NCLEX pass rate: 2024 official RN and PN numbers explained

What the NCLEX pass rate really is: 2024 NCSBN figures for first-time, repeat and internationally educated candidates, RN and PN, plus how to find your own program's rate.

NCLEX-RN pass rates by candidate type (2024)

These rates are for candidates testing for U.S. licensure, January to December 2024.

1. First-time, U.S.-educated: 91.2% (170,256 of 186,760). This is the group most students mean when they ask about the pass rate on the first try.
2. Repeat, U.S.-educated: 50.9% (16,313 of 32,030).
3. First-time, internationally educated: 53.8% (31,762 of 58,995).
4. Repeat, internationally educated: 36.4% (14,577 of 40,082).
5. All candidates combined: 73.3% (232,908 of 317,867).

First-time, U.S.-educated

This is the number schools and boards usually quote for a graduating cohort, because it counts only people sitting the exam for the first time after a U.S. nursing program. It does not include anyone retaking.

Repeat test-takers

Repeat candidates are counted separately. Their 2024 rate was 50.9% for U.S.-educated candidates and 36.4% for internationally educated candidates. The statistics describe results, not reasons, so they cannot tell you why any one person needed another attempt. If you are retaking, you are in a large group, and a retake is a new exam with a new set of items.

Internationally educated candidates

The first-time internationally educated rate was 53.8%. NCSBN's Table 9 breaks this down by country of education, and the spread is wide. Cohort sizes also vary enormously: the Philippines had 28,112 first-time candidates (51.7%) and India had 5,807 (40.5%), while many countries had only a handful. A percentage on a few candidates says very little.

All candidates combined

The 73.3% figure mixes four very different groups into one number. That makes it the least useful figure for an individual student: it is lower than the first-time U.S.-educated rate mainly because it includes the repeat and international groups.

These RN figures are for U.S. licensure. Candidates testing for Canadian licensure or registration are reported separately (for example, first-time Canada-educated candidates passed at 87.8%, 9,867 of 11,241), and this page does not cover that group in depth.

NCLEX-PN pass rates by candidate type (2024)

The PN exam deserves the same careful reading. All figures are January to December 2024.

1. First-time, U.S.-educated: 88.4% (44,693 of 50,570).
2. Repeat, U.S.-educated: 41.9% (4,941 of 11,779).
3. First-time, internationally educated: 51.1% (202 of 395).
4. Repeat, internationally educated: 23.9% (97 of 406).
5. All candidates combined: 79.1% (49,933 of 63,150).

First-time, U.S.-educated

This is the PN group to look at if you are finishing a practical or vocational nursing program. Like the RN figure, it excludes repeat testers and internationally educated candidates.

Repeat and internationally educated candidates

The two international PN groups are small (395 and 406 candidates), so their percentages can swing a lot from one period to the next. Read them as a description of a small group, not a trend.

Do not conclude that one exam is harder because the PN first-time rate is a little lower than the RN rate. NCSBN states that the RN and PN passing standards are not directly comparable because they are based on different item pools and different scopes of practice.

Why the rate dips late in the year

In 2024, first-time, U.S.-educated pass rates were lower in the last quarter than in the first. The data show this pattern for both exams:

1. RN, first-time, U.S.-educated: 94.2% from January to March, 92.7% from April to June, 89.2% from July to September, and 82.2% from October to December.
2. PN, first-time, U.S.-educated: 91.1%, 88.3%, 90.0% and 82.6% for the same four quarters.

The candidate mix also changes by quarter. For first-time, U.S.-educated RN candidates, 51,942 tested in the first quarter, 66,464 in the second, 50,654 in the third and 17,700 in the fourth. For the all-candidates RN group, the fourth-quarter rate was 55.7% on 52,886 candidates, compared with 79.1% on 81,865 in the first quarter, and the fourth quarter had a larger share of repeat and internationally educated testers.

That is all the data say. They describe 2024 and are not a prediction for any future year, and they are not a reason to pick or avoid a test date.

By degree type and by state

RN diploma, associate and baccalaureate

For first-time, U.S.-educated RN candidates in 2024, the pass rates were 90.8% for diploma graduates, 90.6% for associate degree graduates and 91.9% for baccalaureate graduates. A separate category, special program codes, is reported on its own: 37.0% on 552 candidates. The first three rates are close together, and they say nothing about the quality of any individual program.

Why state numbers differ

NCSBN's Table 8 lists first-time, U.S.-educated RN results by jurisdiction. Jurisdictions differ in size and in the mix of programs and candidates, and the table is a snapshot of one year. A state's rate describes its candidates in that period, not what will happen to you.

Which state has the lowest pass rate?

It depends on whether you count small jurisdictions. Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the lowest first-time, U.S.-educated RN rate I read in Table 8 is Florida at 84.9% (16,303 candidates). Utah (86.5%, 3,810 candidates), Illinois (87.4%, 6,910) and New York (87.6%, 10,927) are also below the national 91.2%.

Some territories show lower figures on tiny volumes: the Northern Mariana Islands at 52.4% on 21 candidates, the Virgin Islands at 66.7% on 30, and American Samoa at 66.7% on 3. A few candidates make a rate swing wildly, so these are not meaningful rankings. Check the Table 8 row for your jurisdiction rather than relying on a summary, including this one.

How to look up a nursing program's pass rate

Program-level rates are not in the national summary tables above, so you need a different source. The steps below are practical guidance, and reporting rules vary by jurisdiction, so check your board of nursing for what it actually publishes.

Start with your state board of nursing

Many boards of nursing publish program-level results, and the format varies from board to board. Some pages show annual results, some quarterly, and some show only first-time testers. Search your board's website for "program pass rates" or "NCLEX results by program." The California Board of Registered Nursing's program pass-rate page is one example of what a board page can look like.

Read the numbers properly

Before you compare two programs, check these details:

1. First-time or all testers: First-time rates are the usual comparison. A page that mixes in repeat testers will show a lower number for the same graduates.
2. Reporting period: Some tables use a calendar year and others use an academic year. Two programs are only comparable over the same period.
3. Number tested: A cohort of 20 can move by several points on a single candidate. Look for the count, not only the percentage.
4. RN or PN: Make sure you are reading the right exam for your track.
5. New or small programs: Some pages exclude new programs or show no figure when cohorts are small. A missing number is not a bad number.

Use NCSBN's pass-rate dashboard

NCSBN's website also has a pass-rate dashboard, which is worth checking for newer data than the annual PDF. Live dashboards and older PDFs can differ slightly, so when two figures disagree, check the date and the reporting period before assuming either is wrong.

Does the number of questions change anything?

Will the NCLEX shut off at 85 if you fail?

No source here supports the idea that a short exam means you passed, or that it means you failed. The NCLEX-RN consists of 85 to 150 items. After the minimum number of items, the computer checks whether it can determine with 95% certainty that your true ability is above or below the passing standard. If you are clearly above, you pass. If you are clearly below, you fail. Either result can end an exam at the minimum.

If your ability is close to the standard, the computer keeps asking items. Candidates who reach the maximum number of items get a decision based on their final ability estimate: at or above the standard passes, otherwise the result is a fail.

What the 75-question searches get wrong

People often search for a specific number such as 75. The 2024 statistics document gives the item range for the RN exam only (85 to 150). It does not state a PN range, so check the NCSBN test plan or our NCLEX-PN test plan guide for PN item counts. What the document does show for 2024 first-time, U.S.-educated candidates is below.

1. RN: average test length of 100 items, 65.4% took the minimum number of items, 16.7% took the maximum, and average testing time was 2 hours 14 minutes. The standard allotted time is five hours.
2. PN: average test length of 99 items, 67.8% took the minimum, 16.2% took the maximum, and average testing time was 2 hours 17 minutes.

The length of your own exam tells you very little about your result, so it is not worth analyzing during the test.

How the pass-fail decision works

Results are reported only as pass or fail. Scores are never reported. The passing standard is criterion-referenced, meaning passing depends solely on your performance relative to the established point that represents safe entry-level competence. There is no preassigned percentage of candidates who pass or fail.

If time runs out before the maximum number of items, the rule depends on how many items you answered. If you have not answered the minimum number, you automatically fail. If you have answered at least the minimum, the final ability estimate from all your responses decides the result.

Is the NCLEX one of the hardest exams?

The statistics cannot rank exam difficulty, so we won't. What they show is that the passing standard is a fixed point of safe entry-level competence, not a curve. The first-time, U.S.-educated rates are high, while the repeat and internationally educated rates are lower, so the experience differs a lot by group.

NCSBN's Board of Directors reevaluates the passing standard every three years or when the test plan changes. The RN standard is 0.00 logits and the PN standard is -0.18 logits, and both were retained in April 2023, the same period the Next Generation NCLEX launched (April 1, 2023). Logits have an arbitrary zero point and no inherent nursing meaning, so 0.00 does not mean zero percent. The practical takeaway is simple: you are being measured against a standard, not against the other people in your testing window.

What a pass rate can't tell you

Your result isn't a rate

A group rate describes a large group of candidates in a past period. It cannot say how you personally will do, and a low rate for repeat testers or a dip in one quarter is not a verdict on you. If you failed once, your next attempt is a fresh exam, and a rate for "repeaters" does not predict it.

Using the data to plan, not to predict

The useful move is to turn the question from "what are the odds" into "what do I need to study next." Start with the test plan for your exam: our guide to the 2026 NCLEX-RN® test plan covers the RN categories, and the NCLEX-PN test plan guide does the same for PN. Then look at where your own practice misses cluster, and spend your limited study hours there rather than rereading what you already know.

Where the official numbers live

1. NCSBN exam statistics publication page: The annual NCLEX Examination Statistics publication. This page used the 2024 edition, which NCSBN published in 2025, and its page also lists a 2025 edition dated 2026.
2. NCSBN pass-rate dashboard: The place to look for newer or more detailed figures. Check the date shown, because figures can be updated or reconciled after first publication.
3. Your state board of nursing: The source for program-level results and for local rules on exam eligibility and retakes. Policies vary by board, so check yours.

For study planning and exam logistics beyond the numbers, browse our more NCLEX guides.

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.