How many times can you take the NCLEX? The national rule and state attempt limits
Written and reviewed by Rachel Goldberg, MSN, RN, CEN · 4 min read · Updated November 2026
Checked against official sources: November 2026
Rules, fees and deadlines differ by state and change without notice. Check with your state board of nursing before you rely on them.
Short answer
You can take the NCLEX up to eight times a year under NCSBN's retake policy, with at least 45 test-free days between attempts, and NCSBN's published policy has no lifetime cap. Your state board can add limits: Florida requires a remedial course after three consecutive fails, Texas stops retests four years after graduation, and Illinois and Kansas add steps after three years or 24 months.
The national rule, and what it leaves to boards
The 2026 NCLEX Candidate Bulletin says the NCSBN retake policy allows candidates to test eight times a year, with at least 45 test-free days between exams, unless the jurisdiction offers fewer exams a year. It then tells candidates to contact their nursing regulatory body for its own retake policy. Repeat candidates are offered appointments after the 45 days.
Nothing in that policy counts lifetime attempts. Each retake still needs a new Authorization to Test from your board and a new Pearson VUE registration at the full fee, which NCSBN lists as $200 today and $350 for registrations made on or after February 1, 2027. The real limits, where they exist, are in state law.
Four state rules, checked against board and rule text
The table below covers four states whose statute, rule or board page we opened in November 2026. It is not a national list. For any other state, read your board's retake page or nursing rules, and if the board's site does not publish a limit, ask the board in writing before you register.
| State | Kind of limit | What triggers it | What you must do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida (RN and PN) | Count | Three consecutive fails, in any jurisdiction | Complete a board-approved remedial course, then up to three more attempts; apply within 6 months of finishing it |
| Texas (US graduates) | Clock | Past four years from your graduation date | Complete a new initial nursing program; a refresher course does not count |
| Illinois (RN) | Clock | Not passed within 3 years of your application date | Enroll in an NCLEX review course and send proof; after 3 years a new application is required |
| Kansas (RN) | Clock | Not passed within 24 months of graduation | Petition the board before each later attempt; it may require a study plan |
Florida's rule is section 464.008 of the Florida Statutes, Texas cites Board Rule 217.2, Illinois's is section 1300.310 of its administrative code, and Kansas's is K.S.A. 65-1115. The Illinois and Kansas rows cover the RN rules only, so PN candidates in either state should read the practical nurse provisions.
Count limits versus clock limits
The common misreading is that states cap you at three or five lifetime attempts. Of the four states above, only Florida counts attempts, and even there the count resets after remediation. The other three run a clock from graduation or application, so a candidate who tests slowly can hit a limit with only two attempts behind them.
A worked example: a US graduate who finished an RN program in Texas in May 2023 and failed twice in 2026 can still get a retest ATT until May 2027, four years from graduation. After that date, the Texas board will not issue an ATT at all until the candidate completes a new nursing program, however few attempts they have used.
Failing twice, or three times
A second fail changes nothing under NCSBN policy, and none of the four state rules above is triggered by a second attempt alone. In Texas you file the NCLEX retest application in the Nurse Portal, re-register with Pearson VUE, and the board reviews it within 15 business days of the last required item; the 45-day wait between tests still applies.
The third consecutive fail is where Florida steps in: no approval to retest until you finish the remedial course. Whatever your state, read each Candidate Performance Report and look for areas that stayed below the passing standard every time, since that is the most direct evidence of what to change.
Four questions to ask your board
Before you book the next attempt, get written answers to these. Does the board count attempts taken for other states? Florida's statute says regardless of jurisdiction. When does any clock start: graduation, as in Texas and Kansas, or your application date, as in Illinois? Is the requirement a course, a petition, or a whole new program?
Finally, ask whether a new application resets anything. In Illinois a lapsed three-year window means a new application with current requirements, and in Texas re-education means a new graduation date. Write down the date your own clock runs out and plan study around it.
Sources
NCSBN, 2026 NCLEX Examination Candidate Bulletin. Eight exams a year, 45 test-free days, exception for jurisdictions offering fewer exams, contact your board for its retake policy, repeat candidates offered appointments after 45 days.
Florida Statutes 2025, section 464.008. Remedial course after three consecutive fails regardless of jurisdiction, up to three more attempts, apply within 6 months of completing remediation.
Texas Board of Nursing, Licensure by Examination (checked November 2026). Retest application steps, 15 business day review, Board Rule 217.2 four years from graduation, new initial program required, refresher not accepted.
Illinois Administrative Code, title 68, section 1300.310, RN Licensure Examination (via Cornell LII). Not passed within 3 years of application: NCLEX review course and proof required; new application after 3 years.
Kansas Statutes, K.S.A. 65-1115. Petition the board if not passed within 24 months after graduation; board may require a study plan based on failed exam profiles.
Common questions
Which states have unlimited NCLEX attempts?
NCSBN sets no lifetime cap, and none of the four states we checked (Florida, Texas, Illinois, Kansas) sets a fixed lifetime number. But each adds conditions, such as a remedial course or a time limit, so unlimited is rarely true in practice. Check your own board's rules.
Is there a lifetime limit on NCLEX attempts?
Not under NCSBN policy, which allows eight attempts a year with 45 days between them. A state can still end your eligibility by time, as Texas does four years after graduation, or require remediation, as Florida does after three consecutive fails.
What happens after 3 NCLEX fails?
Nationally, nothing changes. In Florida, three consecutive fails in any jurisdiction mean a board-approved remedial course before you can retest, then up to three more attempts. In other states, check whether a time limit from graduation or application is close.