Registered nurse candidates passed the National Council Licensure Examination-RN exam at a 74.4% rate in the first half of 2026, already surpassing the exam’s entire 2025 pass rate, according to new data from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
The rebound follows a February report that found the NCLEX-RN pass rate fell to an average 69.1% in 2025 — the first annual decline since the exam’s 2023 redesign — and a decrease from 2024’s 73.3% average pass rate.
According to data last updated June 27, first-time, U.S.-educated candidates passed the exam at an 88.6% rate through June, up from 86.7% for all of 2025, though still below 2024’s 91.2% high. The improvement built through the first half of the year: first-time, U.S.-educated candidates passed at 86.7% in the first quarter of 2026 before increasing to 90.2% in the second quarter.
Internationally educated candidates taking the exam for the first time saw the largest swing, as 51% passed in the first half of 2026, up from 47.3% in 2025.
Repeat test-takers showed a more mixed recovery. U.S.-educated repeat candidates passed at 51.6% through the first half of 2026, roughly consistent with the past three years. Internationally educated repeat candidates remained the exam’s lowest-performing group, passing at 31.7% — a slight improvement from 2025’s 30.5% but a decline from 42.4% in 2023.
The NCLEX exam for practical nurses did not show the same rebound. Practical nurse candidates passed the NCLEX-PN 76.2% through the first half of 2026, below 2025’s 77.3% full-year rate and further off 2024’s 79.1% high.
Access the NCLEX pass rate dashboard here.
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