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Examination Information

There are two methods for an applicant to apply to the Texas Board of Nursing (BON) to take the NCLEX-PN® and NCLEX-RN® through the State of Texas: 1) Online or 2) Paper. Answers to some general question regarding the process can be located on our frequently asked questions page.

Online Procedures

  1. Carefully review this information page and the Guidelines and Eligibility section. If you need to answer yes to any of the eligibility questions, you cannot apply online and must follow the instructions to apply by paper. If you are a graduate outside the United States and do not have a US social security number, you will need to apply by paper and follow the instructions for international graduates (see number 6 below).
  2. Complete the online application, Online Examination Application or
    www.texas.gov/app/orig/index.jsp?AGENCY_NAME=bne&CONFIG_ID=BNE_EXAM&LICENSE_ID=01. Remember to print a copy of the receipt page for your records.
  3. The BON requires a criminal background check (CBC). The CBC is processed by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
    For applicants residing in Texas, MorphoTrust USA, www.morphotrust.com/, offers Live Scan locations in Texas. In order to be eligible for an electronic fingerprint submission, allow three business days to elapse before scheduling an appointment with MorphoTrust USA. You may schedule an appointment online or by phone at 1-888-467-2080.
    For applicants residing outside Texas, attach one (1) completed FBI fingerprint card. A fingerprint card can be requested from our website at web-requests.asp. Fingerprinting should be conducted by a person who is appropriately trained to collect them. Your local law enforcement agency should be willing to assist you.
  4. Thirty days prior to graduation, register with Pearson/Vue (third party vendor who administers the exam) at www.vue.com/nclex.
  5. Upon Graduation of an approved school of nursing, Texas schools of nursing will mail the affidavit of graduation directly to the BON. For graduates outside the State of Texas, you will need to copy the affidavit of graduation from the BON website and request that your school of nursing dean/director complete the affidavit and mail directly to the BON.
  6. Upon receipt of your application, criminal background check and affidavit of graduation, the BON will access the registration system of Pearson/Vue to see if you have registered to take the exam. If you have registered with Pearson/Vue, the BON will deem you eligible to take the NCLEX. Upon deeming you eligible to take the NCLEX, you will receive an email verification from Pearson/Vue giving you the authorization to test (ATT) and instructions on scheduling the test. Upon receiving the ATT, you will have 75 days to take the exam. If eligible for a graduate nurse (GN) or graduate vocational nurse (GVN) permit, the permit will be posted online within five working days of deeming you eligible to take the exam.
  7. Take the exam. The BON will receive your results from Pearson/Vue within five working days after you take your test. Upon successfully passing the NCLEX and the nursing jurisprudence examination, you will receive a certificate. To access your license, you must go the agency website at www.bon.state.tx.us and complete an online verification. You can copy the verification as proof of licensure. If you are unsuccessful on the NCLEX, you will receive a diagnostic profile providing you feedback on your performance on the exam.
  8. All Texas applicants must pass the Texas nursing jurisprudence examination. You must pass this examination prior to being issued a permanent license. The nursing jurisprudence examination has no affect on taking the NCLEX. It is a separate requirement and only affects your ability to receive a permanent license. Instructions on taking the Texas nursing jurisprudence examination: Ten days after you have filed an application with the Texas Board of Nursing, you will be eligible to take the online nursing jurisprudence exam at www.bon.state.tx.us/olv/je.html. Follow the instructions to log on and complete the examination. The examination is based on the Texas Nursing Practice Act (NPA) and the Texas Board of Nursing Rules and Regulations. We recommend that you download a copy of the NPA and Board Rules and Regulations from our website by going to www.bon.state.tx.us and click on "Nursing Law and Rules". An online jurisprudence prep course is available on the Board's web site http://www.bon.state.tx.us/olv/je-course.html. This course is voluntary and contains information about the NPA and Rules and Regulations of the Texas BON. You may also purchase a hard copy of the NPA and Rules and Regulations by contacting the Texas Board of Nursing. The examination is a maximum of two hours in length. If you are not successful in passing the examination, you may take the examination again after seven working days have elapsed from the previous attempt. The cost of the examination is included in your application fee. Again, you must pass the jurisprudence examination before the Texas Board of Nursing will issue the permanent license.
  9. International Candidates - to be eligible to take the NCLEX, you will need the following:
    A) A completed Application by NCLEX® Examination, all fees, a completed criminal history report, proof of passing scores of English Proficiency exam (if program was not conducted in English), an original Credential Evaluation Service (CES) Full Education course-by-course report, sent directly from an approved organization and a Verification of Licensure (VOL) form from all countries, states, provinces and/or territories you hold or have held a license. The VOL must come directly from the licensing authority and must bear the authority’s official seal. The VOL is only valid for one (1) year after it is signed and sealed by the licensing authority.
    *Note: the CES Full Education course-by-course report will contain your original country of licensure’s VOL.

    B) Follow the instructions provided on Criminal Background Checks. A social security number is not required; however, receipt of the FBI criminal history report will take longer for the candidates who do not have this identifying information.

    C) The Board accepts the CES from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS), the Educational Records Evaluation Service, Inc. (ERES) or the International Education Research Foundation, Inc. (IERF). The CES must be dated within one year of issuances by the certification organization. You may access this service by going to one of the following websites: www.eres.com, www.cgfns.org, or www.ierf.org.

    D) If your nursing program was conducted in a Language other than English, you must provide proof of English Proficiency. The Board accepts:

    1) the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a passing score of 560 paper based or 220 computer based, or;

    2) the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) internet based test (iBT) with a minimum passing score of 83.

    3) receipt of both the Test of Spoken English (TSE) with a minimum score of 50 and the Test of Written English (TWE) with a minimum score of 4.0, or;

    4) the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a passing standard of an overall score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in all of the four modules.
    E) All international applicants must provide proof of working in nursing for a period totaling two (2) years (i.e. 24 months) at anytime after graduation from a nursing program.

    F) If you have not worked at least two (2) years as a first level, general nurse within the four (4) years preceding the filing of the application, you will not be licensed until you complete a Foreign Educated Nurse (FENS) refresher course consisting of 120 hours of classroom instruction and 120 hours of clinical practice under direct supervision of a Registered Nurse. The applicant required to take the FENS refresher will be given a six (6) month permit to complete the refresher course.

Paper Procedures

  1. Access the Paper Examination application from the BON website at www.bon.state.tx.us. Click on "Download Other Applications and Forms", then click on LVN or RN Graduate - Application for NCLEX, whichever is appropriate. Copy the application which contains the application procedures. At the same time you copy the application, please order a FBI fingerprint card. Once you order a FBI fingerprint card, it should be mailed within ten business days. If you are unable to copy the application from the agency website, please call the BON customer service team at (512)305-7400 and request an application packet which will be mailed within ten business days.
  2. Mail the paper application along with the FBI fingerprint card and $139 fee to the Texas Board of Nursing, 333 Guadalupe, Suite 3-460, Austin, Texas 78701. Note: If you are in Texas, you may file your paper application and fee first and then after ten business days call L1- Identity Solutions at (1-888-467-2080) and arrange for a fingerprint appointment. If you arrange for, L1 - Identity Solutions to complete your fingerprint scan, they will electronically submit your fingerprint results directly to the BON.
  3. If you answer yes to any eligibility questions on the application, you will need to include a statement as to the events of the incident(s) and court documents that show the disposition of the incident(s). You will be notified if an additional review fee is required.
  4. Thirty days prior to graduation, register with Pearson/Vue (third party vendor who administers the exam) at www.vue.com/nclex.
  5. Upon Graduation of an approved school of nursing, Texas schools of nursing will mail the affidavit of graduation directly to the BON. For graduates outside the State of Texas, you will need to copy the affidavit of graduation from the BON website and request that your school of nursing dean/director complete the affidavit and mail directly to the BON.
  6. Upon receipt of your application, criminal background check and affidavit of graduation, the BON will access the registration system of Pearson/Vue to see if you have registered to take the exam. If you have registered with Pearson/Vue, the BON will deem you eligible to take the NCLEX. Upon deeming you eligible to take the NCLEX, you will receive an email verification from Pearson/Vue giving you the authorization to test (ATT) and instructions on scheduling the test. Upon receiving the ATT, you will have 90 days to take the exam. If eligible for a graduate nurse (GN) or graduate vocational nurse (GVN) permit, the permit will be posted online within five working days of deeming you eligible to take the exam.
  7. Take the exam. The BON will receive your results from Pearson/Vue within five working days after you take your test. Upon successfully passing the NCLEX and the nursing jurisprudence exam, you will receive a certificate. To access your license, you must go the agency website at www.bon.state.tx.us and complete an online verification. You can copy the verification as proof of licensure. If you are unsuccessful on the NCLEX, you will receive a diagnostic profile providing you feedback your performance on the exam.
  8. All Texas applicants must pass the Texas nursing jurisprudence examination. You must pass this examination prior to being issued a permanent license. The nursing jurisprudence examination has no affect on taking the NCLEX. It is a separate requirement and only affects your ability to receive a permanent license. Instructions on taking the Texas nursing jurisprudence examination: Ten days after you have filed an application with the Texas Board of Nursing, 90 to 120 days prior to graduation, you will be eligible to take the online nursing jurisprudence exam at www.bon.state.tx.us/olv/je.html. Follow the instructions to log on and complete the examination. The examination is based on the Texas Nursing Practice Act (NPA) and the Texas Board of Nursing Rules and Regulations. We recommend that you download a copy of the NPA and Board Rules and Regulations from our website by going to www.bon.state.tx.us and click on "Nursing Law and Rules". An online jurisprudence prep course is available on the Board's web site http://www.bon.state.tx.us/olv/je-course.html. This course is voluntary and contains information about the NPA and Rules and Regulations of the Texas BON. You may also purchase a hard copy of the NPA and Rules and Regulations by contacting the Texas Board of Nursing. The examination is a maximum of two hours in length. If you are not successful in passing the examination, you may take the examination again after seven working days have elapsed from the previous attempt. The cost of the examination is included in the application fee. Again, you must pass the jurisprudence examination before the Texas Board of Nursing will issue the permanent license.
  9. For international candidates, please see number 9 above.