Where to study

Tests

Driving testsCitizenship testsSchool and university admissionsNursing, medicine and healthEnglish and French testsTeachingMoney, law and insuranceTrades and work certification and licensesPilots, drones, boats and radio

Countries

United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomAustraliaNew Zealand

United Kingdom · Registration test

Nursing exams in the UK: who takes what to join the register

Which nursing exams you face in the UK depends on where you trained. If you trained on a UK course approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), your university sends your details and you apply to join the register; the NMC’s steps don’t include a separate exam. If you trained outside the UK, the NMC may ask you to pass its Test of Competence (ToC): the computer-based test (CBT) and the OSCE (objective structured clinical examination).

  • 6Versions of the Test of Competence
  • £143Fee for UK graduates joining the register
  • 2 to 10 working daysTo join after a UK graduate applies
Where to study

Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Which nursing exams does the UK have?

  • Trained in the UK on an NMC-approved course: no Test of Competence. Your university uploads your details and you apply through MyNMC.
  • Trained outside the UK: the NMC evaluates your qualification and may ask you to take the Test of Competence, the CBT and then the OSCE, or the other way round.
  • An EU general nursing or midwifery qualification that meets the requirements for automatic recognition: the NMC recognises it and you don’t take the test.
  • EU specialist nursing qualifications, such as children’s or mental health nursing: these never had automatic recognition, so new applicants take the Test of Competence.
  • Returning after a long break without enough practice hours: the Test of Competence or an approved return to practice course.

One NMC page, on the evaluation outcome, says the regulations passed after the UK left the EU allow this recognition for certain EU qualifications “up until the end of 2028”. The NMC’s main Test of Competence page gives no end date, so check before you apply.

NMC: Information for internationally trained applicants ↗NMC: Await the evaluation outcome ↗

How UK-trained nurses join the register

When you finish your course, your university uploads your course and personal details to the NMC and sends a declaration of your good health and character. The NMC then writes to tell you how to set up MyNMC, where you pay the £143 registration fee, fill in your application and declare any police cautions or convictions.

If everything is in order, the NMC says you’ll be on the register within 2 to 10 working days. Applying more than six months after your course ends means giving more information, and different standards apply after five years.

NMC: Register if you trained in the UK ↗

Nursing exams for nurses and midwives trained abroad

The Test of Competence is the NMC’s exam for this route. The CBT is a multiple-choice test you can sit at Pearson VUE centres around the world, and the OSCE is a practical exam at a UK test centre. You take the version for your field, and the NMC needs both passes within two years of each other.

Midwives take the midwife (RM) version, built on the NMC’s midwifery standards. Nursing associates are a role in England only, and those trained outside England take the nursing associate (NAR) version.

The CBT exam for nurses →How the Test of Competence works →The official CBT practice tests →NMC: Register as a nursing associate if you trained outside England ↗

The English test you may need

The NMC also needs evidence of your English. It accepts two tests, IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Academic and OET (Occupational English Test); the scores and other ways to show your English are on the registration page.

If you’re looking for the NCLEX, that’s the licensing exam in the United States, not part of the NMC’s route.

English scores and registration steps →OET in the UK: NMC grades →The NCLEX, the US nursing exam →
Sources: NMC and 6 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

OverviewStudy optionsPractice testsNumeracyTest of CompetenceBookingRegistration