First-time, U.S.-educated candidates passed the NCLEX-RN at an 83.8% rate between July 1 and Sept. 30, 2026, according to the NCLEX pass rate dashboard run by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). In that quarter, 56,670 first-time candidates took the licensing exam, about 9% more than in the same months of 2025.

The third-quarter result is slightly below the 84.0% recorded in summer 2025 and well under the 89.2% of summer 2024, so the spring rebound in the NCLEX pass rate did not carry through. As of Oct. 14, 2026, the dashboard showed a last-updated date of Oct. 10. NCSBN says its live dashboard can differ slightly from its PDF reports as records are reconciled, so these figures may move by a few tenths of a point.

NCLEX Pass Rates 2026 by Quarter

The table shows the first-time NCLEX pass rate for U.S.-educated RN candidates. The 2024 and 2025 figures match NCSBN's annual statistics reports, most recently the 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics, published in June 2026. The 2026 figures come from the dashboard.

Quarter	2024	2025	2026
Jan.-March	94.2%	88.4%	86.7%
April-June	92.7%	89.1%	90.0%
July-Sept.	89.2%	84.0%	83.8%
Oct.-Dec.	82.2%	81.2%	In progress
Full year	91.2%	86.7%	Not yet available

The year opened weakly, with 86.7% in the first quarter against 88.4% a year earlier. The second quarter was the only one since the start of 2025 to beat the same quarter of the previous year, at 90.0% against 89.1%. An NCSBN quarterly report that the Ohio Board of Nursing reposted, dated July 21, 2026, gives the same two quarters as 86.75% and 90.05%.

Across the first nine months of 2026, 87.1% of 182,046 first-time U.S.-educated candidates passed. That is our calculation from NCSBN's quarterly figures, and it compares with about 87.4% for the same period of 2025 and 92.1% in 2024. In both 2024 and 2025 the fourth quarter had the lowest rate, though it also had the fewest test takers.

How BSN, ADN and PN Candidates Fared

The dashboard splits results by degree. In the third quarter of 2026, the first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate for bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) graduates was 85.1%, the same as a year earlier. Associate degree in nursing (ADN) graduates passed at 82.5%, down from 83.0%, and diploma graduates at 79.2%. For all of 2025, NCSBN reported 87.6% for BSN candidates, 86.1% for ADN candidates and 83.3% for diploma candidates. Our guide to the different types of nursing degrees explains how these pathways differ.

The NCLEX pass rate for the practical nurse exam (NCLEX-PN) also slipped. First-time U.S.-educated PN candidates passed at 86.2% in the third quarter of 2026, compared with 88.8% in the same quarter of 2025.

Other groups still pass at much lower rates. In 2025, 52.7% of U.S.-educated repeat test takers and 47.3% of first-time internationally educated candidates passed the RN exam, NCSBN reported. Across every candidate type, the 2025 NCLEX-RN pass rate was 69.1%.

What the April 2026 Test Plan Changed

New NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN test plans took effect April 1, 2026, and run through March 31, 2029. In its summary for NCSBN's 2025 Delegate Assembly, the NCLEX Examination Committee said the "overall format is retained" and "Client Needs category percentages retained." The one change to the category structure is a renamed subcategory: "Safety and Infection Control" became "Safety and Infection Prevention and Control." The committee also said it had added new activity statements.

Two statements in the 2026 RN test plan that do not appear in the 2023 version are "Perform care for clients to support unbiased treatment and equal access to care" and "Monitor and maintain internal monitoring devices (e.g., intracranial pressure monitor, intrauterine pressure catheter)."

The exam's structure is the same. RN candidates answer 85 to 150 items in a five-hour window, and the minimum-length exam includes three clinical judgment case studies. NCSBN's 2025 statistics report says the RN passing standard, set at 0.00 logits in April 2013, was retained again in April 2026, and the PN standard of -0.18 logits was also kept. The 2025 drop therefore happened without any change to the passing standard. NCSBN has not explained the decline in the documents reviewed for this article.

How State Boards Publish Program-Level NCLEX Pass Rates

NCSBN's national numbers are averages. Schools are judged by state boards of nursing, and many boards publish results for each program:

Texas: The Texas Board of Nursing's April 2026 report on 2025 results put Texas programs at 88.63%, against a national 86.71%. It said 18 professional nursing programs will have to submit a self-study report for falling below 80%. The board's report on 2024 results said seven programs might have to do so.
California: The Board of Registered Nursing lists first-time pass rates by school for July-June years. The latest period shown is 2024-25, and the board says it posts annual rates in October or November.
Ohio: Under Rule 4723-5-23 of the Ohio Administrative Code, a program's benchmark NCLEX pass rate is 95% of the national first-time average. A 2025 Ohio board memo lays out the steps that follow repeat misses, up to provisional approval after four consecutive years.

The NCSBN report reposted by Ohio also shows how far states spread. For January through June 2026, first-time RN candidates educated in California passed at 91.10%, in Texas at 89.33%, in Ohio at 87.05% and in Florida at 83.43%, against 88.59% nationally.

What Happens Next

Fourth-quarter 2026 data: October-December results will build on the dashboard through the end of the year. NCSBN's quarterly reports to boards have come out within weeks of a quarter closing; the second-quarter 2026 report is dated July 21. Complete calendar-year 2026 figures are therefore likely in January 2027. This is an estimate, not an NCSBN date.
Annual 2026 statistics: NCSBN released its 2025 statistics report in June 2026 and its 2024 report in July 2025, so a 2026 edition would be expected around mid-2027 (estimate).
California school rates: based on the board's stated schedule, 2025-26 program results should be posted in October or November 2026. They had not appeared as of Oct. 14.
Texas program rates: the board reported 2025 results at its April 2026 meeting, so 2026 results are likely at its April 2027 meeting (estimate).
Test plan: the current plans stay in effect through March 31, 2029.

Figures are from NCSBN's dashboard, NCSBN reports and state board documents as of Oct. 14, 2026. Dashboard figures are live and may be revised.