There is no new NCLEX-PN test plan for 2027. If you test in 2027, you take the 2026 NCLEX-PN test plan, which NCLEX.com lists as effective from April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2029. The change that does arrive in 2027 is the fee: from February 1, 2027, a US registration costs $350 instead of $200.
The 2026 plan itself is a light revision. NCSBN kept the format, the eight content categories and every percentage range from 2023. What changed is wording: one category was renamed, and some of the tasks the exam is built around were rewritten. This guide shows those changes line by line, explains how long the exam is and how it ends, and lists what to do before you register.
Is there a 2027 NCLEX-PN test plan?
No. NCSBN reviews the NCLEX-PN test plan every three years, and the current cycle started on April 1, 2026. The 2026 NCLEX-PN Test Plan says the NCLEX Examination Committee reviews and approves the plan every three years, using a fresh practice analysis of newly licensed LPN/VNs. For this cycle, that study surveyed more than 26,000 of them.
So a 2027 test date falls in the middle of the cycle. The next plan is not due until after March 31, 2029.
April 1, 2023
2023 NCLEX-PN test plan takes effect
It arrived with the Next Generation NCLEX, launched the same day to measure clinical judgment with case studies.
August 2025
Delegate Assembly acts on the 2026 plans
NCSBN's Delegate Assembly, its decision-making body, acts on the proposed 2026 RN and PN test plans.
April 1, 2026
2026 NCLEX-PN test plan and passing standard take effect
February 1, 2027
US registration fee rises from $200 to $350
The fee depends on when you register, not when you test.
March 31, 2029
2026 test plan ends
Dates come from NCLEX.com, the NGN page, NCSBN's 2025 examinations update and its fee announcement.
The NCLEX-RN went through the same cycle on the same dates. RN candidates have their own plan, with different categories and percentages, so use a PN source for PN numbers.
What changed in the 2026 NCLEX-PN test plan?
Very little, and NCSBN said so before the plan was adopted. Its summary of the proposed 2026 plans lists five points: the overall format was retained, edits were minor and made "for currency and clarity," the Client Needs percentages were retained, one category was renamed, and new activity statements were added.
The rename is the only change you will see in the table of contents. Safety and Infection Control is now Safety and Infection Prevention and Control. It has the same 10–16% weight it had before.
The activity statements, compared line by line
Activity statements are the nursing tasks the exam is built around. Each category in the plan lists them. We compared all 153 statements in the 2026 plan with the 152 in the 2023 plan, ignoring punctuation and capitalization. Here is what changed:
Most of the 30 rewordings are housekeeping. "Substance abuse" became "substance misuse," "non-compliance" became "nonadherence," "skin integrity" became "skin/tissue integrity," and abbreviations such as "IV" are now spelled out. A few go further and change what the task asks of you:
| 2023 plan | 2026 plan | What it means for your study |
|---|---|---|
| Assist in providing postmortem care | Provide postmortem care | Know the steps yourself, not only how to help. |
| Check and monitor client vital signsPlus a separate line: evaluate oxygen saturation | Monitor and evaluate client vital signs (e.g., oxygen saturation, blood pressure) | Two lines merged into one. The verb is now evaluate: interpret the reading, don't only record it. |
| Recognize stressors that affect client care | Recognize and reduce stressors that affect client care | Expect a question that asks what you would do next. |
| Acknowledge and document practice error (e.g., incident report) | Acknowledge and document practice errors and near misses (e.g., incident report) | Near misses are reportable too. |
| Not in the plan | Perform point-of-care testing (e.g., pregnancy test, troponin, urine dipstick) | New in Reduction of Risk Potential. |
| Not in the plan | Perform care to support unbiased treatment and equal access to care, regardless of culture/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression | New in Coordinated Care. |
The six integrated processes are unchanged: caring, clinical judgment, the clinical problem-solving process (nursing process), communication and documentation, culture and spirituality, and teaching and learning. Physiological Adaptation is the only category where no activity statement changed at all.
The NCLEX-PN test plan categories and percentages
The NCLEX-PN test plan sorts scored content into four Client Needs categories. Two of them are split into subcategories, which gives eight content areas. Each area has a percentage range, and NCSBN's own chart shows a single value inside each range.
| Content area | Share of scored items |
|---|---|
| Coordinated CareSafe and Effective Care Environment | 18–24% |
| Safety and Infection Prevention and ControlSafe and Effective Care Environment | 10–16% |
| Health Promotion and MaintenanceCategory with no subcategories | 6–12% |
| Psychosocial IntegrityCategory with no subcategories | 9–15% |
| Basic Care and ComfortPhysiological Integrity | 7–13% |
| Pharmacological TherapiesPhysiological Integrity | 10–16% |
| Reduction of Risk PotentialPhysiological Integrity | 9–15% |
| Physiological AdaptationPhysiological Integrity | 7–13% |
The plan adds two points that matter when you build a study schedule. Because the exam varies in length, NCSBN says any one candidate's distribution may differ by up to 3% in each category. And clinical judgment is measured separately from these eight areas: through 18 case-study items and about 10% stand-alone items, chosen depending on how long your exam runs.
Coordinated Care, at 18–24%, is close to a quarter of what you will see. It covers assigning tasks, prioritizing care, advocacy, consent, confidentiality and discharge. Pharmacological Therapies and Safety and Infection Prevention and Control come next.
How many questions are on the NCLEX-PN?
Between 85 and 150. The 2026 test plan sets a minimum of 85 items and a maximum of 150 within a five-hour limit, and the five hours include all breaks. The 2023 plan set exactly the same limits.
85–150
items on every NCLEX-PN
NCSBN, 2026 NCLEX-PN Test Plan
5 hours
time limit, breaks included
NCSBN, 2026 NCLEX-PN Test Plan
15
unscored pretest items on every exam
NCSBN, 2026 NCLEX-PN Test Plan
At the minimum length, those 85 items break down like this:
You cannot spot the pretest items: NCSBN says they look the same as scored ones. You also cannot go back. Once you confirm an answer and select Next, that item is closed, and the exam will not let you skip one.
Clinical judgment case studies
Each case study is six items about one client whose situation unfolds as you go. The six items follow the steps of NCSBN's Clinical Judgment Measurement Model: recognize cues, analyze cues, prioritize hypotheses, generate solutions, take action and evaluate outcomes. Some items give partial credit when more than one answer is correct.
How the exam decides when to stop
The NCLEX-PN is a computerized adaptive test. After each answer, it re-estimates your ability and picks the next item to match. It stops in one of three ways:
A short exam is not a sign that you passed or failed; the plan says you can do either at any length. The standard you are measured against is −0.18 logits, which NCLEX.com lists as effective through March 31, 2029.
Try two NCLEX-PN-style questions
These are original practice items written by Prepia around two areas of the 2026 plan: the reworded vital-signs statement and Coordinated Care, the largest category. They are not NCSBN items.
What actually changes in 2027: the registration fee
The NCLEX-PN registration fee rises from $200 to $350 in the United States on February 1, 2027. NCSBN announced the change on August 21, 2026, and called it the first change to the registration fee since 2000. The rule that matters: the fee depends on when you complete your registration, not when you test. Register before February 1, 2027, and you pay $200 even if your exam is later. The new fee applies to retakes too.
No other NCLEX fees change, according to the same announcement. The international scheduling fee stays at $150, and changing your exam type or nursing regulatory body after registering still costs $50 (NCLEX.com fees).
One thing that is not coming in 2027, as far as anyone knows: an at-home NCLEX. On its NCLEX Online page, NCSBN says it is still developing online testing, has not announced a launch date, and will give plenty of notice. Plan on a Pearson test center.
How to study for the NCLEX-PN in 2027
Because the blueprint did not move, the main job is to study from the right document and fill in the reworded areas. A review book written for the 2023 plan still covers the same categories, percentages and exam format. Check it against the two new statements and the rewordings above.
The plan's appendix has sample items for each category, and NCSBN's tutorial on NCLEX.com shows every item format. Use both before you rely on any third-party question bank.
Frequently asked questions
Is the NCLEX-PN changing in 2027?
The exam content is not. The 2026 NCLEX-PN test plan applies from April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2029, so a 2027 exam uses the same categories, percentages and length as an exam in late 2026. The change in 2027 is the US registration fee, which rises from $200 to $350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027.
How many questions are on the NCLEX-PN?
Between 85 and 150, in a five-hour limit that includes breaks. A minimum-length exam has 52 scored content-area items, 18 items in three clinical judgment case studies and 15 unscored pretest items.
What were the NCLEX changes in 2026?
For the PN exam: the Safety and Infection Control category became Safety and Infection Prevention and Control, some activity statements were reworded, and new statements were added, including point-of-care testing. The format, the eight categories and their percentages did not change.
Can I still use a 2023 NCLEX-PN review book?
Mostly, yes. The categories, percentage ranges, exam length and case-study format are the same in both plans, and 121 of the 153 activity statements in the 2026 plan are worded exactly as in 2023. Add the new and reworded statements from the 2026 plan to what the book covers.
How much does the NCLEX-PN cost in 2027?
In the United States, $200 if you complete your registration by January 31, 2027, and $350 from February 1, 2027. Your exam date does not affect the fee. Your board of nursing sets its licensure fee separately.
Can I take the NCLEX-PN online in 2027?
NCSBN has not announced a launch date for online testing. Its NCLEX Online page says online testing is still in development and that candidates will get advance notice, so plan to test at a Pearson test center.
Sources
- NCSBN — 2026 NCLEX-PN Test Plan (PDF), accessed October 2, 2026.
- NCSBN — 2023 NCLEX-PN Test Plan (PDF), accessed October 2, 2026.
- NCLEX.com — Test Plans, accessed October 2, 2026.
- NCSBN — 2026 NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN Test Plans: Summary of Proposed Changes (2025 Annual Meeting presentation, PDF), accessed October 2, 2026.
- NCSBN — NCLEX Fee Changes Feb. 1 (posted August 21, 2026), accessed October 2, 2026.
- NCLEX.com — Fees & Payment, accessed October 2, 2026.
- NCLEX.com — Registration, accessed October 2, 2026.
- NCLEX.com — Passing Standard, accessed October 2, 2026.
- NCLEX.com — NCLEX Online, accessed October 2, 2026.
- NCLEX.com — Next Generation NCLEX (NGN), accessed October 2, 2026.