Nearly 42,000 fewer RNs took the NCLEX in 2024 (317,710) compared to 2023 (358,998), according to data from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. These figures include all candidates, including first-time and repeat test takers, as well as those educated in the U.S. and internationally.
When focusing on U.S.-educated RNs taking the test for the first time, 91.16% of 186,686 passed in 2024. In the year prior, 88.56% of 186,350 passed.
Among all practical nurse candidates, 79.07% of 63,142 NCLEX takers passed in 2024, while 74.54% of 65,679 NCLEX takers passed in 2023.
For U.S.-educated PNs, the passage rate for 50,570 first-time test takers was 88.38% in 2024. Similar to the other year-over-year results, 2024 slightly outpaced 2023’s passage rates: In 2023, 86.67% of the 47,552 U.S.-educated PNs taking it for the first time passed the test.
The rising passage rate of the NCLEX is the subject of some controversy among critics of the test and nursing school curricula. Learn more about the debate surrounding increasing passage rates here.
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