Is the english exam IELTS / TOEFL required for the licensure exam in any state?

lawrence01 · Jan 22, 2007

It depends on the State. NJ has a TOEFL req't, other states requires any one of those, while others don't require it at all.

What State do you plan to apply for eligibility to take NCLEX?

narsbing · Jan 22, 2007

New Mexico, Vermont, Illinois or Nevada.

In New Jersey, they require TOEFL? Wont they consider IELTS as equivalent to TOEFL?

Thanks,

lawrence01 · Jan 22, 2007

New Mexico, Vermont, Illinois or Nevada.
In New Jersey, they require TOEFL? Wont they consider IELTS as equivalent to TOEFL?
Thanks,

NJ - currently accepts TOEFL only but policies change overtime. Maryland previously accepted just TOEFL but now accepts either.

NM, VT don't have req'ts. IL I believe accepts just TOEFL as well. Not sure of Nevada.

Best bet really is to go to their respective websites that can be found at http://www.ncsbn.org and read their instructions for foreign RNs. You will need to go there anyway to download or request application forms.

Visa Screen Certification accepts either exams. So, w/c one to choose depends if your State has a strict req't or not. If not.. just go for IELTS. Many seems to pass it on their 1st try vs. TOEFL.

MALE*RN*777 · Jan 22, 2007

Maryland does

nindot · Jan 25, 2007

i have a friend who has a tourist visa and plans to take the NCLEX-RN exam in california once she has her ATT already(of course she has to time it when there are visas for nurses available). She has a nurse relative in CA who would help her to get into a hospital which sponsors foreign nurses once she pass, she's asking if she actually passes and already has a hospital who will sponsor in CA to adjust her status, while she's already there would IELTS still be required or any other english exams?

suzanne4, RN · Jan 25, 2007

i have a friend who has a tourist visa and plans to take the NCLEX-RN exam in california once she has her ATT already(of course she has to time it when there are visas for nurses available). She has a nurse relative in CA who would help her to get into a hospital which sponsors foreign nurses once she pass, she's asking if she actually passes and already has a hospital who will sponsor in CA to adjust her status, while she's already there would IELTS still be required or any other english exams?

Your friend cannot have her visa adjusted right now as there is a retrogression in place. She is required to have a Visa Screen Certificate for immigration needs, so she will need to pass either the IELTS series or the TOEFL series to meet that requirement. Immigration requirements are separate from those for licensure.

It will also take her minimum of five months before she would be able to work in the US, to get the documents that will permit her to legally work. She would be must better off to get her exam done and get petitioned from home. Hard to live in the US for five months without work and no income.

nindot · Jan 25, 2007

Your friend cannot have her visa adjusted right now as there is a retrogression in place. She is required to have a Visa Screen Certificate for immigration needs, so she will need to pass either the IELTS series or the TOEFL series to meet that requirement. Immigration requirements are separate from those for licensure.
It will also take her minimum of five months before she would be able to work in the US, to get the documents that will permit her to legally work. She would be must better off to get her exam done and get petitioned from home. Hard to live in the US for five months without work and no income.

Thanks suzanne for the info, ill tell her that, but i think she knows that there's retrogression right now, that's why she said she's gonna time it when there are available visas already. Yeah i think she has to consider the time she has to spend in the US before she would be able to work in the us to get those paperworks that will permit her to legally work, its going to be hard without income, though i have another friend who did that but his family was well off in the philippines, they send money to the US for him for his daily existence while waiting for his status to be legal.

nindot · Jan 25, 2007

Your friend cannot have her visa adjusted right now as there is a retrogression in place. She is required to have a Visa Screen Certificate for immigration needs, so she will need to pass either the IELTS series or the TOEFL series to meet that requirement. Immigration requirements are separate from those for licensure.
It will also take her minimum of five months before she would be able to work in the US, to get the documents that will permit her to legally work. She would be must better off to get her exam done and get petitioned from home. Hard to live in the US for five months without work and no income.

Thanks suzanne for the info, i'll tell her that.

suzanne4, RN · Jan 26, 2007

Thanks suzanne for the info, ill tell her that, but i think she knows that there's retrogression right now, that's why she said she's gonna time it when there are available visas already. Yeah i think she has to consider the time she has to spend in the US before she would be able to work in the us to get those paperworks that will permit her to legally work, its going to be hard without income, though i have another friend who did that but his family was well off in the philippines, they send money to the US for him for his daily existence while waiting for his status to be legal.

With the retrogression in place, it wil be much faster to go thru Consular Processing and get everything done at home, once visas open up, then they would be all set for an interview with US Embassy, instead of coming here and having to wait to see even if they pass the exam, and then the 5 months waiting period.

roanne · Feb 15, 2008

Hi! I'm currently applying for RN licensure in MD, and I'm aware that they require English proficiency tests and certain band scores to be eligible to take the NCLEX. I'm thinking of taking the IELTS, but what if I don't meet the band scores required by their BON? (Speaking = 7, Listening + Reading + Writing = 6; overall = 6.5) Will they deny me the eligibility immediately, or can I retake the IELTS exam? My main concern is that *if* I won't get satisfactory band scores, they'll reject my application, and then I'll have to file a new one.

roanne · Feb 15, 2008

Your friend cannot have her visa adjusted right now as there is a retrogression in place. She is required to have a Visa Screen Certificate for immigration needs, so she will need to pass either the IELTS series or the TOEFL series to meet that requirement. Immigration requirements are separate from those for licensure.
It will also take her minimum of five months before she would be able to work in the US, to get the documents that will permit her to legally work. She would be must better off to get her exam done and get petitioned from home. Hard to live in the US for five months without work and no income.

I have a similar question. I'm taking the NCLEX here in the Philippines, and when I pass it, I intend to go to the US on a tourist visa as well. My aunt is friends with the head of the Philippine Nursing Association in CA, and she said it wouldn't be a problem for them to sponsor me (or something like that) and for the hospital (or whoever is in authority) to convert my tourist visa to an immigrant visa. But if what you said is true, then I'll have to apply for a VisaScreen (?). My mom said that if I do that, and the immigration finds out that I have a tourist visa, they will cancel my tourist visa? Is this true? I don't want to lose my tourist visa, because I visit my fiance in CA every 6 months. I think it's much better to have it than hope for an immigrant visa which is not guaranteed to be available because of the retrogression.