What is the passing score for the NCLEX?

There isn't one. The NCLEX is a pass/fail computer-adaptive test with no numeric score. Passing is measured against an ability standard (0.00 logits for the NCLEX-RN through March 2026), not a point total or a percentage correct.

Does shutting off at 85 questions mean I passed?

Not necessarily. The exam stops at 85 when the computer is 95% confident your ability is clearly above or clearly below the standard. That is decisive either way. Because most candidates are above the standard, an early stop more often reflects a pass, but it is not a guarantee.

Is going to 150 questions a bad sign?

No. Reaching 150 means your ability estimate stayed close to the passing standard, so the computer kept asking questions. Under the Maximum-Length Rule you pass if your final ability estimate is above the standard. It is genuinely too close to call from the count alone.

What happens if I run out of time?

The Run-Out-of-Time (R.O.O.T.) Rule applies. You pass only if the last 60 ability estimates were consistently above the passing standard. Running out of time is not an automatic fail.

Can this tool tell me if I passed?

No. Nothing can except your official board of nursing result. This tool interprets the stop rules and your practice performance to give an educational readiness signal, not a verdict.

NCLEX Pass Probability Calculator 2026

NCLEX Pass Probability Calculator

The NCLEX is pass/fail, so there is no numeric score and no fixed passing score to hit. This tool reads what your exam length actually means under NCSBN's stop rules and pairs it with the strongest honest predictor: your practice performance.

This is an educational readiness estimate, not a prediction of your official result. No tool can tell you if you passed. Only your board of nursing result can.

Which exam did you take?

How did your exam end?

How many questions did you get?85

The NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN are 85 to 150 items.

How is your practice-question performance?

Readiness signal

Encouraging

The signals lean toward a pass.

Strong practice performance is the best predictor we have, and it lines up with a favorable read. That said, the only real answer is your official result. Nothing about the question count changes that.

What your exam length means

Your exam stopped at 85 items because the computer became 95% confident your ability was clearly above or clearly below the passing standard. An early shut-off is decisive either way, not automatically a pass. Because most candidates perform above the standard, an early stop more often reflects a pass, but it is not a guarantee.

First-time, U.S.-educated pass rate

91.2%

NCLEX-RN, 2024 NCSBN data. The number that applies to most new grads.

All-candidate pass rate

73.3%

NCLEX-RN, 2024. Lower because it blends in repeat and internationally educated testers.

The myth, debunked: there is no passing score on the NCLEX and no magic number of questions. Stopping at 85 is not an automatic pass, and going to 150 is not an automatic fail. The computer stops when it is 95% confident about your ability, whichever way that falls.

If you just walked out of the NCLEX counting your questions, take a breath. The number that ended your exam does not decide your result the way nursing folklore says it does.

This tool exists to replace that folklore with what NCSBN actually publishes.

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First, The Myth: There Is No NCLEX Passing Score

Thousands of people every month search for the "NCLEX passing score." It does not exist.

The NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN are pass/fail, computer-adaptive tests. There is no scaled score, no percentage-correct cutoff, and no points total. Your performance is measured against an ability standard expressed in logits. For the NCLEX-RN, the passing standard is 0.00 logits, upheld by NCSBN through March 31, 2026 and reviewed every three years.

So when the calculator above asks how your exam ended, it is reading the only signal the test format actually gives you.

The Three Ways The NCLEX Ends

Every NCLEX is between 85 and 150 questions with a five-hour limit. It ends in one of three ways:

95% Confidence Rule. The computer stops as soon as it is 95% confident your ability is clearly above or clearly below the standard. This is the "early shut-off," and it can happen at any point from question 85 on. It is decisive in either direction.
Maximum-Length Rule. If your ability estimate hovers near the standard, the computer keeps going to 150 questions, then passes you only if your final estimate is above the standard.
Run-Out-of-Time (R.O.O.T.) Rule. If time expires first, you pass only if your last 60 ability estimates were consistently above the standard.

None of these rules cares about a raw number of correct answers.

Why "I Shut Off At 85" Is Not A Guarantee

The 85-question shut-off is the single most misread moment in nursing licensure.

An early shut-off means the algorithm reached 95% confidence. That confidence can point either way: a clear pass or a clear fail. The reason so many people associate 85 with passing is simple base rates. Most first-time, U.S.-educated candidates are above the standard, so most early shut-offs happen to be passes.

That is a population fact, not a promise about your exam. The honest reading is: an early shut-off is a decisive result you cannot yet see, and your practice performance is a better clue to which way it went.

What Actually Predicts Passing

The strongest pre-result signal available to you is your practice-question performance, which is why the calculator weights it.

If you were consistently scoring at or above 60% on a quality question bank, or passing full-length readiness assessments, your preparation lines up with the roughly 91% first-time, U.S.-educated NCLEX-RN pass rate (2024 NCSBN data). See our full breakdown in the NCLEX pass rate guide.

If your practice scores were shaky, the exam length will not rescue that read, and the smart move is a focused plan for a possible retake.

Official Sources Used

NCSBN 2024 NCLEX Examination Candidate Bulletin (85 to 150 items, five-hour limit, the three stop rules): nclex.com candidate bulletin
NCSBN NCLEX-RN passing standard (0.00 logits): ncsbn.org passing standard
NCSBN 2024 NCLEX Examination Statistics (pass rates): 2024 NCLEX Exam Stats PDF

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FAQ

Is there a certain number of questions I need to pass?

No. There is no target question count. The number of items you see reflects how quickly the computer reached 95% confidence about your ability, not how well you did.

If two people both pass, why did one get 85 questions and one get 150?

Because their ability estimates behaved differently. A candidate performing clearly above the standard triggers the confidence rule early. A candidate hovering near the standard keeps getting questions until the maximum length. Both can pass.

Should I trust a "pass probability" number I saw somewhere?

Be skeptical of any tool that hands you a precise percentage chance of passing. The exam does not expose the data needed to compute that honestly. This page gives you a reasoned readiness signal and the real meaning of your stop rule instead.

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