What is the passing score on the NCLEX-PN? The -0.18 logit standard, explained
Written and reviewed by Rebecca Moore, MSN, RN, CEN · 3 min read · Updated October 2026
Short answer
There is no percentage you need to get right on the NCLEX-PN. You pass by showing an ability at or above NCSBN's passing standard, which is -0.18 logits and is set to stay in place through March 31, 2029. You only ever receive pass or fail, never a score, so no number of correct answers guarantees a result.
What a logit is, in plain terms
A logit is the unit the NCLEX uses to place both candidates and questions on one ability scale. NCSBN's statistics report says the PN scale typically runs from about -2.00, meaning easy items or low ability, to about 2.00, meaning hard items or high ability. The zero point is arbitrary, so a negative standard does not mean a low bar.
The useful idea is that your ability estimate and each question's difficulty sit on the same line. The exam keeps asking until it can tell which side of -0.18 your ability sits on.
Why there is no percentage score
Because the exam is adaptive, everyone gets a different set of questions. A candidate who answers harder questions can get fewer of them right and still show more ability than someone who answers easier ones. A percentage correct would compare unlike exams, so NCSBN does not report one.
The test plan puts it directly: there is no fixed percentage of candidates that pass or fail. Your result depends on your ability against the standard, not on how anyone else did that day.
How the standard is set and how often it changes
NCSBN's Board of Directors reviews the passing standard every three years. It looks at a standard setting exercise run by a panel of experts, the history of past standards and candidate performance, a survey of educators and employers, and information on the readiness of high school graduates interested in nursing.
The PN standard has moved upward over time. It was raised to -0.18 logits in March 2020 and retained in April 2023 and again in April 2026. NCLEX.com lists it as effective through March 31, 2029.
What this means for how you prepare
Chasing a target score in practice makes little sense when the real exam has none. What helps is making your reasoning consistent across every category, because the exam keeps testing all eight in the stated proportions however long it runs.
Work through our free NCLEX-PN practice questions by category and read the rationale for every option, including the ones you got right. That is how you find the categories where your ability is still close to the line.
Common questions
What percentage do you need to pass the NCLEX-PN?
None. The NCLEX-PN is pass or fail against an ability standard of -0.18 logits. NCSBN never reports a percentage score.
Is the NCLEX-PN passing standard the same as the RN one?
No. The RN standard is 0.00 logits and the PN standard is -0.18 logits, and NCSBN says the two cannot be compared directly because they rest on different item pools and scopes of practice.
Will the passing standard change before I test?
NCLEX.com lists the current PN standard as effective through March 31, 2029. Check the passing standard page on NCLEX.com if your test date is later than that.