• To become a registered nurse and earn a license, students must pass the National Council of State Boards of Nursing or the NCLEX exam. When exploring how to prepare for nursing school, most students will take an NCLEX practice test or two to familiarize themselves with its format and type of questioning. 

• The NCLEX test is a milestone in a nursing career and allows those who pass to be registered nurses in both the United States and Canada. (nursingexams.org)

• Overview: A Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) is a health care professional that does not earn a degree in order to work but they still have to complete a state-approved education program for approximately one year, takes a licensing exam different from NCLEX (NCLEX-PN), and must pass a the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS). If wanting to pursue a RN degree later on, NCLEX must be taken after graduating nursing school. 

• What they do: provide basic patients care, administer some medications, monitor vital signs, and report to/work under RN's,  advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP), physician (MD), or physician's assistant (PA). 

• Where they work: hospitals, nursing homes, long term care facilities, home health, clinics. Of note, many hospitals are veering away from hiring LPN's due to their scope of practice (or lack of). 

(nursejournal.org)