What NCLEX Pass Rates Actually Tell You

If you've spent any time researching nursing schools, you've probably seen "NCLEX pass rate" mentioned everywhere. But what does this number actually mean, and how should you use it when comparing programs? Let's break it down.

What is the NCLEX?

The NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses) is the standardized exam every nursing graduate must pass to become a licensed RN. It's developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) and is the final gatepost between nursing school and professional practice.

What is a "pass rate"?

A program's NCLEX pass rate is the percentage of its graduates who passed the NCLEX on their first attempt within a given year. For example, if a program graduated 100 students and 92 passed on their first try, the pass rate is 92%.

Most state boards of nursing publish these rates annually, and they're one of the few standardized, publicly available quality metrics for nursing programs.

What's a good pass rate?

The national average first-attempt pass rate typically hovers around 85–88%. Here's a rough guide:

• Above 90% — Excellent. The program is well above average and its graduates are well-prepared.
• 85–90% — Good. In line with or slightly above the national average.
• 80–85% — Acceptable, but worth investigating. Are rates trending up or down?
• Below 80% — Concerning. Many state boards place programs on probation or require improvement plans at this level.

What pass rates don't tell you

While pass rates are valuable, they have limitations:

• Small sample sizes — A program that graduates 10 students per year can swing from 70% to 100% based on just one or two test-takers. Look at rates over multiple years for a fuller picture.
• Selection bias — Some programs are highly selective in admissions, which can inflate pass rates. A program with a 95% pass rate and a 20% acceptance rate is filtering out weaker candidates before they ever sit for the exam.
• Attrition — A program might start with 60 students but only graduate 30. The pass rate only reflects those who made it to the finish line, not the overall success rate of enrolled students.
• Second-attempt rates — First-attempt rates get all the attention, but many students who fail the first time pass on their second or third attempt. Some programs provide excellent remediation support.

How to use pass rates wisely

Our recommendation: use NCLEX pass rates as a screening tool, not the sole deciding factor. Here's a practical approach:

1. Set a floor. Consider filtering out programs below 80% unless they have a compelling upward trend.
2. Look at trends. A program that went from 78% to 88% over three years is on a better trajectory than one that dropped from 95% to 85%.
3. Consider the cohort size. Rates from programs graduating 50+ students per year are more statistically reliable.
4. Combine with other factors. Pair pass rate data with tuition, location, clinical site quality, and program reputation for a well-rounded view.

Where NurseWay gets its data

We collect NCLEX pass rate data directly from state boards of nursing across 44 states. Each state publishes data differently — some in PDFs, some in Excel files, some on interactive dashboards — so we normalize everything into a consistent format. We currently have pass rate data for over 1,800 programs, and we're adding more every month.

Bottom line

NCLEX pass rates are one of the most useful data points in your nursing school search, but they work best when combined with other metrics. A program with a 95% pass rate but $120,000 tuition might not be the right fit. A program with an 87% pass rate and $8,000 tuition might be perfect. Let the data inform your decision, but don't let a single number make it for you.