NMCMATE

How to book the NMC CBT, and what happens on the day

Written and checked against the NMC’s published sources by The NMCMATE editorial team.Last checked .

The CBT is sat at a Pearson VUE test centre, and Pearson VUE has centres in most countries, so most candidates sit it without leaving their own country. Booking it takes ten minutes. Booking it wrongly costs a fee and cannot be undone, and nearly every way of getting it wrong is on this page.

Booking, step by step

  1. Start preparing before you are allowed to book

    Anywhere

    Nothing about preparing waits on the NMC. The booking itself does, and it tends to open at a moment you did not choose, so the candidates who are ready when it does are the ones who started before it.

    You can start this today
    Sit a full mock in two timed parts

  2. Wait for the email that creates your account

    Your inbox, from Pearson VUE

    Once the NMC has confirmed you need to sit the Test of Competence, Pearson Professional Assessments emails you that your account exists, with a temporary password. Genuine email from them ends in @pearson.com, and it is worth checking your junk folder for it. The NMC also tells you the date by which the CBT must be done, and Pearson VUE cannot move that date.

  3. Choose the exam that matches your field

    Your Pearson VUE account, under "view exams"

    There is one exam per field: NMC_RNA for adult nursing, NMC_RNC for children's nursing, NMC_RNMH for mental health nursing, NMC_RNLD for learning disabilities nursing. It has to match the field on your NMC application. Book the wrong one and the NMC will not accept the result and Pearson VUE will not refund the fee. If you have already booked the wrong one, contact Pearson VUE straight away to change the appointment.

  4. Book both parts, a centre and a time

    Online, or by phone

    Select Part A and Part B together, then a test centre and a slot. Bookings can be made up to 1 working day ahead. If card payment is a problem and you are testing in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda, Pearson VUE sells test vouchers instead. Anyone who needs reasonable adjustments, such as extra time or a separate room, should email the NMC at TOC@nmc-uk.org before booking.

    £83, paid to Pearson VUE

  5. Make sure your passport matches your NMC account

    Your MyNMC account

    The centre checks a valid passport, and it has to be the passport on your NMC account. If you have renewed it, update the account at least 48 hours before the appointment. Anyone who has been forcibly displaced and has no passport can use other documents, and should email TOC@nmc-uk.org at least five working days before the exam.

  6. Sit the test

    A Pearson VUE test centre

    Arrive 30 minutes early. More than 15 minutes late and you may be turned away and have to book and pay again, although a missed sitting does not count as an attempt. You are photographed, everything goes in a locker, and you get an erasable note board and an on-screen calculator. The appointment is 3 hours and no break is scheduled in it: you can ask for one, but the clock keeps running.

  7. Read your result

    Your Pearson VUE account and your email

    Within 48 hours: pass or fail for Part A and for Part B, with no score and no feedback. MyNMC updates in the same window but shows only the overall result, so Pearson VUE is where to look to see which part you passed.

    What to do if one part did not go your way

Where candidates come unstuck

  • Booking the exam for the wrong field. It is the one mistake on this page that costs money and cannot be put right afterwards, since the result is refused and the fee is kept.
  • Renewing your passport and forgetting the NMC account. The centre checks the passport against the account, and the account needs the new one 48 hours before you arrive.
  • Cutting the journey fine. More than 15 minutes late can mean paying for another sitting. It does not cost you an attempt, but it costs a fee and a date.
  • Treating a break as free time. None is scheduled and the clock does not stop, so a break taken in Part B comes out of your time for Part B.
  • Answering an email about your booking that does not come from an address ending in @pearson.com. That is the only address Pearson VUE writes from about this exam.

Common questions

How do I book the NMC CBT?
Through Pearson VUE, once the NMC has confirmed you need to sit the Test of Competence and Pearson Professional Assessments has emailed you an account. Log in, choose "view exams", pick the exam for your field, select Part A and Part B, then a centre and a time. It costs £83.
Can I sit the NMC CBT in my own country?
Usually, yes. Pearson VUE has test centres in most countries and the CBT is sat at one of them, which makes it the only part of the Test of Competence that does not need you in the UK. The centre locator on Pearson VUE's site shows what is near you.
Which exam code do I book?
The one for the field you applied in: NMC_RNA for adult nursing, NMC_RNC for children's nursing, NMC_RNMH for mental health nursing, NMC_RNLD for learning disabilities nursing. If it does not match your application the NMC will not accept the result, and the fee is not refunded.
What ID do I need for the NMC CBT?
A valid passport, and it has to be the passport on your NMC account. If you have a new one, update the account at least 48 hours before your appointment.
What happens if I arrive late?
More than 15 minutes after your booked time and the centre may not let you sit, in which case you book and pay again. The NMC is told, but it does not count as one of your 3 attempts.
Is there a calculator in the NMC CBT?
Yes, an on-screen one, and you get an erasable note board for working. Nothing else comes into the room with you: phones and personal items go in a locker.
Can I pay for the CBT without a card?
In some countries. Pearson VUE sells test vouchers to individual candidates testing in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda who have trouble paying by debit or credit card.

Where these figures come from

Practise for it

Questions weighted the way the NMC weights the real paper, with a worked explanation on every one. Ten free a day, no card needed.

Start free See the question bank

This page is one part of the exam. Work through the whole thing with the NMC CBT study guide.