The NMC CBT blueprint
Every category in the NMC Test of Competence computer-based test, with the number of questions drawn from each and the level it is asked at. 115 questions in 3 hours, in two parts that are timed and passed separately.
This is the NMC's published specification presented as a table. NMCMATE is an independent preparation site and is not affiliated with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Part A: numeracy, 15 questions in 30 minutes
Answers are typed as numbers with an on-screen calculator. Every question sits at apply and analyse, so there is no Bloom split to show for this part, and the categories are numeracy topics rather than proficiency statements, so there is no statement count either.
| Category | Questions |
|---|---|
| Measuring the correct dose | 2 |
| Metric units | 2 |
| Oral medications | 4 |
| Injections | 3 |
| Intravenous infusions | 3 |
| Fluid balance | 1 |
| Part A total | 15 |
Part B: clinical, 100 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes
Four options, one best answer. The seven Future Nurse platforms plus Annexe A and Annexe B, each specified across three Bloom bands.
- Remember and understand
- Apply and analyse
- Evaluate and create
| Category | Remember and understand | Apply and analyse | Evaluate and create | Total | Statements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform 1: Being an accountable professional | 6 | 6 | 5 | 17 | 20(7 PSP) |
| Platform 2: Promoting health and preventing ill health | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 12(1 PSP) |
| Platform 3: Assessing needs and planning care | 5 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 16(5 PSP) |
| Platform 4: Providing and evaluating care | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 18(8 PSP) |
| Platform 5: Leading and managing nursing care and working in teams | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 12 |
| Platform 6: Improving safety and quality of care | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 12(2 PSP) |
| Platform 7: Coordinating care | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 13(2 PSP) |
| Annexe A: Communication and relationship management skills | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 21 |
| Annexe B: Nursing procedures | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 68 |
| Part B total | 38 | 32 | 30 | 100 |
Proficiency statements
Every question maps to one Future Nurse proficiency statement. There are 192 of them across the platforms and the two annexes, and 25 are patient safety proficiencies.
A single paper may not repeat a statement within a category. That is the constraint that makes the statement count in the tables above matter as much as the question count: a category needing five questions needs at least five different statements available to it, and in practice rather more, because the three Bloom bands draw on the same list.
Around 10 per cent of Part B is written for your field of practice and the rest is common to all four. Part A does not vary by field.
Questions about the blueprint
- What is the NMC CBT blueprint?
- It is the NMC's specification of what the computer-based test contains: which categories the 115 questions are drawn from, how many come from each, and at what level of Bloom's taxonomy. Part A draws 15 numeracy questions from 6 categories and Part B draws 100 clinical questions from the seven Future Nurse platforms plus Annexe A and Annexe B.
- How many proficiency statements are there?
- 192 in total, of which 25 are patient safety proficiencies. Each question maps to one statement, and a single paper may not repeat a statement within a category, which is why a category needs many more statements than it has questions.
- What are the Bloom bands in the blueprint?
- Three: remember and understand, apply and analyse, evaluate and create. Part B is specified across all three. Every Part A question sits at apply and analyse, because a calculation is applied rather than recalled.
- Does the blueprint change by field of practice?
- The structure does not. Around 10 per cent of Part B is written for your field of practice and the rest is common to all four, while Part A does not vary by field at all.
- Is this the official NMC document?
- No. It is the published specification rendered as a table, and this is an independent preparation site with no NMC affiliation. The NMC publishes the test specification itself, and where our figures and the NMC's ever disagree the NMC is right and this page is a bug.
Reading this as a candidate
The table is the specification, not a revision plan. Each category has its own page explaining what it asks and where candidates lose marks.