How NCLEX registration works in Canada

The short version

This guide covers how to register for the NCLEX-RN in Canada. You register with two bodies, in order. First, your provincial or territorial nursing regulatory body (NRB) decides whether you're eligible. Second, you register with Pearson Professional Assessments (formerly Pearson VUE), which runs the exam and books your appointment.

Pearson can't give you permission to test until your regulator has made you eligible in its system. Plan on the regulator's timeline, not just Pearson's.

Steps

• Apply for licensure or registration with your provincial or territorial regulator. If you need testing accommodations, submit the request to your regulator at this stage, not later.
• Meet every eligibility requirement your regulator sets. These differ from province to province.
• Register for the NCLEX with Pearson and pay the registration fee. Pearson sends a registration acknowledgment by email. All Pearson correspondence arrives by email only.
• Wait for your regulator to make you eligible in the Pearson system.
• Watch for your Authorization to Test (ATT) email from Pearson. It contains your authorization number, your candidate ID and an expiration date.
• Book your appointment with Pearson as early as you can, and before your ATT expires.
• Test within the validity dates on your ATT. Those dates cannot be extended.

What to do if the ATT is late

The NCSBN bulletin says that if more than two weeks have passed since your Pearson acknowledgment and you still haven't received an ATT, contact your regulator to confirm your materials were received and that you've been declared eligible.

Provincial differences

Each regulator sets its own application forms, eligibility requirements, documents and deadlines. Don't assume another province's rules apply to you.

Ontario is one example. The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) requires candidates to write a jurisprudence exam on Ontario health care law and regulation, as well as the NCLEX-RN. Check CNO's current page for the full list of requirements.

Quebec has its own route into practice through the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (OIIQ). Check the OIIQ directly before assuming the NCLEX applies to you.

Fees, timing and results

Fees change, and so do the exact validity periods for ATTs. The bulletin says the average ATT lasts about 90 days, but your regulator sets yours. For current fees, including the international scheduling fee for testing outside Canada and the U.S., check your regulator and Pearson.

Your regulator releases your result. Quick results, which are unofficial results sent after two business days, are not available for candidates seeking licensure in Canada. Don't call Pearson, the test center or NCSBN for your result. For timing, check your regulator's current details.

Two things that cause the most trouble

• Name mismatch. The first and last names on your ID must match exactly the names you gave when you registered. A mismatch means you'll be turned away and must pay to register again.
• Late booking. Test centers fill quickly. Waiting can leave you with few dates, or with an ATT that expires before a seat opens.