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Nurse Qualifying Exam (NQE)
Nurse Qualifying Exam (NQE)
A global exam for a global profession
Exam dates:
The Nurse Qualifying Exam is delivered at Kryterion testing centers during four annual one-week testing windows. The remaining testing window for 2025 is:
- November 10-14, 2025 (application deadline is September 30, 2025)
Test dates for 2026 will be announced soon.
Exam fee:
The price of the NQE is included in the fee the applicant pays for the credential or service that requires passing the exam. Additional fees for the NQE will not be assessed when they go through the process.
TruMerit’s Nurse Qualifying Exam is the first-ever global competency examination designed to measure the entry-to-practice applied knowledge, skills, and behaviors of first-level, general nurses against a global standard. Formerly the CGFNS Qualifying Exam, the examination was our flagship service, developed at our founding in 1977, and remains a critical requirement in several of our credential verification and evaluation programs.
The rapid advance of healthcare technologies and nursing practice, along with the growing urgency of improving access to care for all populations worldwide, has necessitated the reinvention of the Qualifying Exam. In addition to modernizing and upgrading the examination to meet the challenges of an evolving profession, the newly updated NQE provides a shared global framework for validating the applied knowledge and practice competence of first-level, general nurses worldwide, thereby supporting portability of credentials across country borders and disciplinary boundaries.
Transforming the Qualifying Exam to the reinvented NQE took place in 2024-25 through a process involving participation, input, and collaboration from 73 nursing experts in 50 countries. Under TruMerit’s guidance, these experts developed and agreed upon a global set of standards, which form the basis for the NQE.
Why take the NQE?
- To get TruMerit’s newest credential—Certified Global Nurse (CGN).
With its universally agreed-upon framework and set of standards with which to assess nursing competence, TruMerit has repurposed the Nurse Qualifying Exam from a solely U.S.-bound exam to support a new global certification process for nurses—the Certified Global Nurse (CGN)—a groundbreaking approach offering a measure of consistency for all nurses worldwide. Going forward, the NQE will support this portable credential, signifying role recognition and work readiness on an international scale. Equipped with the CGN, nurses will have more mobility within the profession and across geopolitical boundaries throughout their career. Learn more about the Certified Global Nurse credential.
- To complete examination requirements for TruMerit’s legacy programs.
As with its predecessor exam, passing the Nurse Qualifying Exam is a requirement of two TruMerit programs—the (CGFNS) Certification Program and the International Standards for Professional Nurses (ISPN)® program.Additionally, applicants to the VisaScreen: Visa Credentials Assessment to achieve an occupational visa to live and work in the U.S. can satisfy the examination requirement by passing either the NQE or the NCLEX.
Exam Eligibility
The NQE is for first-level, general nurses* who wish to have their applied nursing knowledge and competencies recognized as meeting a global standard. Eligibility depends on which program you are applying to.
- For the Certified Global Nurse credential, applicants must show that they have completed first-level, general nursing education and have a current, active nursing registration or license.
- For the TruMerit (CGFNS) Certification Program, candidates must provide evidence of their secondary and nursing education, licensure, and English language proficiency.
- For the International Standards for Professional Nurses (ISPN)® program, applicants must have completed first-level, general nursing education.
- For the VisaScreen: Visa Credentials Assessment, applicants must show that they have completed first-level, general nursing education and have a current, active nursing registration or license—as well as have evidence of passing an English language proficiency test.
*In most countries, including the United States, a first-level nurse is called a registered nurse or a professional nurse. If you are a second-level nurse in your native country, you cannot sit for the NQE. In most countries, second-level nurses are called enrolled nurses, vocational nurses, practical nurses, or nursing assistants.
Download the NQE examination handbook
Any nurse who is directed by a TruMerit program to sit for the Nurse Qualifying Exam should download the exam handbook. This publication provides comprehensive information on what the NQE is and how to prepare for it, including topics covered and the competency framework used in developing the questions on the exam. It also has sample questions and answers.
Exam administration
The Nurse Qualifying Exam is a proctored, computer-based exam that will be administered in person in more than 120 countries through the Kryterion global network of test centers. Candidates can search for nearby test centers at the Kryterion website.
Registration to take the NQE is part of the application process for the program or service that includes passage of the exam as a requirement or option (see above). To begin an application for one of those programs, click here.
Registering for the NQE
How a candidate registers for the NQE will depend on which program they are applying for. All candidates will first need to create an account through the TruMerit Connect (formerly CGFNS Connect) online applicant portal, through which all correspondence with TruMerit can be accessed. There is no cost to create an account.
- Go to TruMerit.org and click the “Apply” button located on the home page and follow the steps to establish your account and complete your personal profile.
- Use the service selector in your account to select a program to purchase—VisaScreen, the TruMerit (CGFNS) Certification Program, the ISPN Program, or the Certified Global Nurse credential.
- Submit all the required documentation and information for your selected program.
Once you have purchased a service and all your application materials have been reviewed and accepted by TruMerit, you will receive an Authorization-to-Test notification that contains detailed information about test administration for the Nurse Qualifying Exam, including availability at Kryterion test centers and instructions for how to register for your exam and schedule a date and time for it.
NQE exam blueprint
The following is a guide to the competency domains that will be tested for on the NQE. The full competency framework can be found in the exam handbook.
| Standards | Domains | Domain % | Subdomains | Subdomain % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard I: Professional Attributes |
Domain 1: Patients, Families, Communities, & Professionalism | 14% |
Sub A: Patient & Family Advocacy Sub B: Population Health |
6% 8% |
| Domain 2: Ethics | 6% | Sub A: Ethics | 6% | |
| Domain 3: Leadership & Personal Responsibility | 5% |
Sub A: Personal Traits Sub B: Colleagues & Work Environment Sub C: Health Policy |
1% 2% 2% |
|
| Domain 4: Education & Research | 10% |
Sub A: Education Sub B: Research & Data |
5% 5% |
|
| Domain 5: Technology & Innovation | 5% | Sub A: Technology & Innovation | 5% | |
| Domain Total % | 40% | 40% | ||
| Standard II: Nursing Care & Interventions |
Domain 6: Health Promotion & Maintenance | 20% |
Sub A: Reproduction, Pregnancy, & Well-Child Care Sub B: Adult Care & Rehabilitation Sub C: End of Life Care |
4% 11% 5% |
| Domain 7: Physiological Integrity | 30% |
Sub A: Basic Care & Comfort Sub B: Pharmacological & Parenteral Therapies Sub C: Physical Adaptation Sub D: Medical Waste Sub E: Human Nutrition & Elimination |
10% 9% 5% 1% 5% |
|
| Domain 8: Emergency & Disaster Management | 10% |
Sub A: Emergency & Disaster Management Sub B: Critical Incidents |
9% 1% |
|
| Domain Total % | 60% | 60% | ||
| Blueprint Total % | 100% | 100% | ||