what that involves.

Step 5: board review and eligibility

Once the required materials arrive, the board reviews your application to decide whether you are eligible to take the NCLEX. If it needs more information, it notifies you. When eligibility is approved, authorization is transmitted to Pearson VUE.

Step 6: Pearson VUE registration, ATT and scheduling

nclex.com describes registration as a multistep process involving your nursing regulatory body and Pearson. Applying to the board comes first, because that step is required to obtain eligibility. Then you register with Pearson, online or by calling Pearson Candidate Services at 866.496.2539, using your program code, an email address and an acceptable card.

The first and last name you register with must match exactly the identification you present at the exam. You should get an email confirmation within two days of registering, and Pearson corresponds only by email.

Your registration stays open 365 days waiting for the board to declare you eligible. If you are not made eligible, or are denied, within that window, you forfeit the registration and exam fee and must register and pay again. You also cannot hold two open registrations for the same exam type. A second one is processed and denied, and that fee is non-refundable.

When the board declares you eligible and your Pearson registration is complete, Pearson emails your ATT. You cannot schedule without it. Each ATT is valid for a period set by the board, and nclex.com says the average is 90 days. You must test within the dates, and they cannot be extended for any reason. If you miss them, you reregister and pay another exam fee.

You can test at any Pearson Professional Testing location, regardless of where you are applying for licensure. The board's page says not to send third-party payments to Pearson VUE. nclex.com separately lists an online third-party payment option for school, agency or employer payments. Follow the board's instruction, and ask the board if your situation involves a third party.

Step 7: the exam and your license

Follow Pearson VUE's instructions to schedule and take the exam. The board says your initial license is issued after you pass the NCLEX and all licensure requirements have been met. If you need special testing accommodations, nclex.com says to request them with the board before you register.

Florida fees as the board states them

What you pay and to whom

The board's licensure by examination page lists three costs:

1. $110.00: The application and licensing fee, paid to the Board of Nursing.
2. $200.00: The testing vendor fee, paid to Pearson VUE.
3. Varies: The fee charged by your Livescan service provider.

Re-check the board's page before paying, since the figures are the board's to change. For ATT, fee and retake basics in one place, see our NCLEX guides.

The NCLEX fee change on nclex.com

nclex.com's FAQ says that effective Feb. 1, 2027, the NCLEX registration fee will be $350 in the United States and Australia. Registrations completed before Feb. 1, 2027 are charged the current fee, and the date of registration, not the exam date, determines which fee applies. The fee is based on where you are seeking licensure, and the same fee applies to retakes.

The board's page still showed $200.00 when we checked. Confirm the amount Pearson charges at the moment you register.

What isn't refundable

nclex.com says there are no refunds of NCLEX fees for any reason. The registration fee is also forfeited if you cannot cancel outside 24 business hours of your appointment, miss your appointment, or do not test within your authorization period. In those cases you need to be made eligible again by the board and receive a new ATT.

Health, criminal and disciplinary history questions

These questions are part of the application, and the board says each application is reviewed on its own merits. Staff cannot decide outcomes in advance because laws and rules change over time. Contacting the board before you apply is a reasonable way to find out exactly what it needs from you.

What the board asks you to submit

1. Health history: If you answer yes to any health question, send the board a letter from a licensed health care practitioner qualified to address the condition. It must explain the impact on your ability to practice with reasonable skill and safety, state that you are safe to practice without restrictions or name the restrictions needed, and be dated within one year of your application.
2. Criminal history: List every offense other than a minor traffic offense, including guilty, no contest and nolo contendere pleas. Failure to disclose may result in denial. You submit a self-explanation in your own words, final disposition records, proof of completing probation, parole or sanctions, and 3-5 professional letters of recommendation from people you have worked for or with.
3. Disciplinary history: If you have ever been denied licensure, disciplined, or have action pending against a health care license, you submit a self-explanation plus agency records sent by the licensing agency.

The board adds that violent crimes and repeat offenders must be presented to the Board of Nursing, and that evidence of rehabilitation matters to board members.

Statutory disqualifiers the board lists

Section 456.0635, F.S., requires refusal to admit a candidate for examination in certain situations. The board's page lists felony convictions or pleas under specific Florida chapters (409, 817 and 893) with look-back periods, certain federal controlled substance and Medicare or Medicaid felonies, Medicaid terminations for cause, and current listing on the HHS Office of Inspector General's exclusion list. The exact conditions and time periods matter, so read the statute and the board's page, or ask the board about your specific record.

Timing: how long Florida takes

Processing time the board states

The board says the application process may take between two to six months. It processes applications, mail, emails and calls in date order, and a job offer does not justify expedited processing. It strongly recommends that you do not accept a job offer until you are licensed.

Complete applications and deficiency letters

Applications that are complete on receipt are processed more efficiently. If anything is missing, the board says you will receive a deficiency letter within approximately 30 days after it receives your application. For status questions, the board lists MQA.NursingAppStatus@FLHealth.gov. Also check the board's pages for any new requirements before you apply, since the board notes that rules change over time.

Planning study time around the ATT

The two-to-six-month window and a roughly 90-day ATT mean you rarely control the exact test date. A workable plan is to build your study routine now, then tighten it once your ATT arrives, because the validity dates cannot be extended. Our 2026 NCLEX-RN test plan, explained and the NCLEX-PN test plan guide can help you map your weeks by content area.

Results, Quick Results and your Florida license

Where official results come from

nclex.com says official results come only from nursing regulatory bodies, which for you is the Florida board. Pearson and NCSBN do not provide exam results. Candidates who fail receive a Candidate Performance Report, which nclex.com says is meant to help direct their remediation.

Does Florida offer Quick Results?

Quick Results gives unofficial results two business days after the exam for a fee, but only if your board participates. The Florida pages we reviewed do not say whether Florida participates, so we will not guess. Check the participating-board list on nclex.com and ask the Florida board directly.

When the license is issued

The board says your initial license is issued after you pass and all licensure requirements are met, and it does not promise a specific timing. Florida joined the Nurse Licensure Compact in 2018. The board explains that a multi-state license is issued by the nurse's declared primary state of residence. Ask the board how that applies to you.

If you don't pass: Florida re-examination rules

A missed attempt is information, not a verdict. nclex.com says each attempt is independent, and on a new attempt the adaptive process begins again.

Reapplying with the board

If you previously applied by examination and did not pass, you use the board's licensure by re-examination application. The same fingerprinting notice applies. The nclex.com fee for a retake is the same as for a first registration. The supplied pages do not state retake waiting periods, so check with the board and nclex.com.

Three consecutive fails and the remedial course

Section 464.008(3), F.S., requires anyone who fails three consecutive times, in any jurisdiction, to complete a board-approved remedial course before testing again. After completing it, you may be approved to take the NCLEX up to three additional times. Florida law also requires you to apply to the Florida board to retake within six months of completing the remedial course.

The board describes an RN refresher or remedial course with an 80-hour classroom component and a 96-hour clinical component. After you finish, the school sends a letter stating the content and hours. The board keeps a list of approved remedial course providers on its website.

Contacts and useful next steps

Who to contact for what

1. Florida Board of Nursing: Application status, eligibility, accommodations, corrections after eligibility, and the Quick Results question.
2. Pearson Candidate Services: Registration, scheduling and lost ATT emails at 866.496.2539, Monday to Friday, 7 am to 7 pm U.S. Central Time, per the board's page.
3. Your Livescan provider: Appointment logistics, ORI entry and your TCN.

If you spot an outdated board detail in this guide, please get in touch.

Where PreceptIQ fits

PreceptIQ is a study aid, not a guarantee, and nothing here is affiliated with or endorsed by NCSBN or the Florida board. While your application moves through review, you can use the waiting time to build a study plan. PreceptIQ, an NCLEX® coach that studies your mistakes, is coming to iPhone and Android at https://preceptiq.app.

Common questions

NCLEX®, NCLEX-RN® and NCLEX-PN® are registered trademarks of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN®). PreceptIQ is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NCSBN.