NCSBN Awards Pearson VUE Contract For NCLEX® Test Development And Delivery Services

BLOOMINGTON, Minn., Aug. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Pearson VUE, the computer-based testing arm of Pearson, announced today that it has been awarded a new five-year extension of its contract with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN®) for delivery of the NCLEX® Examinations. The agreement extends Pearson VUE's exclusive partnership with NCSBN through 2019 for test development and delivery of the NCLEX-RN® and NCLEX-PN® Examinations.

The NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN exams are administered at Pearson VUE's patented, company-owned and -operated Pearson Professional Centers. First developed in 2002 in close collaboration with NCSBN, the Pearson Professional Center network offers industry-leading levels of quality, consistency, and security necessary to safeguard the integrity of the testing process and enhance patient safety and public protection.

Myra Broadway, JD, MS, RN, Executive Director of the Maine State Board of Nursing and President of the NCSBN Board of Directors, said: "Pearson VUE has proven itself as an excellent administrator of high-stakes testing programs. The continuation of our partnership with Pearson VUE means that we will continue to test nursing professionals in the most secure and trusted manner."

"Our early work with NCSBN resulted in what the market has recognized as the best-in-class offering," said Robert Whelan, President and CEO of Pearson VUE. "Having NCSBN again acknowledge our hard work and investments with this contract extension is extremely gratifying. By the end of this extension, our partnership will have been in place for 17 years. We look forward to continuing this remarkable relationship for many years to come."

NCLEX will continue to be delivered at 235 Pearson Professional Centers located throughout the U.S. and its territories. For foreign nurse candidates pursuing domestic nurse licensure in the U.S. and its territories, the NCLEX will also continue to be available at 19 Pearson Professional Centers located within Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

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About Pearson VUE 
Pearson VUE (www.pearsonvue.com) is the global leader in computer-based testing for information technology, academic, government and professional testing programs around the world. Pearson VUE provides a full suite of services from test development to data management, and delivers exams through the world's most comprehensive and secure network of test centers in more than 175 countries. Pearson VUE is a business of Pearson (NYSE: PSO; LSE: PSON), the international education and information company, whose businesses include the Financial Times Group, Pearson Education and the Penguin Group.

About NCSBN 
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN) is a not-for-profit organization whose membership comprises the boards of nursing in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories. There are also 12 associate members.

Mission: The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) provides education, service, and research through collaborative leadership to promote evidence-based regulatory excellence for patient safety and public protection.

SOURCE Pearson VUE