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Nursing · 12 min read

NCLEX-RN Passing Score for 2027: Why There Is No Percentage

There is no percentage to hit and no number of right answers that guarantees a pass. Here is what the 0.00-logit standard actually measures, and what it means for how you prepare.

Illustration of a nursing graduate in navy scrubs at a laptop, looking at a dashed threshold line with one marker on it, a picture of the NCLEX-RN passing score as a line rather than a percentage.
The NCLEX-RN passing standard is a point on an ability scale, not a share of questions answered correctly.

The NCLEX-RN passing score is not a percentage. You pass when the exam's computer is confident that your nursing ability is at or above the passing standard of 0.00 logits, which NCLEX.com lists as effective through March 31, 2029, so it covers every NCLEX-RN taken in 2027.

So no one can honestly tell you to "get 70% right." The NCLEX-RN is a computerized adaptive test: each candidate gets different items, matched to their ability, and the result is reported only as pass or fail. Below: what 0.00 means, why it is not a percentage, how the exam decides when to stop, and what that changes about how you study.

What is the passing score for the NCLEX-RN?

The passing score for the NCLEX-RN is a passing standard of 0.00 logits. NCSBN, the organization that develops the exam, calls it "a cut point along an ability range that marks the minimum ability level requirement," meaning the minimum ability needed to practice safely as an entry-level nurse (NCLEX.com, CAT definitions).

The standard has been 0.00 since April 2013. NCSBN's Board of Directors reviews it every three years, and according to NCSBN's 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics it was retained again in April 2026. NCLEX.com lists it as effective through March 31, 2029, the same end date as the 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan.

0.00

logits: the NCLEX-RN passing standard

NCLEX.com, Passing Standard

Mar 31, 2029

the standard is effective through this date

NCLEX.com, Passing Standard

86.7%

of first-time, U.S.-educated RN candidates passed in 2025

NCSBN, 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics

Two features of the standard matter for you:

  • It is criterion-referenced. Passing depends only on your performance against the standard; "there is no preassigned percentage of candidates that pass or fail," says NCSBN's statistics brief. You are not competing with other candidates.
  • Results are pass or fail only. NCSBN states that "scores are never reported," so there is no number to compare.

What does 0.00 logits mean?

A logit is the unit NCSBN uses to place both candidates and items on one scale. The name is short for "log-odds unit." NCSBN's statistics brief notes that logits "have no inherent meaning with regard to nursing content" and an arbitrary zero point, and that the NCLEX-RN scale typically runs from about −2.00 (easy items, low-ability candidates) to 2.00 (hard items, high-ability candidates).

So 0.00 is not "zero percent" and not "half the questions." It is a position on the ability scale, chosen by NCSBN's board as the minimum for safe entry-level practice.

What makes logits useful is that the chance of a correct answer follows from the gap between your ability and an item's difficulty. NCSBN calibrates NCLEX items with the Rasch model, a one-parameter measurement model (O'Neill, Marks and Reynolds, NCSBN, 2005). Under that model, if your ability equals the item's difficulty, you have a 50% chance of getting it right. One logit above the item, about 73%; one logit below, about 27%.

What a logit means: the chance of a correct answer Chance of answering an item correctly under the Rasch model, by the gap between your ability and the item's difficulty in logits: 2 logits below, 12%; 1 below, 27%; equal, 50%; 1 above, 73%; 2 above, 88%. 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% −3 −2 −1 0 +1 +2 +3 12% 27% 50% 73% 88% Your ability minus the item’s difficulty (logits) Ability = difficulty What a logit means: the chance of a correct answer Chance of answering an item correctly under the Rasch model, by the gap between your ability and the item's difficulty in logits: 2 logits below, 12%; 1 below, 27%; equal, 50%; 1 above, 73%; 2 above, 88%. 0% 50% 100% −3 −2 −1 0 +1 +2 +3 12% 27% 50% 73% 88% Ability minus item difficulty (logits)
Chance of a correct answer under the Rasch model, by the gap between your ability and the item's difficulty. Calculated by Prepia from the model's formula as given in O'Neill, Marks and Reynolds (NCSBN, 2005). Newer item types that award partial credit are scored with more than one point, so treat this as the idea, not the exact NCLEX calculation.

Why the NCLEX-RN passing score is not a percentage

The NCLEX-RN passing score cannot be turned into a percentage because your percentage depends on which items you were given, and the exam gives everyone items near their own limit. The 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan draws the contrast: only on a fixed-length exam, where everyone sees the same items, is "the percentage correct" the indicator of ability. Four things break that link on the NCLEX-RN.

Illustration of a nursing candidate at a computer in a testing room, with a path of question cards above the monitor rising and dipping toward a dashed threshold line with a yellow flag.
Adaptive testing picks each next item from your previous answers, so two candidates never take the same exam.

1. Every exam is different

After each answer, the computer re-estimates your ability from all your previous answers and the difficulty of those items, then picks the next item from the right test plan category (NCLEX.com, CAT). Two candidates with the same share correct may have answered very different items.

2. The items are meant to feel hard

The algorithm "selects items that are of optimal difficulty for the candidate," and by the end of the exam a candidate "usually receives items that they have approximately a 50% chance of answering completely correctly" (NCLEX.com FAQs). That holds for high-ability and borderline candidates alike. Because both keep getting items near their own level, both can finish with a similar share correct; what separates them is how difficult those items were.

3. Fifteen items do not count

Every NCLEX-RN includes 15 unscored pretest items, which NCSBN uses to gather data on new questions. They look like every other item, so "candidates cannot distinguish pretest items from operational items" (2026 test plan). Any count of "how many you got right" mixes in items that were never scored.

4. Many items award partial credit

Next Generation NCLEX items with more than one key are scored with partial credit, using three methods: plus/minus (points for correct options, deductions for incorrect ones, never below zero), zero/one (a point for each correct choice, none taken away) and rationale scoring (both halves of a linked pair must be right) (NCLEX.com FAQs). One item can be worth several points, so "questions right" is not even a well-defined count.

How is the NCLEX scored?

The NCLEX is scored by comparing your ability estimate with the passing standard after every item until the computer can decide. Everyone starts with a relatively easy item (NCLEX.com FAQs). From the 85th item on, the exam can end under one of three rules from the 2026 test plan and NCLEX.com.

The most common way the exam ends. After at least 85 items, the computer stops as soon as it is 95% certain that your ability is clearly above or clearly below 0.00 logits. Clearly above: pass. Clearly below: fail.

The diagram shows the first two rules. The shaded band is the 95% confidence range around your ability estimate; it narrows with every item.

How the NCLEX-RN decides when to stop Illustration, not real exam data. Left: a candidate whose ability estimate and its 95% confidence band sit clearly above the 0.00 logit passing standard by item 85; the exam stops and the candidate passes. Right: a candidate whose band still overlaps the standard at item 85; the exam continues to item 150 and the final ability estimate decides. item 85 0.00 standard A: clear result Band clears the line by item 85 Exam stops at 85. Pass. item 85 0.00 standard B: borderline Band still touches the line at 85 Runs to 150. Final estimate decides. Line: ability estimate. Shaded: 95% confidence band. Illustration, not real data. How the NCLEX-RN decides when to stop Illustration, not real exam data. Left: a candidate whose ability estimate and its 95% confidence band sit clearly above the 0.00 logit passing standard by item 85; the exam stops and the candidate passes. Right: a candidate whose band still overlaps the standard at item 85; the exam continues to item 150 and the final ability estimate decides. item 85 0.00 standard A: clear result Band clears the line by item 85 Exam stops at 85. Pass. item 85 0.00 standard B: borderline Band still touches the line at 85 Runs to 150. Final estimate decides. Line: ability estimate. Shaded: 95% confidence band. Not real exam data.
How the confidence rule and the maximum-length rule work. Illustration by Prepia based on the pass/fail rules in the 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan; the paths are invented, not real exam data.

Two test-day details from the test plan: you must answer every item and cannot go back after confirming one, and an item that resembles an earlier one is not a sign you got the first one wrong.

How many questions are on the NCLEX-RN?

The NCLEX-RN has between 85 and 150 items, and you have five hours, including all breaks, to finish (2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan). The first 85 items always follow the same recipe.

What the 85 to 150 NCLEX-RN items are made of Every NCLEX-RN has at least 85 items: 52 scored items from the eight content areas, 18 scored items in three clinical judgment case studies of six items each, and 15 unscored pretest items you cannot tell apart from the rest. The exam can continue up to 150 items, all within five hours including breaks. The first 85 items (every candidate) 85 150 52 scored items from the 8 content areas 18 scored items 3 case studies × 6 15 unscored pretest items Up to 65 more items only if no decision yet Five hours in total, breaks included. Scored items: 70 in the first 85. What the 85 to 150 NCLEX-RN items are made of Every NCLEX-RN has at least 85 items: 52 scored items from the eight content areas, 18 scored items in three clinical judgment case studies of six items each, and 15 unscored pretest items you cannot tell apart from the rest. The exam can continue up to 150 items, all within five hours including breaks. The first 85 items 52 scored items from the 8 content areas 18 scored items 3 case studies × 6 15 unscored pretest items Items 86–150 Up to 65 more only if no decision yet Five hours in total, breaks included.
What every NCLEX-RN contains. Source: 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan, Examination Length, accessed October 2, 2026.

Each of the three case studies has six items, one per step of NCSBN's Clinical Judgment Measurement Model: recognize cues, analyze cues, prioritize hypotheses, generate solutions, take action and evaluate outcomes.

NCSBN's yearly statistics show how first-time, U.S.-educated candidates' exams ended:

How long NCLEX-RN exams ran, 2023 to 2025 How long first-time, U.S.-educated NCLEX-RN candidates' exams ran. 2025: 59.1% stopped at the 85-item minimum, 20.4% between, 20.5% ran to the 150-item maximum, average 103 items. 2024: 65.4% minimum, 17.9% between, 16.7% maximum, average 100. April to December 2023: 71.8% minimum, 15.2% between, 13.0% maximum, average 97. Ended at 85 items (minimum) Ended between 86 and 149 Ran to 150 items (maximum) 2025 avg 103 items 59.1% 20.4% 20.5% 2024 avg 100 items 65.4% 17.9% 16.7% 2023* avg 97 items 71.8% 15.2% 13.0% * 2023 covers April–December, after the exam moved to 85–150 items. How long NCLEX-RN exams ran, 2023 to 2025 How long first-time, U.S.-educated NCLEX-RN candidates' exams ran. 2025: 59.1% stopped at the 85-item minimum, 20.4% between, 20.5% ran to the 150-item maximum, average 103 items. 2024: 65.4% minimum, 17.9% between, 16.7% maximum, average 100. April to December 2023: 71.8% minimum, 15.2% between, 13.0% maximum, average 97. Ended at 85 items (minimum) Ended between 86 and 149 Ran to 150 items (maximum) 2025 avg 103 items 59.1% 20.4% 20.5% 2024 avg 100 items 65.4% 17.9% 16.7% 2023* avg 97 items 71.8% 15.2% 13.0% * April–December 2023 only.
How long NCLEX-RN exams ran for first-time, U.S.-educated candidates. Source: NCSBN 2025, 2024 and 2023 NCLEX Examination Statistics, Table 3. The middle segment is calculated by Prepia as the remainder.

Stopping at 85 is the most common outcome, and it includes both the clearest passes and the clearest fails: "the length of the candidate's examination is not an indication of a pass or fail result." In 2025 the average first-time, U.S.-educated candidate took 103 items and 2 hours 14 minutes, and only 0.5% used the full five hours (NCSBN, 2025).

Test your understanding

A candidate's NCLEX-RN shuts off after the 85th item. What can they conclude?

Has the NCLEX-RN passing standard changed for 2027?

No. The NCLEX-RN passing standard for 2027 is the same 0.00 logits that has applied since April 2013. The standard is listed as effective through March 31, 2029, and NCSBN has not announced anything about the standard after that date.

The standard has moved before, and always upward. NCSBN's historical record shows these changes since adaptive testing began in 1994:

The NCLEX-RN passing standard since 1994 NCLEX-RN passing standard since computerized adaptive testing began: minus 0.4766 logits in April 1994, minus 0.42 from October 1995, minus 0.35 from April 1998, minus 0.28 from April 2004, minus 0.21 from April 2007, minus 0.16 from April 2010 and 0.00 from April 2013, retained in 2016, 2019, 2023 and 2026 and in force through March 31, 2029. Logits 0.0 −0.1 −0.2 −0.3 −0.4 −0.5 1994 2000 2006 2012 2018 2024 2030 −0.4766 −0.42 −0.35 −0.28 −0.21 −0.16 0.00 since April 2013 Retained 2016, 2019, 2023, 2026 Mar 2029 The NCLEX-RN passing standard since 1994 NCLEX-RN passing standard since computerized adaptive testing began: minus 0.4766 logits in April 1994, minus 0.42 from October 1995, minus 0.35 from April 1998, minus 0.28 from April 2004, minus 0.21 from April 2007, minus 0.16 from April 2010 and 0.00 from April 2013, retained in 2016, 2019, 2023 and 2026 and in force through March 31, 2029. −0.50 −0.25 0.00 Apr 1994 −0.4766 Oct 1995 −0.42 Apr 1998 −0.35 Apr 2004 −0.28 Apr 2007 −0.21 Apr 2010 −0.16 Apr 2013 0.00 0.00 retained in 2016, 2019, 2023 and 2026; in force through Mar 2029.
The NCLEX-RN passing standard since computerized adaptive testing began. Source: NCSBN, 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics (introduction and Figure 1 notes), accessed October 2, 2026.

When the standard rises, NCSBN says pass rates "tend to lower immediately after an increase" and "generally rebound within a few years" (NCLEX.com FAQs). Even with the standard fixed since 2013, the pass rate moves from year to year, as you would expect when "there is no fixed percentage of candidates that pass or fail" (2026 test plan):

YearFirst-time, U.S.-educated RN candidatesPass rate
2023186,374 tested, 165,058 passed88.6%
2024186,760 tested, 170,256 passed91.2%
2025192,916 tested, 167,272 passed86.7%

Source: NCSBN NCLEX Examination Statistics for 2023, 2024 and 2025, Table 1.

What does change in 2027 is the price. NCSBN announced that from February 1, 2027, the U.S. registration fee rises from $200 to $350. The fee depends on when you complete your registration, not when you test, and it applies to retakes too.

Dates that matter for a 2027 NCLEX-RN

Counts down to dates published by NCSBN and NCLEX.com.

Feb 1, 2027

U.S. registration fee rises to $350

Mar 31, 2029

Last day the 0.00 standard and the 2026 test plan are listed as effective

What the passing standard means for how you study

Because the exam measures ability against a fixed line, the useful question is not "what percentage do I need?" but "how reliably can I handle entry-level items?" Five habits follow.

  1. Practice at your edge. Most test-day items will feel hard because they are chosen to be. Get used to that feeling in practice.
  2. Learn the partial-credit formats. Plus/minus items deduct for wrong selections, so on "select all that apply" items choose only what you can justify.
  3. Work through full case studies. Eighteen scored items come from three six-item case studies; practice the whole sequence.
  4. Read nothing into the length. Keep a steady pace whether the exam ends at 85 or 150.
  5. Track weak areas, not percentages. NCSBN's own report sorts ability into below, near and above the standard. Do the same.

Here is an original practice item in the standard NCLEX-RN multiple-choice format, testing the kind of prioritization the exam favors.

Practice item: prioritization

A nurse receives report on four clients. Which client should the nurse assess first?

Before you sit the NCLEX-RN in 2027

0 of 6 done

After the exam: results, Quick Results and retakes

Your official result comes only from your nursing regulatory body (NRB), usually your state board of nursing, within six weeks of the exam (NCLEX.com, Results).

A nursing faculty member pins a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing at a pinning ceremony.
Graduation and pinning come first; passing the NCLEX-RN is what lets your board of nursing license you. “University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing graduation pinning ceremony (10010670)” by University of Texas at Arlington Photograph Collection, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Quick Results. If your NRB takes part, unofficial results cost $7.95 two business days after the exam (NCLEX.com, Quick Results). They do not authorize you to practice.
  • If you do not pass. A Candidate Performance Report rates your ability in each content area and in clinical judgment as below, near or above the passing standard (NCLEX.com, CPR).
  • Retakes. NCSBN allows a retake 45 days after the exam, up to eight times a year; some boards are stricter. Each attempt starts fresh (NCLEX.com FAQs).

Frequently asked questions

What percentage do you need to pass the NCLEX-RN?

None. The NCLEX-RN has no percentage passing score. You pass when your ability estimate is at or above the 0.00-logit passing standard. Because each candidate gets items matched to their ability, the share answered correctly does not decide the result.

How many questions do you need to get right to pass the NCLEX-RN?

There is no fixed number. The exam has 85 to 150 items, 15 of them unscored, and many award partial credit. What counts is how difficult the items you answer correctly are, not how many.

How do I know if I passed the NCLEX right away?

You cannot know for certain at the test center. The fastest route is Quick Results: if your board of nursing participates, unofficial results are available through your Pearson account two business days after the exam for $7.95. Official results come from your board within six weeks.

Does the NCLEX shutting off at 85 questions mean I passed?

No. Ending at 85 means the computer was 95% certain of a result, which can be a pass or a fail.

Is the NCLEX-RN passing standard changing in 2027?

No. NCLEX.com lists the 0.00-logit standard as effective through March 31, 2029. What changes in 2027 is the U.S. registration fee: $350 from February 1, 2027.

Is the NCLEX-PN passing standard the same as the RN standard?

No. The NCLEX-PN standard is −0.18 logits, and NCSBN notes that the RN and PN standards are not directly comparable because they rest on different item pools and scopes of practice. Our separate NCLEX-PN guide covers it.

Sources

  1. NCLEX.com (NCSBN) — Passing Standard, accessed October 2, 2026.
  2. NCLEX.com (NCSBN) — Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT), accessed October 2, 2026.
  3. NCSBN — 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan (PDF), accessed October 2, 2026.
  4. NCLEX.com (NCSBN) — Test Plans, accessed October 2, 2026.
  5. NCLEX.com (NCSBN) — Frequently Asked Questions, accessed October 2, 2026.
  6. NCSBN — 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics, Research Brief Vol. 96 (PDF), accessed October 2, 2026.
  7. NCSBN — 2024 NCLEX Examination Statistics, Research Brief Vol. 94 (PDF), accessed October 2, 2026.
  8. NCSBN — 2023 NCLEX Examination Statistics, Research Brief Vol. 88 (PDF), accessed October 2, 2026.
  9. O'Neill, Marks and Reynolds — Re-Evaluating the NCLEX-RN Passing Standard, Journal of Nursing Measurement, 2005 (NCSBN PDF), accessed October 2, 2026.
  10. NCSBN — NCLEX Fee Changes Feb. 1 (August 21, 2026), accessed October 2, 2026.
  11. NCLEX.com (NCSBN) — Fees & Payment, accessed October 2, 2026.
  12. NCLEX.com (NCSBN) — Exam Results, accessed October 2, 2026.
  13. NCLEX.com (NCSBN) — Quick Results, accessed October 2, 2026.
  14. NCLEX.com (NCSBN) — Candidate Performance Report, accessed October 2, 2026.

Facts in this article were checked against the sources listed above on Oct 2, 2026.

NCLEX, NCLEX-RN and NCSBN are registered trademarks of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN), which is not affiliated with and does not endorse Prepia.

Image credits: “University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing graduation pinning ceremony (10010670)” by University of Texas at Arlington Photograph Collection, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Illustrations generated with AI for Prepia.