Authorization to Test (ATT)

The ATT is the permission slip for the NCLEX. You register for the exam with Pearson VUE, but you cannot book an appointment until the nursing regulatory body (NRB), usually a US state board of nursing, confirms you are eligible. Once it does, you receive an ATT at the email address you registered with.

The NCLEX site says the ATT contains:

• your authorization number
• your candidate identification number
• an expiration date

You must test within the validity dates on your ATT. The NCLEX site says the average ATT lasts 90 days, and the validity dates cannot be extended for any reason.

Every NCLEX candidate, including internationally educated nurses applying for US state licensure. Your board decides when you are eligible, based on its own rules, which for international applicants often include a credentials evaluation and English evidence. The ATT simply confirms that decision and opens the booking window.

1. Apply for licensure to your chosen board of nursing and send everything it asks for.
2. Register for the NCLEX with Pearson VUE and pay the registration fee. Your registration stays open for 365 days while you wait for eligibility.
3. When the board makes you eligible, your ATT arrives at the email address you registered with.
4. Schedule your exam promptly, in the US or at an international centre.
5. Bring identification whose first and last names match the names on your ATT.

There is no separate fee for the ATT. It follows the NCLEX registration fee of US$200, plus US$150 for international scheduling. If your board does not make you eligible within 365 days of registering, you forfeit the registration and fee.

If you wait until your ATT is close to expiring, test centres may not be able to seat you in time. In that case the NCLEX site says you must reregister and pay another exam fee. To reschedule or cancel an appointment, you must give at least one full business day (24 hours) of notice.

You may not hold two NCLEX registrations of the same exam type at the same time. If you register again while one is open, the second registration is denied and the fee is not refunded. If you fail and need to retake, repeat candidates are offered appointments starting 45 days after the last attempt. Check with your board how it handles eligibility for a retake.

• No ATT arrives. The NCLEX site says to contact your board to confirm it has everything it needs.
• Lost ATT. Contact Pearson VUE candidate services.
• Name mismatch. Only first and last names must match between your ID and ATT. Addresses do not need to match.
• Expired ATT. It cannot be extended, so you must reregister and pay again.

Our NCLEX-RN guide explains state board requirements for international nurses.