NCLEX-RN® Examination — 85–150 questions · 300 minutes · Passing score: Pass or fail only — no fixed cut score. PrepPass also publishes a complete study guide for this exam as a downloadable book (107 pages, 120 practice questions inside, $19.99).
Exam inside two weeks?
A printable colour cheat sheet for the exam: the format, the content areas and the figures it turns on, each checked against a named source and dated.
NCLEX-RN Nursing Licensure cheat sheet PDF — $9.99 →
6 pages · US Letter · printable PDF · yours to keep
Test what you know · free, all of it
The same 400 questions, dealt five ways. Pick the one that fits the time you have.
Learn what the questions test
Practice finds the gaps. Reading closes them. The seven chapters below are free to read online. The study guide book is a separate download, sold on its own page.
Before you sit
See the questions first
Real items, with the answer marked and the reason written out — the same format as all 400.
A nurse reviews a client's laboratory results. Which serum potassium value is within the normal range?
Why: The normal serum potassium range is approximately 3.5 to 5.0 mEq/L, so 4.0 mEq/L is normal. Values of 6.5 and 7.2 indicate hyperkalemia, and 2.8 indicates hypokalemia.
A charge nurse is assigning tasks at the start of a shift. Which task is appropriate to delegate to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP)?
Why: UAP may perform routine, standardized tasks such as vital signs on stable clients. Assessment, IV titration, and client teaching require the judgment of a licensed nurse and cannot be delegated.
Watch
The exam itself
| Questions | 85–150 questionsA range, not a number: the NCLEX-RN is a variable-length computerized adaptive test. Every RN candidate must answer at least 85 items, and no candidate answers more than 150, within the same five-hour limit. The length of your exam is not a sign of passing or failing — NCSBN states a candidate may pass or fail at any length. Of a minimum-length 85-item exam, 15 items are unscored pretest items (the other 70 are 52 content-area items plus three six-item clinical judgment case studies); NCSBN does not publish the scored/unscored split for longer exams, so no fixed number of scored items is stated here. |
|---|---|
| Time | 300 minutesFive hours, and NCSBN is explicit that the limit does not change with the number of items administered. The five hours include the introductory screen and all breaks, which are optional: a break is offered after about two hours of testing and again after about three and a half hours, and the clock does not stop for them. Running out of time before the minimum number of items has been answered is an automatic fail. |
| Sections | Management of Care · Safety & Infection Control · Health Promotion · Psychosocial Integrity · Basic Care & Comfort · Pharmacological Therapies · Physiological Adaptation & Reduction of Risk Potential |
| Passing score | Pass or fail only — no fixed cut scoreThere is no percentage and no number of correct answers that means “pass”. NCSBN publishes the NCLEX-RN passing standard as 0.00 logits on the NCLEX-RN ability scale; its Board of Directors voted in December 2022 to uphold that standard, and it is effective through March 31, 2029. The exam ends under one of three rules: the computer stops once it is 95% certain the candidate's ability is clearly above or clearly below the standard (after the minimum 85 items); at 150 items it decides on the final ability estimate alone; and if time runs out, the candidate fails unless the minimum number of items was answered, in which case the final ability estimate decides. NCSBN also states that there is no fixed percentage of candidates who pass or fail. |
| Our bank | 400 questions · updated August 2026Written from National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) |
| Languages | English |
| Source | National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)Verified 2026-09-20 |
Helpful resources
Recommended prep — books & tools
The most widely used NCLEX-RN review, with thousands of practice questions.
See it on Amazon →This section contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, PrepPass earns from qualifying purchases. We may earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.
Nursing Exams (NCLEX & Entrance)
Questions
All 400 questions, the timed mock and the report are free with no sign-up. A free account only adds saving your progress. The study guide book is sold separately, $19.99 one-time; nothing in the practice requires it.
No. Ours is 100 questions in 120 minutes; the real exam is 300 minutes long. Use the mock for stamina and section timing, not as a score predictor.
Pass or fail only — no fixed cut score — as published by National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). Confirm the current rule with them before your exam date.
Yes. PrepPass sells NCLEX-RN Exam — Complete Study Guide (2026), a PDF + EPUB download, $19.99 one-time; the practice on this page stays free without it. See the study guide →
