What is the CGFNS Certification Program ?

For registered nurses who have not passed the NCLEX-RN®, successful completion of the CGFNS Certification Program Qualifying Examination will also meet the nursing examination requirement of Section 343.

The CGFNS Certification Program is a three-part program designed specifically for first-level general nurses who were educated and licensed outside of the United States who wish to practice nursing in the US. The program consists of:

• a credentials review of your secondary and professional education and licensure, to ensure comparability to a US-educated and licensed registered nurse

• the CGFNS Qualifying Exam of nursing knowledge (administered three times a year in over 45 test sites worldwide and once a
year in select test sites)

• a passing score on an approved English proficiency examination (TOEFL, TOEFL iBT, TOEIC or the academic module of the IELTS)

Successfully completing all three parts of the Certification Program results in the issuance of a CGFNS Certification Program
Certificate. A CGFNS Certification Program Certificate will assist registered nurses in three ways:

1. The Certificate will help nurses meet the state registration and other requirements in order to be eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN®
examination

2. Passing the CGFNS Qualifying Exam portion of the Certification Program will help you to feel reasonably assured of success on the NCLEX-RN®.

This is because the CGFNS Certification Program Qualifying Examination is modeled after the NCLEX-RN®. Passing the CGFNS Certification Program Qualifying Examination does not guarantee that you will pass the NCLEX-RN®, but CGFNS Certification Program Certificate holders consistently have a higher rate of success on the NCLEX-RN® than nurses educated outside the U.S. who have not passed the CGFNS Certification Program Qualifying Examination.

3. The Certification Program Certificate helps you to qualify for an occupational visa because it satisfies the nursing examination
requirement of Section 343 and the VisaScreen® Assessment.

For further information on the CGFNS Certification Program, please visit the CGFNS website at www.cgfns.org.