NMCMATE

The NMC Test of Competence: both halves, explained

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

The Test of Competence 2021 is the NMC's assessment for nurses and midwives trained outside the UK, and it is two separate exams rather than one. The computer-based test comes first, 115 questions in two separately timed parts, taken at a test centre or under remote proctoring. The practical exam, the OSCE, comes later and is 10 stations in about 3 hours at a UK university test centre. You have to pass both, and they are booked, paid for and resat independently of each other.

  • Which half is which, and which one you are being asked to book
  • The CBT in one line: 115 questions, 15 numeracy and 100 clinical, timed and passed separately
  • The OSCE in one line: 10 stations in about 3 hours, every station passed on its own
  • What the NMC publishes about each, and what it does not publish at all

Where the exam facts come from

Start with the computer-based test

The CBT is the half most people sit first, and the half you can prepare for from anywhere.

Start with the computer-based test What the CBT involves

Every account gets 10 new questions a day without a card.

Questions people ask

Is the Test of Competence the same thing as the CBT?
No, and this is the most common mix-up. The CBT is one half of the Test of Competence. The other half is the OSCE, a practical exam of 10 stations taken in person in the UK. Somebody who says they have "passed the ToC" has passed both.
Which half do I sit first?
The computer-based test, normally. It is taken before you travel, at a test centre in your own country or under remote proctoring, and the OSCE is taken in the UK once you are here. The NMC application sets out the order for your particular route.
Can I fail one half and keep the other?
Yes. They are separate exams with separate fees and separate attempt limits, so a failed OSCE does not put your CBT pass at risk. Within the CBT the two parts are also separate, so you resit only the part you did not pass.
What is the pass standard for the Test of Competence?
The NMC does not publish one for either half. For the CBT the standard is set statistically and held steady across versions of the paper, and you are told pass or fail rather than given a score. For the OSCE every station has to be passed on its own. Any site quoting you an exact figure did not get it from the NMC.
Is the Test of Competence the same for nurses and midwives?
The structure is the same and the content differs. The CBT is built on the Future Nurse proficiencies for nurses, with the equivalent midwifery standards for midwives, and the OSCE scenarios follow the same split.

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