Students who want to take the NCLEX-RN must be graduates of an accredited nursing program. The National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission (NLNAC) accredits quality nursing schools. Students can find a list of accredited programs on the NLNAC website. Accredited nursing schools include a variety of hospital, college, community college and university programs.
Registration for the NCLEX exam is required for all potential test takers. Before registering, nursing students must submit an application for licensure with their specific state boards of nursing. After the application for licensure has been submitted and accepted, students can register for the test with the exam administrator, Pearson VUE. Registration can be complete online, by mail or via telephone. A testing fee must be paid at this time. Payments can be made by credit card, personal check, money order or certified check.
An Authorization to Test (ATT) will be issued after the student's individual state board of nursing finds the applicant eligible for nursing licensure. The ATT will either be sent via U.S. mail or delivered through e-mail if an address has been provided by the student. ATTs must be presented at the time of the NCLEX exam and are only valid for a specified number of days. This varies from 60 to 365 days, depending on the state.
On the day of the scheduled exam, NCLEX test takers must follow a set of specified procedures. This includes arriving 30 minutes prior to the test time and bringing all required documents. Documents and items required for test entry are the ATT and a valid form of identification (U.S. driver's license, U.S. state ID card, passport or U.S. military ID). Additionally, students must submit a series of biometrics for identification purposes. Biometric identification such as a written signature, photo, palm vein scan and fingerprints will be taken at the testing site on the day of the exam.