I'm paying to take the NCLEX and I'm wondering which state board I should register for. My home state is California, but I will also be applying to jobs out of state. I'm not sure if California is still impacted. Should I register to an out of state nursing board, say Colorado, and would I be able to take the NCLEX in California and just send my score/paperwork to Colorado?

CA is not a compact state. You need to decide where you plan on applying for first job and apply to that state for initial license and then endorse as required

https://www.ncsbn.org/nlc.htm

You can physically take the NCLEX in whatever location is convenient for you. You should apply for licensure in whatever state you plan to live and look for work in. Best wishes.

Thanks guys this was pretty helpful. I was just wondering with the problems in CA whether it made sense to apply to an outside state and then endorse in CA as well. I plan on applying everywhere once I graduate, so that's what I'm going to do. Apply to CO then endorse in CA.

Did you train in the US or overseas?

I trained in the US.

If you want to work in CA then really best bet is to go straight to them for initial license as requirements are still the same regardless on initial or endorsement

I'm not sure, my biggest concern is the CA nursing board is still overwhelmed. I tried calling them to ask about this and they have a busy dial tone. I think my way will be faster.

I live in CA, graduated in May, and took NCLEX June 26. I found out two days later that I was an RN! The nursing board is not nearly as overwhelmed as it was for my friends who graduated in December. Either way, good luck! :-)