Unscored pretest questions on the NCLEX: how many and how they work
Written and reviewed by Rachel Goldberg, MSN, RN, CEN · 4 min read · Updated November 2026
Short answer
Every NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN exam contains exactly 15 unscored pretest questions, whatever its length. They count toward the 85-question minimum and the 150-question maximum, but not toward your ability estimate or the pass-fail decision. NCSBN builds them in the same style as scored items, so you cannot tell which ones they are.
Where the 15 pretest items sit in an 85-question exam
The 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan, effective April 2026, breaks the minimum-length exam into three parts: 52 items drawn from the eight Client Needs content areas, 18 items that form three clinical judgment case studies of six items each, and 15 unscored pretest items. That is 52 plus 18 plus 15, which equals 85. The 2026 NCLEX-PN Test Plan uses the same split for LPN/VN candidates.
So a candidate whose exam ends at 85 questions has answered 70 scored items. The test plans state there are 15 pretest items on every examination, which means a 150-question exam also carries 15 of them and 135 scored items. The five-hour limit covers all of it, breaks included.
Why NCSBN puts unscored questions on your exam
Computerized adaptive testing only works if every scored item has a known difficulty level, because the computer picks each next question to match your current ability estimate. NCSBN gets that difficulty figure by giving new questions to a large sample of real candidates as pretest items. Since their difficulty is not known yet, they are left out when your ability is estimated.
Once enough responses are collected, NCSBN analyzes and calibrates each pretest item. Items that meet NCLEX statistical standards can then appear on future exams as operational, scored items. A question that counts for nothing on your exam may be a scored question for a candidate who tests a year later.
Can you tell which questions are pretest?
No. The test plan says pretest items have a similar style and format to operational items, so candidates cannot distinguish them during the exam. NCSBN does not say where in the exam they appear. A question that feels unusually hard, oddly worded or outside what you studied is not a reliable sign that it is unscored.
The test plan also covers a related worry. A pretest item may contain content similar to a scored item you saw earlier, and NCSBN tells candidates not to assume that a similar second question means the first was answered wrong. The safe approach is to treat every question as scored, since you cannot go back after pressing Next and every item must be answered before you continue.
Do pretest questions affect the shut-off?
Not directly. The exam stops under one of three rules: the 95% confidence rule once the minimum is reached, the maximum-length rule at 150 items, or the run-out-of-time rule. The first two depend on your ability estimate, and pretest items are excluded from it, so a run of pretest questions cannot push you above or below the passing standard.
They do count toward the item number and the clock. The exam cannot stop before 85 questions, and the 15 pretest items are part of those 85. Under the run-out-of-time rule, a candidate who has not answered the 85-question minimum fails, pretest items included. In NCSBN's 2025 statistics, first-time US-educated RN candidates averaged 103 items and 2 hours 14 minutes, so time pressure is rare but real for long exams.
One misreading to drop: subtracting the 15 unscored items from an 85-question exam and deciding that 70 scored items was too few to pass. The test plan states that exam length is not an indication of a pass or fail result. The 70 scored items were enough for the computer to reach 95% certainty one way or the other.
Sources
NCSBN, 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan. 85 to 150 items in five hours including breaks, 52 + 18 + 15 split, 15 pretest items on every exam, why items are pretested, candidates cannot distinguish them, similar items, stopping rules, length not an indicator
NCSBN, 2026 NCLEX-PN Test Plan. Same 85 to 150 item range, five-hour limit and 15 unscored pretest items for LPN/VN candidates
NCSBN, 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics (Research Brief Vol. 96, June 2026). Average test length of 103 items and average testing time of 2 hours 14 minutes for first-time US-educated RN candidates in 2025 (Table 3)
Common questions
How many NCLEX questions are unscored?
Fifteen. The 2026 NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN test plans both state there are 15 unscored pretest items on every examination, so the number is the same whether your exam ends at 85 questions or runs to 150.
Are the first 15 NCLEX questions the unscored ones?
NCSBN does not say where pretest items appear. It states only that there are 15 and that they cannot be told apart from scored items, so plan as if every question counts.
Do unscored questions count toward the 85-question minimum?
Yes. The test plan lists them as part of the minimum-length exam: 52 content area items, 18 case study items and 15 pretest items make up the 85.