About the Illinois NCLEX exam
The Illinois NCLEX exam is administered by the Illinois Secretary of State. Like every state, Illinois adopts the federal standards as a baseline and adds state-specific requirements, fees, and procedures.
- NCLEX + state licensing fee: approximately $200 NCLEX fee + $50 IL fee.
- State nursing board: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).
- Illinois is NOT an NLC member state; nurses must hold a separate Illinois licence to practise there.
To get started, read the official Illinois handbook (linked above), practice with the tests on this page until you consistently score above 70%, and then schedule your exam with the Illinois Secretary of State.
What's in the Illinois exam: Practice questions modeled on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN), organized by client need category as defined by the NCSBN test plan.