The National Council Licensure Examination for registered nurses (NCLEX-RN) and practical nurses (NCLEX-PN) are mandatory tests for individuals planning on entering professional nursing practice. Developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the NCLEX exams range from 75 to 265 (RN) or 85 to 205 (PN) questions on nursing assessment, practice and techniques. This computerized test is considered an adaptive exam, and adjusts level of difficulty and number of questions depending on the test takers responses. Nursing students must pass the NCLEX test, either RN or PN depending on area of degree, prior to licensing. Individual state boards of nursing will not grant licensure to nurses who fail to pass this standardized test.
Unlike the NCLEX exam, C-NET testing is not a prerequisite for state nursing licensure. The Center for Nursing Education and Testing (C-NET) provides a variety of exam options ranging from pre-nursing assessments to specialized registered nurse tests. Specialized tests may be necessary for advanced practice certifications or career mobility. C-NET specialized tests include dermatology, medical-surgical, nephrology, plastic-surgical, urology and radiology designations. State boards of nursing do not issue C-NET exams, nor to they require them for professional practice.
Individual state boards of nursing are responsible for establishing eligibility and pass rate requirements for the NCLEX tests. Student nurse graduates must apply for licensure with their state board of nursing prior to taking the test. Additionally, test takers must receive an Authorization to Test (ATT) in order to sit for either NCLEX exam. In contrast, C-NET exam requirements are mandated by the specific certification board or specialty for the test. For example, the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB) establishes testing requirements for the medical-surgical C-NET. These and other specialty requirements, include specified years of nursing practice and professional licensure.
All NCLEX tests are administered through the Pearson VUE corporation. Pearson VUE is an educational testing company that works in conjunction with the NCSBN to offer registered and practical nurse candidates testing options in their geographic area. All NCLEX candidates should register with Pearson VUE for the exam. The Center for Nursing Education and Testing directly administers C-NET tests for the individual professional practice specialties and pre-nursing programs. Potential students, nursing candidates and specialty practice nurses should contact C-NET directly for application and test-taking instructions.