NCLEX for Kenyan Nurses: Steps, Cost, Centre

The NCLEX is the licensing exam for nurses in the United States, and is also used in Canada and Australia. Kenyan nurses can take it in Nairobi. The process has four stages: apply to a nursing regulatory body, get your credentials evaluated if that body requires it, register with Pearson VUE and pay the exam fees, then book and sit the exam once you receive your Authorization to Test.

How much the NCLEX costs

These are the NCLEX fees published by the NCSBN for candidates registering for US licensure:

Two rules matter: fees are not refunded for any reason, including a duplicate registration or missing your appointment, and the international scheduling fee is never refunded. You pay by Visa, MasterCard or American Express card.

These are only the exam fees. Your nursing board's application fee, any credential evaluation, English test and document fees are paid separately, and differ by board.

Step 1: Choose a nursing regulatory body and apply

You do not apply for the NCLEX directly. You apply to a nursing regulatory body (NRB) for licensure by examination - in the US, that is a specific state's board of nursing. Each board sets its own rules for internationally educated nurses, including:

• Whether you need a credential evaluation, and from which organisation. Many boards use CGFNS International (now TruMerit).
• Whether you need an English language test, and which scores.
• Which documents you must send, such as transcripts sent directly from your nursing school and verification of your Kenyan licence.

Choose the board for the state where you plan to work, or one that accepts internationally educated nurses without a Social Security number if you do not have one. Read its requirements in full before paying anything.

Step 2: Get your Kenyan documents verified

Your board or evaluator will want proof of your registration in Kenya directly from the Nursing Council of Kenya. You request this through NCK's online services portal under verification for outmigration. If you trained at KMTC, your certificates can also be verified through KMTC's online system. See how to verify a Kenyan nurse's licence and papers.

Start this early: transcripts and verification letters travelling between institutions are the slowest part of the process.

Step 3: Register with Pearson VUE

You register for the NCLEX with Pearson VUE, online or by phone. Before you start, have:

• Your program code, an email address and a payment card.
• Your first and last name exactly as on your passport - the name you register with must match your ID on exam day.

Pearson VUE sends a confirmation email, usually within two days. Your registration stays open for 365 days while you wait for your board to make you eligible. If the board does not make you eligible within that time, you lose the fee and must register again. You cannot hold two open registrations for the same exam.

Step 4: Get your ATT and book the exam

When your board approves you, you receive an Authorization to Test (ATT) by email. Book your exam within the validity dates on the ATT - if you miss them, you must start again.

A Pearson VUE test centre in Nairobi has offered the NCLEX since January 2024. Before it opened, Kenyan nurses had to travel to South Africa or India to sit the exam. Plan to use a valid passport as your ID, and check the NCLEX identification rules for international test centres before exam day - the name on your ID must match your registration exactly, or you will be turned away.

Preparing for the exam

The NCLEX tests clinical judgement, not just recall. Since April 2023 it has been delivered as the Next Generation NCLEX, with case-study questions that ask you to analyse a patient situation and decide what to do. Practise with questions in that format, and plan a study schedule of several weeks around your work.

After you pass

Passing the NCLEX gives you eligibility for a nursing licence from your board - it is not a licence or a visa in itself. Your board issues the licence, and you then need an employer and the right visa to work in the US. Employers recruiting Kenyan nurses should pay recruitment costs themselves; see how employers can hire nurses from Kenya.

If you are considering the UK instead, the route is different - see NMC registration for Kenyan nurses.

Sources

• NCLEX: fees and payment
• NCLEX: registration
• The Star: Pearson VUE test centre opens in Nairobi (January 2024)

Frequently asked questions

How much does the NCLEX cost in Kenya?+

For US licensure, the NCLEX registration fee is USD 200, plus an international scheduling fee of USD 150 when you test outside the US - USD 350 in total. From 1 February 2027 the registration fee rises to USD 350. Fees are not refunded, and your nursing board and credential evaluation charge separately.

Can I take the NCLEX in Kenya?+

Yes. A Pearson VUE test centre that offers the NCLEX opened in Nairobi in January 2024, so Kenyan nurses no longer need to travel to South Africa or India to sit it.

What do I need before I can book the NCLEX?+

You must first apply to a nursing regulatory body - for example a US state board of nursing - for licensure by examination, and register with Pearson VUE. You can book a test date only after the board makes you eligible and you receive an Authorization to Test (ATT).

Does the NCLEX registration expire?+

Your Pearson VUE registration stays open for 365 days while you wait for your nursing board to make you eligible. If you are not made eligible within that time, you lose the fee and must register again.

Is the NCLEX only for the United States?+

No. The NCLEX is also used for nurse licensure in Canada and Australia, with fees set in Canadian or US dollars for those registrations.