MedUni Exam

How Many Times You Can Take the NCLEX, Step 1, MCAT and PLAB 1

You can take the NCLEX eight times a year, with 45 test-free days between attempts, and NCSBN publishes no lifetime cap, from the NCLEX results page checked on September 22, 2026. The other exams set a lower cap: four attempts per USMLE Step, seven MCAT attempts in a lifetime, five at the NAPLEX, five PLAB 1 attempts with the fifth by application, and six at each part of MRCP(UK). All ten sit in the table below, with the wait and the retake fee.

How many times can you take the NCLEX

You can take the NCLEX eight times a year, and there must be 45 test-free days between each exam. That is the NCSBN retake policy on the NCLEX results and retake page, checked on September 22, 2026, and NCSBN publishes no lifetime cap. Some nursing regulatory bodies are stricter, and your Authorization to Test carries your own dates. Pass rates by year are in the post on NCLEX-RN pass rates.

Each registration costs USD 200 for United States licensure, retakes included. From February 1, 2027 it becomes USD 350 in the United States and Australia and CAD 570 in Canada, from the NCLEX fees page, checked on September 22, 2026.

The California repeat application page and the Texas graduates and NCLEX page, read on September 22, 2026, print a retake process and no cap on attempts. Texas does print a deadline: Board Rule 217.2(c)(d) requires an applicant retaking the NCLEX to be within four years of their graduation date, with no Authorization to Test after that. The window is Texas only. The national limit of eight attempts a year applies in both states.

How many attempts you get at each exam, in one table

You get four attempts at a USMLE Step, five at the NAPLEX and eight NCLEX attempts a year, from the ten bodies' own pages, checked on September 22, 2026.

ExamAttempts allowedWait between attemptsCap inside 12 monthsHow long a pass lastsCost of another attempt
USMLE Step 1Four per Step, incomplete includedSix months before a fourthThree attemptsNo USMLE expiry; state boards set itUSD 695, plus USD 210 outside the US and Canada
USMLE Step 2 CKFour per Step, incomplete includedSix months before a fourthThree attemptsNo USMLE expiry; state boards set itUSD 695, plus USD 235 outside the US and Canada
COMLEX-USA Level 1Four scored attempts per levelNone published by NBOMEFour, incomplete and voided includedNo NBOME expiry publishedUSD 745
NCLEX-RNNo NCSBN lifetime cap45 test-free daysEight attemptsNo NCSBN expiry published; registration open 365 daysUSD 200, then USD 350 from February 1, 2027
MCATSeven in a lifetime, from April 2015None published; one appointment at a timeThree a testing year; four in two yearsAAMC publishes no expiryUSD 355, plus USD 130 outside the US, Canada and the US territories
NAPLEXFive, unless a board decides otherwise45 daysThree, then a 12 month waitNo NABP expiry published; eligibility runs one yearUSD 100 application plus USD 520 exam fee
INBDEFive attempts, or five years from the first60 daysFour administrationsNo JCNDE expiry; a pass may not be retakenUSD 890; USD 1,325 from a program not accredited by CODA
PLAB 1Four failures, then one final attempt by applicationThe next sittingFour sittings a yearTwo years to pass PLAB 2GBP 283 from April 1, 2026
UKMLA applied knowledge testYour university sets it; four valid attempts recommendedSet by your medical schoolTwo actual attempts an academic yearTwo years while you are still at medical schoolNo fee for UK medical students
MRCP(UK) Part 1Six per part, then one exceptional attempt by applicationThe next dietThree diets a yearNo time limit since the April 2026 regulationsGBP 520 UK, GBP 696 international

Source: FSMB and NBME, NBOME, NCSBN, AAMC, NABP, the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations, the GMC, the Medical Schools Council and the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians, checked on September 22, 2026; GMC pages read on September 21, 2026.

A cell that says no number is published means the body prints none today. Your state board or university can still set one.

Source: the page named in each row, checked on September 22, 2026.

How many times can you take USMLE Step 1, Step 2 CK and Step 3

You can take Step 1 four times, and the same four attempt limit covers USMLE Step 2 CK and Step 3. A candidate who has attempted a Step four or more times without passing, incomplete attempts included, is ineligible to apply for any Step in the sequence, on the USMLE eligibility page, checked on September 22, 2026. Attempts at the former Step 2 Clinical Skills count toward the four.

Two waiting periods apply inside those four. You may take the same Step no more than three times in a 12 month period, and a fourth attempt must come at least 12 months after your first and six months after your most recent.

USMLE allowed six attempts per Step before July 2021, and the Composite Committee voted it down to four, on the USMLE attempt limit page, checked on September 22, 2026. You may not retake a passed Step, except to meet a licensing time limit.

An application costs USD 695 for Step 1 and Step 2 CK and USD 955 for Step 3, with region fees of USD 210 on Step 1 and USD 235 on Step 2 CK outside the United States and Canada, from the USMLE apply page, checked on September 22, 2026. Format numbers are on the Step 1 page and the Step 2 CK page. Scores to reach are in the posts on the Step 1 passing score and Step 2 CK percentiles.

How many times can you take the MCAT in a year, and in your life

You can take the MCAT three times in one testing year, four times across two consecutive testing years and seven times in your life, counted from the April 2015 test dates, on the AAMC testing attempt limits page, checked on September 22, 2026.

You may hold only one MCAT appointment at a time, and the AAMC hears one appeal against these limits per test year. Standard registration is USD 355, or USD 145 through the Fee Assistance Program, with a USD 130 international fee outside the United States, Canada and the US territories, from the AAMC registration fees page, checked on September 22, 2026.

Seven attempts at USD 355 is USD 2,485, this article's arithmetic, not an AAMC figure. AAMC does not say whether a voided score spends one of the seven. Section timings are on the MCAT page.

How many attempts for PLAB 1, and how many times can you take PLAB 2

You can keep taking PLAB 1 until you have failed it four times, then apply to the GMC for a fifth and final attempt. Fail the fifth and you can no longer take the exam, from the GMC PLAB 1 booking page, read on September 21, 2026. PLAB 2 runs on the same four plus one rule.

That fifth attempt needs 12 months of additional learning, evidenced by clinical practice or a relevant postgraduate qualification, and the GMC grants nothing beyond it, on its additional attempt page, read on September 21, 2026.

PLAB 1 runs four times a year, in February, May, August and November, from the GMC page on when and where you can take PLAB 1, and results come six weeks after the test, from the GMC results page, both read on September 21, 2026. From 2027 the February exam runs only in UK and EU locations, and Dhaka, Alexandria, Accra and Chennai stop running it, from the GMC page on changes to PLAB 1 in 2027, read on September 21, 2026.

Every attempt costs GBP 283 from April 1, 2026, and PLAB 2 costs GBP 1,036, from the GMC fees for doctors page, read on September 21, 2026. Four PLAB 1 attempts is GBP 1,132, and refugee doctors living in the UK pay nothing for their first two. A PLAB 1 pass gives you two years to pass PLAB 2, counted from the test date, and the format sits on the PLAB 1 page, with the pass mark in the post on the PLAB 1 pass mark.

How many times can you take MRCP Part 1 and the UKMLA

You can take MRCP(UK) Part 1 six times, the limit the GMC requires at each part of the diploma, and after six you may apply for an exceptional additional attempt with evidence of further training, in paragraph 3.3 of the Regulations April 2026, checked on September 22, 2026.

Paragraph 3.4 removes the old deadline: the requirement to finish Part 2 Written and PACES within seven years of passing Part 1 is gone, superseded by the six attempt rule, so a Part 1 pass carries no expiry. A seventh attempt needs evidence signed by your educational supervisor and training program director, two weeks before the application period opens, from the limit on attempts page, checked on September 22, 2026.

Part 1 runs three diets a year, so six attempts take at least 20 months end to end, five diets after the first, counted here from the published 2026 and 2027 diet dates. Each one costs GBP 520 in the UK or GBP 696 internationally, from the Part 1 dates and fees page, checked on September 22, 2026. Study weeks are in the post on how long to study for MRCP Part 1, the pass mark by diet in the post on the MRCP Part 1 pass mark, and the blueprint on the MRCP Part 1 page.

For the UKMLA applied knowledge test your university sets the number. The Medical Schools Council recommends no more than four valid attempts, and no more than two actual attempts in an academic year, in the AKT Student Handbook 2026, checked on September 22, 2026. An AKT pass is normally valid for two years while you are still at medical school. International graduates meet the assessment through PLAB, and the format sits on the UKMLA page.

How many times can you take the NAPLEX, the INBDE and COMLEX Level 1

You can take the NAPLEX five times unless a board of pharmacy decides otherwise, with three attempts in any 12 month period and a mandatory 45 day wait after a failure, in the NABP bulletin section dated March 2026 on the NAPLEX bulletin page, checked on September 22, 2026. The NAPLEX is the pharmacy licensing exam in the United States, so five is also the number of times you can take the pharmacy exam.

Retaking the NAPLEX restarts the eligibility application: USD 100 to apply, then a new exam fee of USD 520, and the Authorization to Test arrives once the 45 days have passed. Content weights are on the NAPLEX page.

You can take the INBDE five times, or for five years from your first attempt, whichever comes first, then once every six months. Between unsuccessful attempts the wait is 60 days, with a maximum of four administrations a year, from the INBDE 2026 Candidate Guide, checked on September 22, 2026. Every attempt needs a new application and the USD 890 fee, plus a USD 435 processing fee if your dental program is not accredited by CODA, and the item counts are on the INBDE page.

You can take COMLEX Level 1 four times, the four scored attempts NBOME allows at each COMLEX-USA level, with no more than four administrations within 12 months, incomplete and voided attempts included, in the COMLEX-USA Bulletin of Information 2026-2027, checked on September 22, 2026. Level 1 costs USD 745 an attempt, from the NBOME questions page, checked on September 22, 2026, a no show inside 24 hours forfeits USD 400, and the blueprint weights are on the COMLEX Level 1 page.

What counts as an attempt, and what does not

An INBDE attempt starts the moment you agree to the confidentiality statement at the test center, from the INBDE 2026 Candidate Guide, checked on September 22, 2026. A withdrawal from an MRCP(UK) exam returns 90 percent of the fee during the application period, 60 percent more than 28 days before the exam and nothing inside 28 days, from the MRCP(UK) Regulations April 2026, checked on September 22, 2026.

ExamDoes not count as an attemptDoes count as an attempt
NAPLEXA missed appointment and a canceled examA session you choose to take after waiting more than 30 minutes at the center
INBDEAn application you never use inside the six month windowAny administration you started
MRCP(UK) Part 1A withdrawal, and an exam the Federation cancelsAbsence on the day

Source: NABP, the JCNDE and the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians, checked on September 22, 2026.

Which attempt rules and fees changed, and when

USMLE cut attempts per Step from six to four in July 2021, and the MRCP(UK) Regulations dated April 2026 replaced the seven year deadline after a Part 1 pass with the six attempt rule, checked on September 22, 2026.

ExamWhat changedDate it changed
USMLE, all StepsAttempts per Step cut from six to fourJuly 2021
MRCP(UK) Part 1The seven year deadline after a Part 1 pass was replaced by the six attempt ruleRegulations dated April 2026
MRCP(UK) Part 1Diet fee rose to GBP 520 in the UK and GBP 696 internationallyFrom the 2026/3 diet, September 23, 2026
PLAB 1 and PLAB 2Fees rose to GBP 283 and GBP 1,036April 1, 2026
NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PNRegistration fee rises from USD 200 to USD 350February 1, 2027
MCATThe lifetime cap of seven attempts counts from April 2015April 2015

Source: USMLE, the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians, NCSBN and AAMC, checked on September 22, 2026; GMC fees read on September 21, 2026.

What to do with the months between attempts

Each rule leaves a gap: 45 days for the NCLEX and the NAPLEX, 60 days for the INBDE, six months before a fourth USMLE attempt, 12 months of documented learning before a fifth PLAB attempt. Another attempt costs USD 200 to USD 1,325, or GBP 283 to GBP 1,036.

My own rule for that gap, as an opinion: work from the material your last attempt showed you were missing. Upload your notes here and the generator writes questions in the format of the exam, each one printing the sentence it was written from and the page it sits on. A guest gets 60 verified questions, an account gets 300 a month free, a 90 day Exam Pass is USD 19.99 and a 500 question pack is USD 5.99, and neither renews. The sample page shows what a checked question looks like, and the NCLEX-RN page holds the item counts.

Questions people ask

How many times can you take the NCLEX in California?

California prints no cap of its own. The California Board of Registered Nursing takes a repeat application through its online account system, and the page read on September 22, 2026 sets out the steps and tells you to pay the application fee, without a limit on the number of attempts. National figures bind you there instead: eight attempts a year, with 45 test-free days between them. Confirm your own status with the board before you reapply.

How many times can you take the NCLEX in Texas?

Texas prints no cap on the number of attempts, but it does set a deadline. Board Rule 217.2(c)(d) requires every applicant retaking the NCLEX to be within four years of their graduation date to be eligible to retest, and the board will not issue an Authorization to Test past that point. An international applicant must also have worked within the four years before filing and be within four years of their date of eligibility. Inside that window the NCSBN numbers apply: eight attempts a year with 45 test-free days.

How many times can you take the NAPLEX in a year?

Three. NABP allows three NAPLEX attempts during a 12 month period, and a candidate who uses all three waits at least 12 months from the first of them before reapplying. Each failure also carries a mandatory 45 day wait with no exceptions, and the lifetime maximum is five attempts unless a board of pharmacy decides otherwise. Those figures come from the NABP candidate application bulletin section dated March 2026.

How many times can I take the INBDE?

Five attempts, or five years from your first attempt, whichever comes first. After that point the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations allows one attempt every six months, and the restriction is not subject to appeal. Between unsuccessful attempts you wait 60 days, and no more than four administrations are permitted in any one year period. Each attempt needs a new application and the USD 890 exam fee, plus a USD 435 processing fee if your dental program is not accredited by CODA.

How many times can you fail COMLEX Level 1?

Four scored attempts is the limit at each COMLEX-USA level, so three failures still leave one attempt in hand. Past four, a fifth comes only at the explicit request of a medical licensing agency, with a written petition from that agency and a letter from your college dean or program director confirming good academic and professional standing. NBOME prints no waiting period between attempts in the 2026-2027 Bulletin of Information.

How many times can you take the Pre-NAPLEX?

Twice a year. NABP prints a Pre-NAPLEX limit of two purchases a year at USD 90 per attempt, with seven days to take the exam once you pay, on its Pre-NAPLEX page, checked on September 22, 2026. The NAPLEX itself runs on a different rule: three NAPLEX attempts in a 12 month period, a mandatory 45 day wait after a failure, and a maximum of five attempts unless a board of pharmacy decides otherwise.

How many times can you take the UKMLA?

Your medical school sets the number for the applied knowledge test. In the 2026 Student Handbook the Medical Schools Council recommends no more than four valid attempts, with no more than two actual attempts in one academic year, and an attempt covered by supported mitigating circumstances is removed from the count. Taking the AKT costs a UK medical student nothing, and international graduates meet the licensing assessment through PLAB instead.

How many times can you take PLAB 1?

Four failures, then one final attempt you have to apply for. The GMC lets you keep booking PLAB 1 until you have failed it four times, and a fifth attempt needs an application supported by 12 months of further learning, evidenced by clinical practice or a relevant postgraduate qualification. Fail the fifth and you can no longer take the exam. PLAB 2 runs on the same four plus one rule, and every PLAB 1 attempt costs GBP 283 from April 1, 2026.

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