What is the passing grade for the NCLEX examination?
The NCLEX examination is not graded, and there is no “passing grade.” The methodology of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) means that pass/fail decisions are based on the difficulty of the questions that candidates answer, not the percentage of correct answers. For 1998, the overall passing rate (for U.S. and foreign-educated first-time testers and repeaters) for NCLEX-RN examination candidates was 71.8 percent. For NCLEX-PN examination candidates, the overall passing rate was 77.9 percent. The passing standards of both the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN examinations are reevaluated every three years for their effectiveness in producing entry-level nurses who exceeded established minimal competency.
