NCLEX in India: test centres, fees and the routes to the US and Canada

What are the steps to take the NCLEX from India?

The route is set by the US board you apply to, not by your home country, so the steps are the same everywhere. What changes is who sends your records: in India, that is the Indian Nursing Council (INC).

• The Indian Nursing Council runs the Nurses Registration and Tracking System (NRTS), which it describes as a live register of nurses. Source: Indian Nursing Council
• When your US board asks for a credentials report, your school and your licensing authority send records straight to the evaluator, such as TruMerit (formerly CGFNS), in English. Source: TruMerit (formerly CGFNS): CES Professional Report

1. Choose the U.S. board you want a licence from. The NCLEX is a step in licensure, so it starts with a board of nursing, not with the exam. Each board sets its own requirements, and they differ from state to state and can change without notice. Find your board in NCSBN's directory and read its rules before you pay for anything.Sources: NCSBN: How to register to take the NCLEX · NCSBN: Contact a U.S. board of nursing · TruMerit (formerly CGFNS): Requirements by state
2. Have your credentials reviewed the way that board asks. Many boards ask for a credentials evaluation such as TruMerit's CES Professional Report, which checks your nursing licences and diplomas and compares your education with U.S. standards. Your school and your licensing authority send records directly to TruMerit, in English (TruMerit can translate them for a fee), and licence validations must be dated within the last three years, or within nine months for some boards. Boards can add steps of their own: California asks international graduates to have official transcripts mailed to the Board and to use its own forms.Sources: TruMerit (formerly CGFNS): CES Professional Report · California Board of Registered Nursing: Licensure by examination
3. Check whether your board needs an English test. Some states require proof of English proficiency with the credentials report. TruMerit accepts Cambridge English, IELTS, MET, OET, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT and TOEIC, not at-home versions, with scores under two years old sent directly by the testing agency. Each board sets its own passing scores, and some applicants educated in English are exempt.Sources: TruMerit (formerly CGFNS): CES Professional Report · TruMerit (formerly CGFNS): Requirements by state
4. Apply to the board, then register and pay with Pearson. Your licence application to the board is what makes you eligible to test. Request any testing accommodations through the board too. Then register with Pearson, which handles payment and scheduling. For U.S. licensure the registration fee is $200, rising to $350 from February 1, 2027, plus $150 and any value added tax to book an international test center. Neither fee is refundable.Sources: NCSBN: How to register to take the NCLEX · NCSBN: NCLEX fees and payment
5. Wait for your Authorization to Test, then book. Once the board declares you eligible and your Pearson registration is complete, Pearson emails an Authorization to Test (ATT). You cannot schedule without it, and you must test inside its validity dates, which the board sets (90 days on average) and which cannot be extended. First-time candidates are offered a date 30 days after they ask. Book early: an ATT that runs out means registering and paying again.Sources: NCSBN: How to register to take the NCLEX · NCSBN: Scheduling an exam appointment · NCSBN: NCLEX FAQs
6. Sit the exam at an international test center. You can test at any Pearson test center, wherever your board is. NCSBN lists international centers in countries including the Philippines, India, Kenya, South Africa, Pakistan, Mexico and Brazil. Changes to an international appointment are made by phone with Pearson Candidate Services.Sources: NCSBN: NCLEX FAQs · NCSBN: NCLEX testing locations · NCSBN: Scheduling an exam appointment
7. Bring your passport, exactly as you registered. At an international test center the only accepted ID is a passport book or card. It must be physical, unexpired and government-issued, with a recent photo, a signature and your name in Roman characters, and your first and last name must match your Pearson registration exactly. Without acceptable ID you are turned away, and the exam fee and international scheduling fee are lost.Source: NCSBN: Acceptable identification

Rules change. Confirm each step on the official page before you pay a fee or book a date.