NCLEX pass rates for internationally educated nurses in Canada.

What is the NCLEX pass rate for internationally educated nurses?

NCSBN publishes NCLEX pass rates every year. These are its 2025 results for candidates writing the NCLEX-RN for licensure in Canada, with the US figure for comparison.

How do pass rates differ by country of education?

For first-time internationally educated candidates writing for Canadian licensure in 2025, NCSBN reports:

India sent by far the most candidates, and its pass rate was the lowest in the table. Trained in India? See the full route to a Canadian licence from India. Small groups, such as Pakistan with 43 candidates, can swing a lot from year to year.

Why do internationally educated nurses find the NCLEX hard?

The exam is the same for every candidate, and NCSBN does not test Canadian or American law or history. What differs is the style. The Next Generation NCLEX tests clinical judgement through case studies and priority decisions, uses generic drug names and metric measurements, and adapts to each answer. Nurses trained to recall facts for written exams often know the content but are new to this way of being tested. See how the exam works.

What improves the odds of passing the first time?

• Practising in the exam's own format, especially case studies, not only reading content.
• Reviewing every rationale, so you learn the reasoning behind the right answer.
• Timed mock exams before test day, so five hours does not come as a shock.
• A plan that fits your shifts, studied steadily rather than crammed. Try our free study planner.

Does Focused Nursing Prep Classes publish its own pass rate?

Not yet. We will publish our students' results with the number of students, the period and how results were counted, so the figure can be checked. A pass rate without those details tells you nothing.