In order to be made eligible to test AND be issued a work authorization to practice as a graduate nurse, the following must be received in the board office:

• On-line application for license by examination and nonrefundable fee payable by credit or debit card;
• Official transcripts from nursing program with the degree posted; and
• Registration with NCLEX Candidates Services for testing (fee required is listed on their website)

Address and name changes can be made by visiting our Nurse Portal. If you have not yet signed up for a Nurse Portal account, you will need to do so in order to apply for a license or make demographic updates. More information on setting up your Nurse Portal account can be found here.

All NDBON applications are available through our Nurse Portal and payments must be electronically submitted. Accepted credit cards include Visa, MasterCard or Discover.

Once the board of nursing makes a candidate eligible, that candidate will receive an Authorization to Test (ATT) letter by email.  The ATT serves as the candidate’s notice that they may schedule their NCLEX at a Pearson Professional Center.

• Candidates should ensure that the ATT reflects their name as it appears on their ID, their authorization period (an average of 90 days), the exam they registered to take, and if applicable, their approved accommodations.
• To gain access to the NCLEX, candidates must present one form of acceptable identification that matches exactly the name they provided when registering (a paper copy of the ATT is no longer required for test admittance).
• If the candidates’s ID does not match exactly the name they registered with, the candidate will not be admitted to test and will have to re-register and pay another exam fee.
• The ATT validity dates can not be extended for any reason.  If candidates do not test within these dates they will have to re-register and pay another exam fee.

If you claim another compact state as your primary state of residence, you will need to apply for license by examination in your primary state of residence.  If you change your primary state of residence at a later date, you can apply for license by endorsement in ND.  See https://www.nursecompact.com/ for a current list of compact states.

An Authorization to Test (ATT) is required to schedule your appointment.  Once you have been made eligible for licensure by examination by the Board of Nursing, your ATT will be e-mailed to you by Pearson Vue.

The authorization to test is valid for 90 days.

You are guaranteed to be offered a testing date within 30 days of the time you call the Pearson Test Center.   If the test center offers a date within the 30 days and you decline that date, the test center has met their contractual obligation.  Please contact the Board office if you have any problems scheduling your test.

If you need to change your appointment, you must contact NCLEX Candidate Services one full business day (24 hours) prior to your scheduled appointment.

Yes, there is a practice test available at: https://www.nclex.com/prepare.page

Your work authorization will be issued when the ND Board of Nursing has made you eligible for licensure by examination, .  A paper work authorization will not be mailed.  Your work authorization number, issue date and expiration date will be posted in your Nurse Portal or accessed in our Verification Portal.

Your work authorization must be issued before you start practicing as a graduate nurse or attend any orientation sessions.

The work authorization is valid for 90 days, or until you are notified of the test results, whichever occurs first.

You must complete the application for licensure process within 60 days of graduation to be eligible to receive a graduate nurse work authorization.

No.  Work authorizations will be posted on our website for applicants and employers to access.

If the employer decides to retain the employee in a UAP or LPN nurse role they may do so.  The employer needs to verify permits, license, and registrations on the Board website under Verify.

No. The Board reaffirmed the position in 2018, as adopted and reaffirmed in 1987 and 1998, that orientation to a position that requires a nursing license, permit, or work authorization is considered nursing practice and therefore requires that the individual be properly licensed or authorized to practice for the position to which they are being oriented.

If a nurse holds licensure in ND and chooses to work in a position other than nursing, and the job description does not include use of nursing knowledge, skills, and abilities, the individual is free to do so.  However, the individual could not claim those hours for nursing practice hours for purposes of maintaining eligibility for licensure.

An individual applying for nurse licensure in ND must be authorized to practice nursing if hired in any nursing position that requires nursing knowledge, regardless of title.  This is done by obtaining a work authorization or permit.

• Exception: If the individual is licensed, registered or authorized to perform the work required in that position.   For example, a nurse who is registered as a certified nursing assistant may work in that role without having a license, permit or work authorization to practice nursing (October 25, 2018 motion).

Your unofficial examination results are available through NCLEX Quick Results Service offered by the test service.  You can access your unofficial results via the internet at https://www.nclex.com/ and sign in with a user name and password.  Choose “Current Activity”, then “Recent Appointments”, and then “Status”.  After entering a credit card number the unofficial results will be displayed.  The fee for this service will be listed on the website.  Your credit card will only be charged if your results are available.

The Board office makes every effort to notify you of your results via email within 48 hours of your testing.  DO NOT CALL the Board office for your test results; Board staff is unable to release them over the phone or to your employer.  If you pass, you will receive a license to practice as a nurse.

NOTE:  You can be made eligible to test for the NCLEX prior to Board receipt of CHRC.  However, your CHRC must be completed prior to your license being issued.

You can access the Nurse Portal or Verification site to see if a license has been issued.  If a license is not showing for you, it does not necessarily mean that you’ve failed.  It is possible that a license has not yet been issued for you.  After the results have been processed, the license verification will show a license number if you passed, or the work authorization will be expired if you failed.  DO NOT CALL the board office for confirmation, Board staff cannot release pass/fail results by phone.

No.  You cannot start practicing as a nurse until you have been issued a license by the Board of Nursing. Your license can be accessed through your Nurse Portal or visiting our Verification site.

Applicants for initial license by examination shall receive a license expiring December 31 of the following year as part of the application fee.

If you fail, you will receive a diagnostic profile of your areas of weakness, and the required documents to submit for retesting.   You are eligible to retest 45 days after your original test date.  The retesting application can be submitted online prior to that date for processing.

No. Your Graduate Work Authorization becomes invalid when you receive the examination results.  A candidate who fails the licensing examination may not be employed in a position with functions that are usually assigned to licensed nurses.  You are NOT able to continue to practice as a graduate nurse.