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Exam guide

Reading your Candidate Performance Report

If you didn't pass the NCLEX, you'll be sent a two-page Candidate Performance Report. It shows where you stood against the passing standard in each part of the test plan, which is what you need to plan a retake.

The three ratings

The report rates each of the eight content areas of your exam's test plan, and Clinical Judgment, with one of three ratings.

  • Below the passing standard

    Your performance in this area was clearly under the standard. Start your review here.

  • Near the passing standard

    Not clearly above or below the standard. It doesn't mean you were at or above it, so study it next.

  • Above the passing standard

    Clearly over the standard. Keep reviewing it so it stays there.

If you answered fewer than the minimum number of questions, you get a shorter report instead. It says how many questions you answered and how many are needed to be evaluated.

The content areas it rates

These are the eight areas of each 2026 test plan, with the share of the exam's questions the plan gives each one. A larger area brings more questions on your next exam.

NCLEX-RN

  • Management of Care 15–21%
  • Safety and Infection Prevention and Control 10–16%
  • Health Promotion and Maintenance 6–12%
  • Psychosocial Integrity 6–12%
  • Basic Care and Comfort 6–12%
  • Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies 13–19%
  • Reduction of Risk Potential 9–15%
  • Physiological Adaptation 11–17%

NCLEX-PN

  • Coordinated Care 18–24%
  • Safety and Infection Prevention and Control 10–16%
  • Health Promotion and Maintenance 6–12%
  • Psychosocial Integrity 9–15%
  • Basic Care and Comfort 7–13%
  • Pharmacological Therapies 10–16%
  • Reduction of Risk Potential 9–15%
  • Physiological Adaptation 7–13%

What the ratings can't tell you

The NCLEX isn't graded in sections. Your performance on the whole exam decided the result, so the area ratings don't add up to it.

NCSBN describes the report as an indication of your strengths and weaknesses. Read it as a map of where to study.

Where to start studying

NCSBN's advice is to start with the areas rated below the passing standard, work up to the ones near it, and keep studying the ones above it. In practice:

  1. 1

    Start with the areas rated below the passing standard. Among them, begin with the ones the test plan gives the most questions.

  2. 2

    Move up to the areas rated near it. They may still be below it.

  3. 3

    Keep the areas rated above it in your review. They stay strong only if you keep practicing them.

  4. 4

    Check your Clinical Judgment rating. If it's below or near the standard, practice whole case studies as well as single questions.

The Clinical Judgment rating

Clinical judgment is measured by the exam's three case studies and its stand-alone items such as bow-ties, and the report rates it apart from the content areas. It follows six steps: recognize cues, analyze cues, prioritize hypotheses, generate solutions, take action and evaluate outcomes.

See every NGN question type with an example to learn how those questions work and how they're scored.

When you can retake the exam

NCSBN's retake policy lets you take the exam again 45 days after your last attempt, up to eight times a year. Some nursing regulatory bodies (your state board) make you wait longer or allow fewer attempts, so ask yours before you plan.

Your official result comes only from your nursing regulatory body, within six weeks of the exam.

  1. 1

    Tell your nursing regulatory body that you plan to retake the exam. It will tell you about any fees or documents it needs.

  2. 2

    Register again with Pearson and pay the exam fee.

  3. 3

    Wait for your new Authorization to Test (ATT).

  4. 4

    Schedule your new exam appointment.

These rules are NCSBN's, as published on nclex.com in November 2026. They can change, so check there and with your nursing regulatory body.

Turn the report into a plan

Our Retake Plan does this for you. Enter the rating for each content area, and it lists your areas in the order to work on them, with your progress in each. It's free to set up with an account.

With a plan for your exam, each retake quiz is 20 questions weighted toward your weak areas: three from an area below the passing standard for every two from an area near it and one from an area above it, the ones you haven't answered first. With an exam date set, your daily study target counts only the areas rated below or near the standard.

If you bought a plan here before your exam and had answered at least 80% of your exam's question bank before your exam date, the pass guarantee gives you your plan's length again, free. Claim within 60 days of your exam.

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Take a free practice quiz

15 questions from across your exam's test plan, timed or untimed, with a rationale for every answer. It takes a free account and no card.

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