Identification
Once you arrive at the centre will check your identity at the competence test centre, and we will only accept a valid passport for this purpose. If the name on your passport is different from the name on the application and/or the email/letter from the NMC authorising you to take the test, you must provide original evidence that you are the person named in that email/letter. This may be:
- Your marriage certificate
- A declaration from the awarding body that granted your nursing qualification, stating that both names relate to you.
If you do not bring the documents listed above, or if the passport is not valid or current, you will not be allowed to take the OSCE. NMC staff will also be there on the day for your NMC ID check. You will need to bring all the original documents that you uploaded as part of your application. You will find a checklist of the documents on the Test of Competence invitation email from NMC confirming your eligibility to sit the CBT and the OSCE. If for any reason you do not have all your original documents on the day, the NMC will schedule another face-to-face appointment with you.
These are offered back at the Centre. You will still be able to sit your OSCE exam and receive your OSCE exam result, but you will not be able to progress to the last stage of the registration process until you have attended your follow-up ID check.
The Exam
The OSCE comprises 10 stations, with a total testing time of about 3 hours. Four stations will be scenario-based and will relate to four stages of the nursing care process:
- Assessment
- Planning
- Implementation
- Evaluation.
Four of the six remaining stations will take the form of two sets of two linked stations, testing practical clinical skills. Each pairing of skills stations will last for up to 21 minutes in total, with 4 minutes in between the pairings.
Please remember that you will have done many of these nursing skills several times before. Make sure that you read the station instructions and scenarios carefully. Do not be afraid to take the opportunity to look at them again if you are unsure. You will not be penalised for this
Typical skills that may be tested either on their own or within a nursing scenario include:
• Administration of Inhaled Medication (AIM)
• Aseptic non-touch technique (ANTT)
• Catheter specimen of urine collection (CSU)
• Fluid balance chart (FBC)
• In-hospital resuscitation (without defibrillation) (IHR)
• Intramuscular injection (IM)
• Mid-stream sample of urine (MSSU) and urinalysis
• Peak expiration flow rate (PEFR)
• Removal of urinary catheter (RUC)
• Subcutaneous injection (SC)
• Paediatric basic life support (BLS) – infant and child (children’s nursing)
• Calculating drug dosages
• Hand hygiene
• Medication administration
• Physiological observations
• Safe disposal of sharps
• Wound care
In each OSCE, one station will specifically assess professional issues associated with professional accountability and the related skills around communication. One station will also specifically assess critical appraisal of research and evidence and associated decision-making. These two stations are both written stations.
The Result
To Pass the OSCE, candidates must achieve a pass score for every station, anything else will result in a resit examination being required. Once the exam is completed it will then go through a very thorough marking stage. Once marked each candidate will receive a results email stating either a pass or fail followed by the exam result uploaded onto the NMC Portal.
The result of the OSCE is usually received within 5 working days after the test is taken. In some instances, this may take up to 10 working days.
If you pass, your OSCE result will be uploaded to your NMC application and you will be able to continue your application for registration providing you have passed the CBT, paid your registration fee of £153 and the NMC have received your supporting declarations.
If you have failed your OSCE you will require a re-sit examination. This table gives you a breakdown of the associated costs dependant on how many stations have been failed.
| Result | Description | Outcome | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass | Passed all stations taken | Congratulations! The NMC will be in touch to issues your NMC PIN. | N/A |
| Fail 1-7 stations | Failed up to seven stations across both the APIE and/or skill stations | Will require a re-sit at 50% cost. You will need to re-sit only the stations you failed. If you need to re-sit the APIE station(s), you will be given your original paperwork from the APIE stations you passed in your previous attempt, to complete the re-sit stations in sequence. | £397 |
| Fail 8-10 stations | Failed eight or more stations across both the APIE and skill stations | Will require a re-sit at 50% cost. You will need to re-sit the APIE station(s) you failed and the skill station(s) you failed. Yo uwill be given the same scenario and your original paperwork from the APIE stations you passed in your previous attempt, to complete the re-sit stations in sequence. | £794 |
| Full fail | Fail any station on the third attempt | Will require 6 months to elapse before you can reapply to the NMC | N/A |
All re-sits are managed by the in house Bookings team – [email protected] Please email and the team will be more than happy to assist you in our soonest availability to resit your OSCE.