NMC OSCE Guide: Stations, Fees, Resits and Preparation

The NMC OSCE is Part 2 of the Nursing and Midwifery Council's test for nurses and midwives trained outside the UK. It's a practical exam of 10 timed stations: four linked APIE stations built around one patient scenario, four clinical skills stations and two silent stations on professional values and evidence-based practice. Candidates must pass every station, and the fee is £794.

This guide covers how the OSCE works as of October 2026, how it's marked, where nurses fail, and how you can help the nurses you've recruited get ready.

Where the OSCE fits in the NMC test

Most nurses and midwives educated outside the UK must pass the NMC's two-part test before they can join the register. Nurses returning after a long gap without enough practice hours can also take it instead of a return to practice programme.

• Part 1, the computer-based test (CBT): multiple choice, run by Pearson VUE at test centres in most countries. It has a numeracy section (15 questions in 30 minutes) and a clinical section (100 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes). It costs £83.
• Part 2, the OSCE: a practical exam of clinical and communication skills, taken in person at a UK test centre.

The two parts can be taken in either order, but both must be passed within two years of each other. Once both are passed, the result stays valid for five years. Each field has its own version: adult, mental health, learning disabilities and children's nursing, and midwifery. Nursing associates take a separate version.

How the OSCE is structured

All 10 stations sit in one exam. The NMC's Preparing for your OSCE guide says the day takes about three hours.

• Four APIE stations follow one patient through assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation. Assessment means building rapport and carrying out a structured, holistic assessment, including observations. Planning is a silent written station: you write the care plan on the NMC's template. Implementation means delivering care, such as giving oral medicines, while talking to the patient. Evaluation means writing notes and then giving a verbal handover.
• Four skills stations run as two pairs of two skills, drawn from a list for your field. The NMC guide says skills stations last up to 12 minutes.
• Two silent stations of 10 minutes each: one on professional values and behaviours, and one on evidence-based practice, which asks you to appraise research and decide what it means for care.

Scenarios use actors or manikins. You speak to the patient, not the examiner, and anything you do after the time runs out isn't assessed.

The NMC refreshes stations regularly. It is introducing new stations, some for all nursing fields and some for mental health and children's nursing, and candidates sitting from Monday 26 October 2026 may meet them. They should use the September 2026 marking criteria. The number of stations stays at 10.

How it's marked

• Each station is a pass or a fail, marked against station-specific criteria. You need to pass every station.
• Some errors are critical. The NMC guide is clear that saying what you should have done won't undo a critical fail.
• Examiners are registered nurses or midwives. Each bay is recorded, and recordings and paperwork are reviewed for moderation.
• The NMC made its marking criteria more holistic to discourage nurses memorising them, and says the criteria should only supplement learning, not replace it.
• The test centre emails results within five working days. A fail comes with feedback on the stations and elements not passed.

Test centres, fees and resits

As of October 2026, the NMC's OSCE page lists three test centres: the University of Northampton, Ulster University and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Northumbria University stopped running the OSCE on 19 February 2026 and Oxford Brookes University on 31 July 2026. Nurses who sat there can transfer to one of the three remaining centres, which then becomes their permanent centre.

• Fee: £794. A resit of seven or fewer stations costs £397.
• Attempts: three per application, at least 10 days apart.
• Resits: at the same centre as the first attempt, and only for the stations not passed.
• After a third fail: the application closes. The nurse must make a new application, wait at least six months and sit all 10 stations again.
• ID: a valid passport that matches the one given in the NMC application.

Common reasons nurses fail

Most failures aren't about clinical knowledge. They're about doing the basics, in order, out loud, under a clock. The NMC's guide lists the usual ones, including:

• Poor communication, or not listening to the patient
• Misreading the scenario or the instructions
• Running out of time, or leaving paperwork unfinished
• Touching the patient before hand hygiene, or contaminating a sterile field
• Not checking identity, allergies or consent
• Incomplete or inaccurate observations
• Not reading the medication chart fully, checking expiry dates, or signing before giving
• Chest compressions at the wrong depth or rate, or started late

Experienced nurses can trip on these precisely because they're experienced. Habits from another health system, such as a different handover style or documentation layout, can cost marks in a UK exam.

How to prepare, and how employers can help

Start with the NMC's own preparation material for the right field: the Code, the OSCE information booklet, Preparing for your OSCE, the mock OSCEs and the marking criteria. Then practise, a lot.

• Practise to time. Run every station against a clock until the timings feel normal.
• Talk through what you're doing. Examiners can only mark what they see and hear.
• Practise the paperwork. Care plans, notes and a structured UK-style handover such as SBAR.
• Aim for the level of a newly registered nurse, which is the standard the NMC guide describes, not advanced practice.
• Know the observation tools. The NMC guide mentions NEWS and the Glasgow Coma Scale. Our guide to NEWS2 and RESTORE2 covers the adult score.
• Brush up on the skills behind common stations, such as aseptic technique, medication administration and basic life support.

If you've recruited nurses from overseas, the practical help matters most: protected study time on the rota, a quiet space, and someone who knows the stations to watch them practise and give honest feedback. Book the test once they're consistently passing mock stations, not before. A resit costs money, and a third fail costs six months.

How Kasorb can help

Kasorb's OSCE preparation training gets internationally educated nurses ready for Part 2 of the NMC test. It runs as a five-day programme for up to 8 of your nurses: two days live online, then three days at your premises practising timed, exam-style stations with feedback.

The online days cover how Part 2 works and what examiners look for, the station formats, professional values and the NMC Code. The programme also covers APIE stations, skills stations practised against exam-style marking criteria, evidence-based practice stations, UK-style documentation and handover, and timed mock stations with individual feedback, plus managing exam nerves and what to do if a station goes wrong. You'll see who's ready to book their test and who needs more practice.

Your trainer has used these skills for real. It's one price for the group, and certificates of completion are emailed the day after the final day. No course can promise a pass, and this one is preparation, not the NMC test itself.

FAQs

How many stations are in the NMC OSCE?

There are 10 stations: four linked APIE stations built around one patient scenario, four clinical skills stations in two pairs, and two silent stations on professional values and behaviours and on evidence-based practice. The NMC refreshes the content regularly, but says the number of stations stays the same.

How much does the NMC OSCE cost?

The OSCE costs £794 as of October 2026. If a nurse needs to resit seven or fewer stations, the resit costs £397. Part 1, the computer-based test, costs £83 for both sections, with cheaper resits if only one section needs retaking.

How many times can you resit the NMC OSCE?

You get three attempts per application, at least 10 days apart, and you only resit the stations you failed. Resits must be at the same test centre. After a third fail, the application closes and you must wait at least six months before sitting all 10 stations again.

Where can you take the NMC OSCE?

As of October 2026, the NMC lists three centres: the University of Northampton, Ulster University and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Northumbria University and Oxford Brookes University closed their OSCE centres in 2026, and nurses who sat there can transfer to one of the three.

Can you take the OSCE before the CBT?

Yes. The NMC lets you sit the CBT and the OSCE in either order, but you must pass both within two years of each other to continue your application. Once you've passed both, the result stays valid for five years.