Do Canadian nurses take the NCLEX?

Yes. Since January 2015, the NCLEX-RN has been the entry-to-practice licensure exam for registered nurses in Canada, administered through provincial and territorial nursing regulators. Practical nurses in Ontario and British Columbia take the REx-PN (introduced in 2022) rather than the NCLEX-PN.

What is the NCLEX pass rate in Canada?

Canadian-educated first-attempt NCLEX-RN pass rates have generally ranged from about 80–87% in recent years, with variation by province and program. Rates dipped when the exam was first adopted in 2015 and again during the Next Generation NCLEX transition, then recovered as programs adapted curricula to clinical judgment-focused item types.

Which Canadian provinces publish NCLEX pass rates?

Provincial regulators such as the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO), the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM), and the Nova Scotia College of Nursing publish annual NCLEX-RN pass rate data, often broken down by nursing program. NCSBN also reports aggregate Canadian candidate statistics.

Can a Canadian nurse use their NCLEX result to work in the United States?

Passing the NCLEX-RN is a shared requirement, which simplifies cross-border licensure. A Canadian RN who passed the NCLEX still needs to apply to a US state board of nursing, complete credential verification, and meet that state's requirements — but does not need to retake the exam in most cases.

How can Canadian nursing programs improve NCLEX pass rates?

The same evidence-based strategies that work in US programs apply: aligning curricula with the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model, integrating simulation-based clinical communication training such as ISBARR telephone simulations, using NGN-style formative assessments, and providing early remediation for at-risk students.

Canadian Nursing Programs

NCLEX Pass Rates in Canada: Provincial Results and What Drives Them

Canada adopted the NCLEX-RN as its national RN licensure exam in 2015. Provincial pass rates — and the Next Generation NCLEX transition — now shape how Canadian nursing programs teach clinical judgment.

Request a Demo US National NCLEX Data

The NCLEX in the Canadian Regulatory Landscape

Since 2015, every Canadian RN candidate — from British Columbia to Nova Scotia — writes the same NCLEX-RN used in the United States, administered through provincial regulators such as the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) and the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM).

Canadian first-attempt pass rates dipped sharply in the first years after adoption, recovered as programs adapted, and were tested again by the 2023 Next Generation NCLEX transition. Programs that invested in clinical judgment and structured communication training — including frameworks like ISBARR — adapted fastest.

Practical nursing candidates in Ontario and British Columbia now write the REx-PN instead of the NCLEX-PN — but the underlying shift toward clinical judgment assessment is the same across both exams.

Canadian-educated NCLEX-RN first-attempt pass rate (approximate)

80–87%

Varies by province and program; recovered post-NGN transition

Year Canada adopted the NCLEX-RN

2015

Replaced the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination (CRNE)

Practical nurse exam in Ontario & BC

REx-PN

Introduced in 2022, replacing the CPNRE in those provinces

Provinces publishing program-level pass rates

Multiple

CNO, BCCNM, and other regulators report annually

Clinical Judgment: The Shared Challenge on Both Sides of the Border

Because Canadian and US candidates write the same exam, Canadian nursing programs face the same Next Generation NCLEX pressure: case-study item types that measure whether students can recognize cues, commit to an assessment, and choose an action — not just recall content.

Structured communication simulation — practicing ISBARR handoffs against realistic patient scenarios — trains that exact cognitive sequence. It is one of the few interventions that builds NGN-tested clinical judgment while simultaneously preparing students for real clinical practice.

For Canadian Faculty

SimPhone Pro™ is fully web-based and works anywhere — giving Canadian nursing programs a scalable simulation tool that generates objective ISBARR performance data for student remediation and program quality reporting.