Registered Nurse (RN): graduation from a Board-approved RN program.

All Massachusetts nurse licensure applicants by examination and by reciprocity who are graduates of nursing education programs located outside the United States and its territories and whose language of instruction or textbooks, or both, was not English are required to demonstrate English proficiency as a prerequisite to licensure as a Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse .

Effective November 9, 2011, the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing (Board) has designated the following tests of English proficiency and accepts the corresponding minimum passing scores, except as otherwise provided by statute:

· Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
        o Required minimum score
                 § Paper administration: 560
                 § Computer-based: 220
                 § Internet-based: 83

· Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic): Overall passing standard of 55 with no individual section below 50

· International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Overall Band Score 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 all modules

· Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN)
          Speaking CLB 8      Listening CLB 9
          Reading CLB 8        Writing CLB 7

· Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) Qualifying Examination Certificate issued before 7/15/98. 

This new information has not yet been made to the applicable applications. Therefore, please refer to the above information for guidance on how to meet the Board’s current English proficiency requirement.

Good moral character as established by the Board.

Achievement of a pass score on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for Registered Nurses or Practical Nurses based on type of licensure sought.

Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) must certify for the Board that you are a graduate of an approved nursing education program located in Puerto Rico.