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Careers Advancement Program

NCLEX for RNs

For Stream B registered nurses, the cognitive stage of the Outcomes-Based Assessment is the NCLEX-RN, delivered by the NCSBN through Pearson VUE. Twelve weeks online, built around the Next Generation format where case studies and clinical judgement carry the marks, and reframed for Australian scope of practice.

Enrol now See the full pathway

You need an AHPRA referral before the examination can be scheduled. You can prepare without one.

At a glance

Delivery
Online
Duration
12 weeks
Study load
Approx. 8 hours per week
Level
Non-award, 1 unit
Intakes
Monthly
Course fee
AUD $600
Platform access
12 months
About the examination

The same examination, adopted for Australia

The NMBA adopted the NCLEX-RN as the cognitive stage of its Outcomes-Based Assessment. It is the same examination used for registered nurse licensure in the United States, delivered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing through Pearson VUE test centres, and it is computer adaptive: the difficulty moves with your performance.

Since the Next Generation format was introduced, clinical judgement carries the weight. Case studies, matrix items and bow-tie questions ask you to recognise cues, analyse them, prioritise hypotheses, generate solutions, take action and evaluate outcomes. Recall alone no longer passes.

An AHPRA referral comes first

You cannot be scheduled for the NCLEX-RN until AHPRA issues your referral. Prepare in the meantime, but plan your test date around the referral rather than the other way round.

Two things candidates get wrong

  • Treating it as a knowledge test. Nurses with strong clinical knowledge still fail on item type. The format has to be practised separately from the content.
  • Ignoring the naming differences. Drug names, units and documentation conventions differ between the United States and Australia. We teach both, because the examination uses one and your practice will use the other.
  • Stopping early on a short test. The adaptive engine can end well before the maximum item count. A short test is not a failed test.
What you will gain

Prepared for the format, not just the content

Clinical judgement, taught explicitly

The six-step measurement model behind Next Generation items, practised until the sequence is automatic under time pressure.

Every item type

Case studies, matrix, bow-tie, drag and drop, select all that apply and standard multiple choice, so nothing on test day is unfamiliar.

Australian reframing

Every answer reviewed against Australian scope of practice, medication naming and the Registered Nurse Standards for Practice.

A 3,000 item question bank

With full rationales for both correct and incorrect options, tracked by client needs category so you can see where you are weak.

Three adaptive mock exams

Full length, scored against a readiness band, at weeks 4, 8 and 12.

A readiness recommendation

We tell you when we think you are not ready. A failed attempt costs a fee and weeks you may not have on your English validity.

What is included

In the program

  • Weekly live online workshops, recorded
  • 3,000 item question bank with full rationales, 12 month access
  • Three full length adaptive mock examinations
  • Weekly category level performance reporting
  • Australian practice reframing notes for every content area
  • Test day protocol and booking guidance
  • One to one readiness review after the final mock
  • One free repeat cycle of the live workshops
What you will cover

Across the test plan

Management of care Safety and infection control Health promotion and maintenance Psychosocial integrity Basic care and comfort Pharmacological therapies Reduction of risk potential Physiological adaptation Clinical judgement model Adaptive testing behaviour Prioritisation and delegation Cultural safety

Study around shift work

Live sessions are recorded and the question bank is asynchronous, with twelve month platform access from enrolment. Roughly half of each cohort is working full time.

Where this sits

Step 5 of the registration pathway

Step five applies to Stream B candidates only. If your Self-check found your qualification substantially equivalent, you do not sit this examination.

1

Complete the AHPRA Self-check

A free online check that determines whether your qualification is substantially equivalent to an Australian approved program, and therefore whether you sit the examinations at all.

AHPRA decides
2

Submit your IQNM application and documents

You lodge this directly with AHPRA: identity, qualifications, transcripts, registration history and certificates of good standing from every jurisdiction.

You lodge this with AHPRA
3

Complete the AHPRA orientation

An online orientation to the Australian health system, the NMBA standards and the codes of conduct that apply to your practice here.

AHPRA delivers
4

Meet the English language requirement

Achieve the standard set by the NMBA. Most internationally qualified nurses choose the OET, because the vocabulary is clinical rather than academic.

Stridr prepares you
5

Pass the NCLEX-RN, OBA Part 1

The cognitive stage of the Outcomes-Based Assessment, delivered by the NCSBN through Pearson VUE test centres. You need an AHPRA referral before you can be scheduled.

Stridr prepares you
6

Pass the OSCE, OBA Part 2

The behavioural stage, ten timed clinical stations examined by AHPRA in Adelaide or Melbourne. You cannot book the OSCE until the NCLEX-RN is passed.

Stridr prepares you
7

Apply for registration with the NMBA

Lodge your registration application. The Board decides. Registration is your legal authority to practise as a nurse in Australia.

NMBA decides
Fees

Course fee and third-party costs

You pay Stridr once for the course. Everything else is paid directly to the body that charges it.

Paid to Item Amount
Stridr NCLEX for RNs, 12 weeks online, 1 unit AUD $600
Stridr International student administration fee, where applicable AUD $250
NCSBN NCLEX-RN registration Approx. USD $200
NCSBN International scheduling fee Approx. USD $150
Pearson VUE Test centre charges, where applicable Varies

The course fee covers preparation only. You register and pay for the examination directly with the NCSBN. Third party fees are set by those bodies and change without notice.

Questions

Before you enrol

Is this the American NCLEX or an Australian examination?

It is the NCLEX-RN, the same examination used for United States licensure, which the NMBA has adopted as the cognitive stage of its Outcomes-Based Assessment. Passing it satisfies OBA Part 1. It does not by itself give you a United States licence, and it does not by itself give you Australian registration.

Do I need an AHPRA referral before I enrol?

No. You can enrol and prepare at any time. You need the referral before the NCSBN can schedule your examination, so we help you plan your test date around it.

What if I already sat the NCLEX overseas?

Bring the result. Depending on when you sat it and what the NMBA currently accepts, you may be able to move straight to the OSCE. We will check rather than sell you a course you do not need.

Do enrolled nurses and midwives sit the same examination?

No. Separate examinations apply to registered nurse, enrolled nurse and midwife applicants. Tell us which registration you are seeking before you pay.

How long do I keep access?

Twelve months from enrolment, including the question bank and the recorded workshops, so the material is still there while you wait for a test date.

Sit a free diagnostic first

A short adaptive diagnostic tells us your category profile and whether twelve weeks is realistic for you. No cost, and no obligation to enrol.

Enrol now