NCLEX Retake Rules: Limits and Waiting Periods Explained

Reviewed June 1, 2026 by the ScrubScope editorial team.

If you fail the NCLEX, the national retake policy lets you test again after a waiting period of 45 days, up to a maximum of eight attempts in a twelve-month period, but your individual state board of nursing can impose stricter limits on top of that. The 45-day wait and the eight-per-year cap are set by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and apply across the testing system; the lifetime caps and additional requirements vary by state. Here is the national rule, how state boards can tighten it, and the administrative steps to re-register, all without any test-content coaching.

The short answer

The NCSBN retake policy sets two national parameters: candidates must wait 45 days between attempts and may take the NCLEX no more than eight times in a twelve-month period^[1]. On top of that, your state board of nursing can set its own stricter rules, such as a lifetime limit on total attempts or a requirement to complete remediation before testing again, because licensure is granted by the state board, not by NCSBN^[2]. So the practical answer is the national floor plus whatever your specific board adds. The exam you are retaking is described in the NCLEX explainer.

The national retake policy

Two numbers define the national policy, and they apply everywhere the NCLEX is administered.

The first is the waiting period. After an unsuccessful attempt, a candidate must wait at least 45 days before retesting^[1]. The wait runs from the prior attempt, and you cannot register for the next sitting until your previous result has been processed and your board has authorized a new attempt.

The second is the annual cap. A candidate may take the NCLEX a maximum of eight times in any twelve-month period^[1]. Combined with the 45-day wait, that twelve-month window naturally limits how many attempts are even possible in a year. These are the parameters that hold no matter which state you license in.

How state boards can tighten the rules

The national policy is a floor, not a ceiling, and this is the part candidates most often miss.

Because the state board of nursing is the body that grants your license, it can add requirements the national policy does not impose^[2]. Some boards set a lifetime limit on the total number of attempts, after which a candidate must complete additional education before being eligible again. Some require a remediation or board-approved review course after a certain number of failures. Some set a time limit within which you must pass after completing your program.

The exact rule depends entirely on the state where you are seeking licensure, so the only reliable source is your own board of nursing. Check your state board's website for its retake and reapplication policy before you plan a retake, because the national 45-day-and-eight-per-year framework may not be the binding constraint for you; your board's added rule might be.

The administrative steps to retake

The retake process is administrative, and knowing the sequence saves time.

After an unsuccessful attempt, you generally need to re-register for the NCLEX and pay the registration fee again, then wait for your state board to issue a new Authorization to Test before you can schedule the next sitting^[3]. The new attempt cannot be scheduled until both the 45-day wait has passed and the board has authorized you, so the practical earliest retake date is driven by whichever of those clears last.

If your state requires remediation or a review course after a failure, you typically must complete and document that before the board will issue the new Authorization to Test. That is why checking your board's specific policy first matters: it can change not just when you can retest but what you must do in between. Prep-planning for that interval is covered in the how to pass the NCLEX guide.

What this page does not cover

This is an administrative explainer, and a few things are deliberately outside it.

It does not give NCLEX test-content coaching or predict your result; that belongs to your program and review resources. It does not list every state's exact retake limit, because those change and the authoritative source is your own board of nursing. And it does not address the separate question of whether to switch programs or seek tutoring after repeated failures, which is a personal and academic decision rather than an administrative rule.

For your own situation, the reliable two-source answer is the NCSBN national policy plus your state board's added rules. Read both before you schedule.

Bottom line

After an unsuccessful NCLEX attempt, national policy lets you retake the exam after a 45-day wait, up to eight times in a twelve-month period, but your state board of nursing can set stricter limits including lifetime caps and remediation requirements^[1]. Because the board grants your license, its added rules can be the binding constraint, so confirm both the national framework and your own board's policy before planning a retake^[2]. The exam itself is explained in the NCLEX explainer, and interval prep-planning is in the how to pass the NCLEX guide.

ScrubScope provides administrative information and does not give academic or test-preparation advice.

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