Illinois Board of Nursing NCLEX: How to Apply, Step by Step

Illinois nursing licensure runs through IDFPR, while Pearson handles NCLEX registration and scheduling. Here is the order of steps for RN and LPN candidates, and what to confirm with the board.

Who applies to the Illinois board

RN and LPN candidates

IDFPR licenses registered professional nurses (RN), licensed practical nurses (LPN) and temporary LPNs. Its nursing page lists a Registered Nurse Examination Application and an overview of the RN testing application process. For practical nursing, it lists an LPN online application and a separate set of instructions for the LPN testing application process.

The RN and LPN routes get equal weight here. The board-side paperwork differs by license type, but the overall sequence (board first, then Pearson, then your ATT, then scheduling) is the same one nclex.com describes for everyone.

Applying in Illinois versus another state

Each nursing regulatory body (NRB) sets its own eligibility requirements, and NCSBN does not keep a list of them. The nclex.com FAQs say your licensure application must come from the NRB in the state where you want to be licensed, because requirements vary. If Illinois is where you want your license, IDFPR is that board.

Where you test is a separate choice. You can take the NCLEX year-round at any Pearson Professional Testing location, regardless of where you are applying for licensure. So applying in Illinois does not tie you to an Illinois test center.

If you were educated outside the United States, the IDFPR nursing page lists an item titled License Regulations - Internationally Educated Nurses. Read it on the board's site and ask IDFPR what applies to you; we do not summarise it here.

The order of steps, from board application to test day

NCSBN describes registration as a multistep process that involves both the NRB and Pearson. The order matters, because the board application is what makes you eligible. You can read more about the ATT, fees and retakes in our NCLEX guides, including the ATT, fee and retake explainers.

Step 1: Apply to IDFPR for licensure by examination

Submit your application to the board where you are seeking licensure. nclex.com states this step is required to obtain eligibility to take the NCLEX. Use the RN examination application or the LPN online application, and read the matching testing-process instructions on the IDFPR page first.

The nclex.com FAQs also say you pay a licensing fee to the NRB along with the submission of your application materials. The amount is not stated on the pages we checked, so read it on the current IDFPR application.

If you are testing with accommodations, request them with the board, not with Pearson. nclex.com lists this under the NRB step.

Step 2: Check what else the board requires (fingerprints, background check, school documents)

The IDFPR nursing page does not state fingerprint, background-check or school-document requirements for the exam application, and neither do the nclex.com pages. Do not rely on a school's or a forum's account of them, because those can be out of date or specific to one program. The board's own application instructions are the place to confirm. Questions worth answering before you submit:

1. Fingerprints and background check: Does the application require them, and in what order relative to submitting?
2. School documents: What proof of your nursing program does the board need, and does the school send it or do you?
3. Name and email: Which name and email should appear on the application so they match what you give Pearson?
4. Third parties: If a school or other person will contact the board for you, IDFPR lists a Third Party Authorization form for this. The page says older versions of the form were no longer accepted from May 1, 2024.

Step 3: Register with Pearson and pay the exam fee

Pearson is the testing vendor, and payment and scheduling for the NCLEX go through it. You can register online and pay by credit, debit or prepaid card, or call Pearson Candidate Services at 866.496.2539 and pay the exam fee by phone with one of those card types.

Use the same email address you want your ATT sent to. The ATT goes to the email you provide at registration, so a typo here can delay you.

Step 4: Wait for eligibility and your Authorization to Test

The ATT is issued by email once the board declares you eligible and your Pearson registration is complete. You need that email to schedule. If it has not arrived, nclex.com suggests contacting the board to make sure all materials were submitted and received, or to ask why eligibility has not been granted.

If the board has made you eligible and you still have no ATT, call Pearson Candidate Services at 866.496.2539.

Step 5: Schedule your appointment

NCLEX appointments are scheduled through Pearson Candidate Services, online or by telephone. Look up test centers on the Pearson site. Because you can test at any Pearson location, you can choose the center and date that fit your shifts and coursework, as long as the date falls inside your ATT validity window.

Your Authorization to Test: validity and what to protect

ATT validity dates

The board sets how long your ATT is valid. nclex.com says the average length is 90 days, but yours may differ, so read the dates on your own email. These validity dates cannot be extended for any reason. If you do not test within them, you have to register again and pay another exam fee.

Your ATT contains your authorization number, your candidate identification number and an expiration date. Keep the email somewhere you can find it, and schedule early enough that a rescheduling need does not push you past the end date.

Matching your ID

Only your first and last names need to match between your ID and your ATT. The address does not need to match. Your ID must be physical (not digital), government-issued, non-expired, with your name in Roman characters, a recent photograph and a signature. Examples accepted at domestic test centers include a passport book or card, a driver's license, a state identification card, a permanent residence card and a military ID.

If your ID does not meet these requirements, you will be turned away and have to register again and pay another exam fee. Check your ID's expiry date well before test day.

Changes after you are eligible

If the board has already declared you eligible and you need a correction, contact the board first. Once the board confirms the correction, contact Pearson for a revised ATT if needed. If you have not been made eligible yet, report the correction to Pearson instead.

The cancellation rule deserves its own mention. Your registration fee is forfeited if you cannot cancel outside of 24 business hours from your appointment, or if you do not keep the appointment. The same applies if you do not test within your authorization period. You would then register again, pay another exam fee, be made eligible again by the board and receive a new ATT.

What it costs: board fee and NCLEX® exam fee

There are two separate payments: one to the Illinois board with your application, and one to Pearson when you register for the exam.

The Illinois board fee

The IDFPR pages we checked do not state the exam-application fee, so we do not quote one. Read the fee on the current IDFPR application and its instructions, and treat any figure you see elsewhere as unconfirmed until you do. Board fee last checked: October 20, 2026.

The Pearson exam fee and the Feb. 1, 2027 change

nclex.com states that effective Feb. 1, 2027, the NCLEX registration fee will be $350 in the United States and Australia (and $570 CAD in Canada). It also says the fee has not changed since 2000. We do not state the current amount here, because the pages we checked give only the future one. Check the fee shown at Pearson registration for the exact amount you will pay.

The date of registration decides the fee, not the exam date. Registrations completed before Feb. 1, 2027 are charged the current fee, even if you test after that date. The fee is based on where you are seeking licensure, so a candidate living elsewhere but seeking Illinois licensure pays the U.S. fee. Other fees, including international scheduling and change fees, stay the same.

Fees that are not refundable

nclex.com states there are no refunds of NCLEX fees for any reason. The same fee applies to retakes, based on the date the registration is completed. Combined with the 24-hour cancellation rule and the fixed ATT window, this is why it pays to schedule deliberately rather than as soon as you are able.

Results and your Illinois license

Where official results come from

Official exam results come only from the nursing regulatory body. Pearson and NCSBN do not provide exam results. For you, that means IDFPR is the official source of your result.

Does Illinois offer Quick Results?

The Quick Results Service gives candidates unofficial results two business days after the exam, for a fee. It applies only to candidates seeking licensure in the U.S., and only if the NRB participates. The pages we checked do not say whether Illinois participates. Check the Quick Results list on nclex.com and confirm with IDFPR before you count on it.

When the license is issued

How and when an Illinois license is issued after a pass, and how long processing takes, are not stated on the pages we checked. Ask IDFPR. The board's nursing page links a License Look-Up and a Print My License option, which are the board's own tools for checking license status.

PN and RN: what differs on the Illinois side

LPN application and instructions

On the board side, the LPN route has its own online application and its own instructions for the LPN testing application process. The RN route has a separate examination application and process overview. Read the set that matches your license type, and do not assume a step from one applies to the other.

On the exam side, you are preparing for the NCLEX-PN if you are applying for an LPN license. nclex.com notes that the NCLEX-PN is used for U.S. licensure only. For exam structure, see the NCLEX-PN test plan guide.

Temporary LPN

IDFPR also lists a Temporary Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) online application. The pages we checked do not explain what a temporary license allows or how it relates to the exam, so read the board's page and ask IDFPR if you think it applies to you.

Preparing for the right exam

RN candidates can read the 2026 NCLEX-RN test plan explained to see how the exam is organised. Whichever exam you are taking, the registration steps and the ATT rules above are the same.

Contacting IDFPR and finding the common pages

Phone, offices and mailing

The IDFPR nursing page lists these contact details:

1. Phone: 1 (888) 473-4858, with a TTY/TDD line at 1 (866) 325-4949.
2. Chicago office: 555 West Monroe Street, 5th Floor, Chicago, IL 60661.
3. Springfield office: 320 West Washington Street, 3rd Floor, Springfield, IL 62786.

Use the board for anything about your application, eligibility or a correction. Use Pearson Candidate Services (866.496.2539) for registration payment, a lost ATT, an ATT that did not arrive after the board declared you eligible, and scheduling.

Online lookup, renewal and verification

The IDFPR page links License Look-Up, License Renewal and Print My License. It also carries a notice titled Streamlined Nursing Licensure Verification Begins Today. These are the board's pages, so read them there. If you have a login or portal problem, contact IDFPR; we cannot help with its systems.

Illinois pass rates and picking a program

Where to find Illinois program pass rates

People often ask which Illinois nursing school has the highest NCLEX pass rate. We do not rank schools. IDFPR publishes a PDF titled Illinois Approved Nursing Education Program Pass Rates - Last 5 years on its nursing page, and that is the board's own document to read.

When you compare figures, keep RN and PN separate, keep first-time and repeat candidates separate, and note the reporting period. A rate for one cohort is not the same measure as a rate for another.

A calm checklist before you apply, and a next step

Before you submit, send IDFPR these questions or find the answers on its current application instructions:

1. Fee: What is the exam-application fee today, and how is it paid?
2. Fingerprints: Are fingerprints or a background check required, and when?
3. Documents: Which school documents are needed, and who sends them?
4. Processing time: How long does review take before eligibility is declared?
5. License issue: How and when is the license issued after a pass?
6. Quick Results: Does Illinois participate, and how do I confirm it on nclex.com?

Once your date is set, you can aim your study time at the areas where you miss the most. No course or app can guarantee a result, and NCSBN does not recommend or endorse any review course or study material. PreceptIQ, an NCLEX® coach that studies your mistakes, is coming to iPhone and Android.

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.