Step 8: Graduate and pass the NCLEX

After you finish your program, you take the NCLEX-RN, the national licensing exam. In California, you apply to the BRN and register for the exam with Pearson VUE. Both are needed before you can test.

What to do

1. Apply to the BRN for licensure by examination. The BRN recommends applying online through BreEZe. Step 9 covers the application.
2. Register for the NCLEX with Pearson. You’ll need your program code, an email address and a payment card. The name you register with must match your ID exactly.
3. Wait for your Authorization to Test (ATT). The BRN makes you eligible, and Pearson emails your ATT. You can’t schedule until you have it.
4. Schedule your exam. Schedule soon after your ATT arrives, and test within its validity dates.
5. Take the exam and get your results. The BRN posts a timeframe for NCLEX results on its processing times page.

How long it takes

• California exam applications: 10–12 weeks, per the BRN’s processing times (updated Sept 24, 2026). The BRN processes California graduates by cohort after graduation, in the order it receives transcripts from your school.
• Pearson registration stays open for 365 days while you wait for eligibility.
• First-time test takers are offered an appointment 30 days after asking to schedule. You can choose a later date.
• NCLEX-RN results: 2–3 weeks, per the BRN’s processing times (updated Sept 24, 2026).

Typical costs

• NCLEX registration fee (U.S.): $200. NCSBN says it will be $350 starting Feb. 1, 2027.
• BRN exam application fee for California graduates: $300 (see Step 9).

If your eligibility doesn’t come through within 365 days, the registration and fee are forfeited. Register once; a second open registration is denied and its fee isn’t refunded.

Your SEAPHE tools

• NCLEX pass rates by school
• What is a good NCLEX pass rate?

Next step: Step 9, Get your California RN license.