How Is the NCLEX Scored? Pass/Fail Rules Explained
6 min read · Updated
The NCLEX-RN is scored pass or fail. There is no percentage or number score. Instead, the exam estimates your ability after every question and compares it with a passing standard set by NCSBN, the organization that writes and owns the exam.
Computer adaptive testing
After each answer, the computer updates its estimate of your ability and picks the next question to be about as hard as it thinks you can handle. If you answer correctly, the next question tends to be harder; if not, easier. Feeling that the questions are hard is normal and usually means the exam is working near your level.
When the exam stops
- Confidence rule: once you have answered the minimum number of questions, the exam stops as soon as it is 95% certain your ability is above or below the passing standard.
- Maximum length rule: if it is still unsure, the exam ends at the 150th question and decides from your final ability estimate.
- Run-out-of-time rule: if time runs out, you must have answered at least the minimum number of questions; the decision then comes from your final ability estimate.
Partial credit on select-all items
Many Next Generation NCLEX items earn partial credit. Select-all-that-apply items commonly use +/- scoring: a point for each correct option chosen and a point taken away for each incorrect one, with zero as the lowest score for the item. Guessing on every option is therefore costly.
What practice scores can and cannot tell you
No practice test can reproduce NCSBN's adaptive scoring, so no practice score is a pass or fail. Our exams show your percentage of points, a readiness band and your score in each client-needs area, so you can see where to focus.