How Many Times Can You Take the NCLEX? Retake Limits and Waits

NCSBN's baseline: eight attempts a year, 45 days apart

NCSBN's retake policy sets two limits, and both apply at once:

• no more than eight NCLEX attempts in a year.
• at least 45 test-free days between examinations.

The 45 days are a minimum, not an appointment. The NCLEX results page lists the retake steps: tell your nursing regulatory body (NRB) you plan to retake, provide any fees or materials it asks for, reregister with Pearson and pay the exam fee again, wait for a new Authorization to Test (ATT), and then schedule. The 2026 Candidate Bulletin adds that repeat candidates are offered an appointment after 45 days.

When your nursing board is stricter than NCSBN

NCSBN's own pages say the national policy is not the last word. Some NRBs make candidates wait longer between exams, and that longer wait shows up in the validity dates of the new ATT. Some jurisdictions also allow fewer exams each year.

Some boards add rules that start after repeated failures. Two examples, checked on October 28, 2026 (not a full list):

Both rules also require you to apply for reexamination within six months of finishing the remedial course. Florida's rule is in section 464.008(3) of the Florida Statutes; Hawaii's is section 16-89-9(b) of its nursing rules. Failures in another state count toward both.

For any other jurisdiction, find the board in NCSBN's Contact a U.S. Member directory and confirm:

• how many attempts it allows, and over what period.
• how long you must wait after your most recent exam.
• whether remediation or more education is required, and after how many failures.
• whether a time limit after graduation applies.
• which application steps and fees you must repeat.

A third-party state table can be out of date or leave out a condition that matters to you. Use your board's current wording.

Is there a lifetime limit on NCLEX attempts?

NCSBN's results page, Candidate Bulletin and FAQ set no national lifetime cap. That does not mean every board allows unlimited attempts. In the Florida and Hawaii rules above, the limit works as a cycle: three failures, a remedial course, up to three more attempts, then remediation again. Other boards may count attempts differently or set conditions of their own, so a blanket claim that the NCLEX has "no limit" is only true once your board confirms it.

Retaking the NCLEX in 2027: what changes

One dated change affects 2027 retakes, and three things stay the same.

• The fee. NCSBN's FAQ says registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027 cost $350 in the U.S. and Australia and $570 CAD in Canada. Retakes pay the same fee, and the date you complete the Pearson registration sets the amount, not the exam date. The NCLEX exam cost guide covers the other Pearson charges.
• The content. The 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan applies from April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2029, and the 0.00-logit passing standard runs through the same date. A retake anywhere in 2027 uses the same eight Client Needs areas as an attempt taken on or after April 1, 2026, so a Candidate Performance Report from that attempt maps onto the exam you will take.
• A fresh exam. NCSBN's FAQ says each attempt is independent: adaptive item selection starts again, and the test plan says a repeat candidate won't see the same item again from the current pool.
• Where you test. NCSBN says NCLEX Online is not launching in 2026 and has no announced date, so plan on a Pearson test center unless NCSBN announces otherwise.

Because the plan is unchanged, full NCLEX-RN prep built on the 2026 Test Plan, which covers 2027 test dates →, stays aligned with a 2027 retake.

What to do after an unsuccessful attempt

Don't pick the next date from the 45-day minimum alone. First confirm what your board requires, then use what your result shows.

Candidates who don't pass receive a Candidate Performance Report (CPR). NCSBN's CPR page says to work first on areas marked Below the Passing Standard, then on those marked Near, and to keep Above areas in review. If you answered fewer than the minimum number of items, the CPR is abbreviated: it shows how many items you answered and how many were needed, with no other diagnostic detail. Read how to use the NCLEX CPR before planning.

Then:

1. Confirm the earliest date your board allows.
2. Complete any reapplication or remediation it requires.
3. Choose one or two observable changes to how you prepare.
4. Build a schedule that fits the allowed date instead of rushing to it.
5. Check the dates on your new ATT before you schedule.

Once you know which areas came back Below or Near, practice those Client Needs areas with an explanation for every answer → before deciding how much of the old plan to repeat.

The guide on what to do after failing the NCLEX covers the broader recovery plan. When you know your date and weekly study time, the free NCLEX-RN CPR retake planner turns your CPR levels into a week-by-week schedule.

Close to the new date, rehearse a full five-hour sitting with the 85-question timed mock exam → so pacing is one less unknown on retake day.