When you take a NCCLEX test, you are required to pay a one-time registration fee that covers the full examination and any test-related supplies. You must also pay a retake fee of twenty dollars if you need to retake the exam within three years of your initial exam.
The retake fee is a little bit puzzling because most employers do not offer a full refund for NCLEX exams. Therefore, many students are forced to pay the fee even if they do not need to retake the exam. In fact, the fee can quickly add up.
There are other fees associated with taking an NCCLEX test this year. Every university and college that administer the exam require that you register and pay for materials you will need to study for the exam. These include a practice test, flash cards, and all of the materials that you will need to practice for the exam.
How much money does it cost to register and purchase these items? You could spend as much as three hundred dollars on study materials alone. If you only take one or two tests per year, this is not a big deal. However, if you take a few hundred tests over the course of a couple of years, it adds up.
Even if you only need to retake the exam once, you may still have to pay the retake fee. Some universities may charge for a second test; some only charge for a third and fourth test; and some schools may charge for the same test again in a different year. Some colleges are offering packages that allow students to retake the exam a number of times for a discount.
Students taking the NCCLEX exam for the first time in a few years need to know the exam cost because it can be a little confusing. Most universities only charge a two hundred dollar fee for the exam. For many students, this is the least expensive option.
A small fee for the retake fee can add up quickly. A one thousand dollar exam costs about five hundred dollars. If you take three hundred tests this year, you will end up spending two thousand dollars.
Many students are tempted to save money by taking more than one NCCLEX exam for free. While it may seem like a good idea, it is a bad idea for many reasons.
First, if you are registered to take more than one exam, you must renew your registration each year. When you are doing this, the cost for renewal is determined by the number of exams you take and the amount of time you are allowed to take them. If you plan to take the exam more than once, you must purchase the tests at the same time or you will be charged the higher exam cost.
Second, you will be charged the retake fee if you need to retake the exam again in a few years. The retake fee can easily add up to three hundred dollars. If you need to retake the exam again in a few years, it is very important that you purchase the exam at the same time as you originally did in order to avoid an additional test fee.
By knowing the costs associated with taking an NCCLEX exam, you can better budget your budget for your NCCLEX test. If you have less than a year before you need to retake the exam, it is usually less expensive to just take the exam than to take it in three or four or five years. If you have more than a year before you need to retake the exam, consider purchasing more than one test.