NCLEX authorization to test: how the ATT works and timing

The NCLEX authorization to test is an email sent after your nursing regulatory body clears you and your Pearson registration is complete. Here is how to find where you are stuck.

The two tracks you complete: your NRB and Pearson

The ATT sits where two separate processes meet. Your NRB decides whether you are eligible. Pearson, the testing vendor, handles payment and scheduling. The official pages describe the NRB application and the Pearson registration as separate steps, so follow your NRB's instructions on timing and order. Fees and at-home testing are covered in more NCLEX guides, so this page keeps amounts out.

Track 1: the NRB application and eligibility

You apply for licensure or registration with the NRB in the state, province or territory where you want to be licensed. That application is required to obtain eligibility to take the NCLEX. Requirements vary by jurisdiction, and NCSBN does not keep a list of requirements for each NRB, so contact the NRB where you want to practice and check your board of nursing for its rules. This page gives no eligibility advice beyond that.

If you will test with accommodations, request them with the NRB before you register with Pearson.

Track 2: Pearson registration

To register with Pearson, you provide three things:

1. Program code: Pearson asks for it at the time of registration, and the official site offers a downloadable list of program codes.
2. Email address: This is where Pearson sends everything, including your ATT. Pearson correspondence is by email only.
3. Acceptable payment: You can register online with a credit, debit or prepaid card, by telephone through Pearson Candidate Services, or online with third-party payment from a nursing school, agency or employer.

The first and last name you enter when registering must match exactly with the identification you present at your exam appointment. Check spelling and any middle or maiden name issues before you submit.

Registration confirmation is not your ATT

These two emails look similar in an inbox and mean very different things. One says Pearson received your registration. The other says you may schedule.

What the confirmation email tells you

You should receive an email confirming your NCLEX registration within two days of submitting it. That confirmation acknowledges that Pearson has your registration. It does not mean your NRB has declared you eligible, and it does not let you book an appointment.

What triggers the ATT

The ATT is issued by email only when two things are both true: the NRB has declared you eligible, and your registration through Pearson is complete. Side by side, the confirmation is about Pearson receiving your registration, while the ATT is about your NRB clearing you and Pearson finishing its side.

The ATT itself contains your authorization number, your candidate identification number and an expiration date. Keep the email, because you need it to schedule.

The 365-day registration window versus your ATT validity dates

Think of two separate clocks. One starts when you register. The other starts only when your ATT is issued.

How the registration window works

NCLEX registrations stay open 365 days while they wait for your eligibility from the NRB. Once you are made eligible, you must test within the validity dates on your ATT email.

How ATT validity dates work

Each ATT is valid for a period specified by the NRB, and the average length is 90 days. That is an average, not a promise, so read the expiration date on your own ATT. The validity dates cannot be extended for any reason.

What happens if you miss either

If the NRB has not made you eligible, or has denied eligibility, within the 365 days, you forfeit your registration and exam fee. You then reregister and pay another exam fee after the current registration expires. If you don't test within your ATT dates, you also reregister and pay again.

There is one trap to avoid. You can't hold two open registrations of the same exam type. If you reregister before the current one expires, the second registration is processed and denied, and the fee collected is non-refundable. Wait for the first to expire.

How long does it take to get your ATT?

The honest answer is that it depends on your NRB.

What the official pages do and don't say

The nclex.com and NCSBN pages give no fixed turnaround time. They say the ATT is sent once the NRB declares you eligible, so the pace is set on the NRB side. Timelines you see quoted elsewhere may reflect one board's habits, not yours. Ask your NRB what its own timeline looks like.

What usually holds it up

The sources point to a few causes:

1. Materials not received: The NRB may not have received everything it needs, so ask it to confirm your application materials were submitted and received.
2. Eligibility not yet granted: The NRB may not have granted eligibility to your registration, and it can tell you why.
3. Details needing correction: A name or other detail that needs fixing can complicate things, which is covered below.

If your ATT hasn't arrived: who to contact for what

The right call depends on where you are stuck. Phone numbers can change, so check the current one on nclex.com before you dial.

No ATT email yet and you aren't sure you're eligible

Contact your NRB. Ask whether all necessary materials were submitted and received, and why eligibility may not have been granted to your registration. Pearson can't make you eligible, so this question belongs with the NRB.

Your NRB says you're eligible but nothing arrived

Call Pearson Candidate Services. The FAQ lists 866.496.2539, plus international numbers in the NCLEX Candidate Bulletin. It is also reasonable to double-check the email address you gave Pearson and look in a spam or junk folder while you wait.

You lost your ATT

This is also a Pearson Candidate Services call, using the same numbers.

You need to correct your registration details

It depends on your status. If the NRB has already declared you eligible, contact the NRB first to make the correction. Once it confirms the change, contact Pearson for a revised ATT if one is needed. If you haven't been made eligible yet, contact Pearson to report the correction.

For changes to an appointment that has approved testing accommodations, call Pearson Candidate Services at the number listed on your ATT and ask for the NCLEX Accommodations Coordinator.

Scheduling your exam after the ATT arrives

You can't schedule before the ATT

You may not schedule your appointment until you have your ATT. Once it arrives, don't sit on it. Waiting can significantly limit the dates you can choose, and if you wait until the ATT is close to expiring, test centers may not be able to seat you before it expires. In that case you reregister and pay another exam fee.

Online or by phone

Pearson recommends scheduling online because of high call center volume. Sign in with the username and password you created when registering, then request your preferred date and time at your preferred test center. By phone, you call Pearson Candidate Services and give your name and ATT number, plus other details to verify your identity.

You can test at any Pearson Professional Testing location, regardless of where you are applying for licensure. For at-home options, see our guides rather than assuming availability.

How soon you can be offered a date

First-time test takers are offered an appointment 30 days after the request to schedule. Repeat candidates are offered an appointment starting 45 days after their last exam attempt. You may decline the offered date and schedule later. If your first-choice date or time is unavailable, you are offered an alternative as close to it as possible.

Check the confirmation email

After you schedule, Pearson sends an appointment confirmation to the email address you provided when registering. Verify that every detail is correct. If no confirmation arrives, contact Pearson Candidate Services.

Changing or missing an appointment

The 24-hour rule

To change the date, time or location, use the Pearson website or call Pearson Candidate Services at least one full business day (24 hours) before the appointment. The details depend on the day:

1. Tuesday to Friday exams: Change at least 24 hours before the appointment time, in local standard time.
2. Saturday, Sunday or Monday exams: Call no later than Friday, and at least 24 hours before the appointment time.
3. Holidays and messages: National holidays matter because offices may be closed, and leaving an answering machine message does not count as notice. You need to reschedule or cancel on the website or with an agent, and receive a confirmation email.

What a no-show does to your ATT

If you don't arrive, or don't reschedule or cancel with proper notice, you forfeit your exam fee and your ATT is invalidated. You reregister and pay another exam fee. The missed exam is documented as a case report that your NRB can view. After that, you test again once the NRB makes you eligible and you receive a new ATT.

ID problems can end an appointment too. Only your first and last names must match between your ID and your ATT, and your address does not need to match. If your ID doesn't meet the requirements, you are turned away and must reregister and pay again.

A calm checklist for the weeks before test day

1. Keep your NRB and Pearson details identical: Use the same legal name and a working email address in both places, so your ID and ATT agree on first and last names.
2. Save your ATT email: It holds your authorization number, candidate identification number and expiration date, and you need it to schedule.
3. Note both deadlines: Write down your 365-day registration window and your ATT validity dates as two separate dates.
4. Schedule promptly: Book soon after your ATT arrives so you have choices of dates and aren't squeezed near expiry.
5. Know your contacts: Eligibility questions go to your NRB, and lost ATT or scheduling problems go to Pearson Candidate Services. For accommodation changes, ask for the NCLEX Accommodations Coordinator.

The ATT dates also help you plan study time. RN candidates can start with the 2026 NCLEX-RN® test plan, explained, and PN candidates can use the NCLEX-PN test plan guide. For ATT or eligibility problems, go to your NRB or Pearson. If you have a question about this guide itself, contact us.

PreceptIQ, an NCLEX® coach that studies your mistakes, is coming to iPhone and Android at https://preceptiq.app. It is a study aid, and licensed nurse clinical review of its question bank is under way.

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.