How many hours to take NCLEX?

According to the official NCLEX exam day guidelines you are allowed a maximum of 5 hours to complete the exam.

  • This 5-hour window includes the instructional tutorial, sample items, and all breaks.
  • You must manage your own pace, but candidates should carefully analyze each question as they cannot return to previous items once submitted.
  • The exam will end when the maximum time is reached, even if you have not answered the maximum number of questions (run-out-of-time rule).

Instructional Breaks

The 5-hour limit includes two optional scheduled breaks:

  • The first break is offered after approximately 2 hours of testing.
  • The second break is offered after approximately 3.5 hours of testing.
  • The exam clock does not stop during these breaks; all time taken counts against the 5-hour total.

while 5 hours is the limit, many candidates finish significantly faster depending on the number of questions they receive ,which ranges from a minimum of 85 to a maximum of 150 for the current Next Gen NCLEX.

  • Many test-takers finish in 2 to 3 hours if the exam shuts off near the minimum question count.
  • Those who receive the full set of questions often use closer to the full 4 or 5 hours.
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