3 Steps of the NCLEX Exams Process That You Shouldn’t Miss

3 Steps of the NCLEX Exam Process That You Shouldn’t Miss

After graduating from nursing school, the next best step is the NCLEX exam. To proceed with the exam, you must first understand how the exam process goes.

There are two kinds of NCLEX exams to take. These are the NCLEX-RN, the National Council License Examination for Registered Nurses, and the NCLEX-LPN, or the National Council Licensure Exam for Practical Nurses. Both examinations determine the competence of nurses to take on their roles. This exam will evaluate your critical thinking skills in making nursing judgments.

Before taking the said exam, it’s best to understand how the process goes. You should take advantage of the three steps of the NCLEX exam process.

Registration

Apply for a licensure exam/registration to the Nursing Regulatory Board/Body in the state where you wish to become a registered nurse.
Register online, by phone, or by mail with Pearson VUE. Check that all your details and information match the one you sent when registering at the test center.
Pay all fees and receive your eligibility from Pearson VUE.

Note: If you registered online, check your spam or junk folders for the correspondence from Pearson VUE. If you did not place an email address for a response, all correspondence would arrive via US mail.

Pick a Schedule

Once you have received your eligibility from Pearson VUE, schedule your appointment to take the test. It means you have to pick the date and time you would like to take your NCLEX exam.

You can choose your schedule by visiting their website at www.pearsonvue.com/nclex or by calling Pearson VUE. You can also change the appointment date if something were to come up, given that you follow the dates available and inform your testing center ahead.

For exams scheduled on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, you must call Pearson VUE at least 24 hours before your exam.

Call no later than Friday or 1 full business day ahead if your exam schedule lands on a Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

Present an ID

Bring a valid identification card and your Authorization to Test (ATT) on the day of your examination.

For examinees living in the United States of America, American Samoa, Northern Marianas Islands, Guam, and the Virgin Islands, the ID you can present are:

U.S. Identification Card
US Driver’s license (not student’s/learner’s or temporary ones)
Passport

International examinees must also present their valid passports only. It must be in English, with their signature and photo. However, candidates whose ID is from a country on the US embargoed lists are not allowed to take the exam.

You must have valid identification and ATT on the day of your appointment to be allowed to take the exam, and the test session will be forfeited. It means you will have to re-register and pay the fees again. You must double-check everything while applying for the exam and AFTER receiving the permits.

You will receive the results of your NCLEX application within a month from your examination date.

Important Things to Remember

Nurses from other parts of the world interested in taking the NCLEX exam must pay the fees of $150, including the Value Added Tax (VAT) where applicable. They must schedule online and pay the fees included to take the exam.

Applicants who wish to change their Nursing Regulatory Board/Body must contact customer services and pay $50. Changes like examination language and type are also subject to fees of $50 each.

International applicants who want to change an already scheduled test appointment must coordinate and call Pearson VUE’s customer service for these changes.

Final Thoughts

NCLEX is the last hurdle to take so you can practice your profession legally. Knowing the exam process saves you time and effort. So be sure to understand each process by heart. This way, you are ready to tackle the exam quickly and understand that all your hard work has to come to this day. Congratulations, and the best of luck!

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