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Field Notes
Field NotesJul 2026

How Hard Is the NCLEX-PN®? 2026 Pass Rates and What They Mean

86% of first-time U.S.-educated students passed the NCLEX-PN® in early 2026. Repeat takers passed at 42.7%. Here's what the numbers really say.

July 12, 20263 min readBy Harrison Hesslink
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TL;DR: Per NCSBN's 2025 NCLEX® Examination Statistics, 86.6% of first-time, U.S.-educated students passed the NCLEX-PN® in 2025. The scarier numbers you see quoted, like 77.3%, blend in repeat takers and internationally educated test-takers. Your first attempt is your best shot, so prepare for it.

The pass rates, without the spin

NCSBN publishes NCLEX® pass rates every quarter and a full-year report. Here's how the NCLEX-PN® numbers break down for all of 2025 (NCSBN, 2026):

  • First-time, U.S.-educated students: 86.6% (54,818 test-takers)
  • All test-takers combined: 77.3%
  • Repeat takers (U.S.-educated): 41.7%

Prep companies that want to scare you quote the combined rate. Schools that want to brag quote the first-time rate. Both are real. They describe different groups.

The first number is the one that applies to you. If you finished a U.S. practical or vocational nursing program and you're sitting the exam for the first time, students in your exact position pass at about 87%.

Is the NCLEX-PN® easier than the NCLEX-RN®?

Not really. First-time, U.S.-educated RN test-takers passed at 86.7% in 2025. That's essentially the same.

The exams test different scopes, not different levels of seriousness. The NCLEX-PN® follows its own 2026 NCSBN PN Test Plan, built around the practical nurse role: collecting data, reinforcing teaching, and contributing to the care plan under an RN or provider. The questions are written for your scope. They aren't watered-down RN questions. We compared the two side by side in NCLEX-PN® vs NCLEX-RN®.

Why the repeat-taker number should change your plan

Look at the gap between 86.6% and 41.7%. It's the most useful thing in the whole dataset.

Your first attempt is statistically your best one. After a failed attempt the odds drop, and not because you got less smart. Retakes come with a waiting period, test anxiety piles up, and the habits behind the first result tend to repeat.

So don't book the exam to force yourself to study. Study until your practice numbers say you're ready, then book it.

What makes the NCLEX-PN® feel hard

The exam is computer-adaptive. Each question depends on how you answered the last ones, and pass or fail is decided against a fixed standard, not a percentage score. In practice:

  • It always feels hard. The algorithm keeps serving questions near the edge of your ability. Feeling stretched means it's working. It doesn't mean you're failing.
  • Recognition won't carry you. Next Generation NCLEX® formats like case studies, matrix items, and select-all-that-apply reward applied judgment over memorized facts.
  • Prioritization is everywhere. "All of these actions are reasonable, which comes first?" is the exam's favorite move, especially in Coordinated Care, which has the biggest weighting in the PN test plan (18-24%, per the 2026 PN test plan).

How to be in the 87%

Nothing exotic. Students who pass the first time tend to:

  1. Practice with questions instead of rereading. Retrieval practice beats highlighting. Answer questions, then read the rationales.
  2. Practice their own scope. PN questions frame decisions around data collection and working under direction. If your question bank only has RN questions, test-day wording will feel foreign.
  3. Track weak categories, not vibes. The PN test plan has eight Client Needs content areas. Your accuracy in each one tells you where the next study hour goes.

Study With Lily is built that way: adaptive NCLEX-PN® practice aligned to the 2026 PN test plan, with a rationale after every question and category-level tracking. You can try a free PN practice test without a card and see where you stand today.

The bottom line

The NCLEX-PN® is adaptive, so it feels hard for everyone. Still, about 87% of first-time, U.S.-educated students passed in 2025. Prepare like your first attempt is the one that counts. Statistically, it is.

Pass-rate figures are from NCSBN's 2025 NCLEX® Examination Statistics (published June 2026). NCLEX® is a registered trademark of NCSBN. Study With Lily is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by NCSBN.