What is the pass mark for the NMC OSCE?

There is one per station rather than one for the exam. The NMC's Test Specification says the pre-set pass marks vary by station and are generally set within 60 to 90 per cent, depending on the station type. It does not publish each station's figure.

Are OSCE stations passed individually?

Yes. Each station is a pass or fail on its own and you must pass all 10 to pass the OSCE. A resit is only the stations you failed, and the fee is reduced when that is 7 stations or fewer.

Where can I download the OSCE marking criteria?

You cannot, because the NMC does not publish the grids as a document. What it publishes is the shape of the exam and the candidate information for it. A file being passed around as "the 2026 marking criteria" was written by somebody other than the NMC, and using it to revise means rehearsing against one person's guess.

How many candidates pass the OSCE?

The NMC publishes this every quarter. In January to March 2026, 78 per cent of candidates achieved a pass, but only about 42 per cent of first sittings did, and the gap between those two is where most of the confusion online comes from. Our guide to the OSCE pass rate takes it apart properly.

Does your simulator predict my OSCE result?

No. Our report is a simulated verdict, marked against criteria we wrote, and it carries no weight with the NMC or an employer. Our simulator covers assessment-style stations from the 10: you hold the conversation with a simulated patient by typing, and are marked against criteria we wrote ourselves. The four clinical skills stations are performed on manikins and equipment and are not simulated here. The result is a simulated verdict, not a prediction of how an NMC assessor would mark you.

NMC OSCE marking criteria and results

Written and checked against the NMC’s published sources by The NMCMATE editorial team.Last checked 28 September 2026.

The NMC publishes more about OSCE marking than this page used to say. Its Test Specification sets out how each station is marked and gives the range its pass marks fall in. What it keeps private is the grid for each station, and filling that gap with confident guesses is not a service.

What is actually known

You sit 10 stations, and you may attempt the OSCE up to 3 times within one application.
The reduced resit fee applies when you resit 7 stations or fewer, which tells you stations are accounted for individually rather than as one combined score.
Each station is marked two ways, from a checklist and from a holistic score, and the NMC uses both with professional judgement to agree the pass mark for that station.
The pre-set pass marks vary by station but are generally set within 60 to 90 per cent, depending on the station type and what it demands. That is the NMC's Test Specification, section 6.1.
Each station is a pass or fail, and you must pass all 10. A strong station does not make up for a weak one.
The criteria are not published as a document you can download and revise from, and they are reviewed by the NMC rather than fixed for ever, so a grid dated to a particular year and circulating as a PDF did not come from the NMC.
The NMC says results come within five working days, with written feedback on any station you failed, and a resit is booked at the same test centre.

Where candidates come unstuck

Believing a single OSCE pass mark you read online. The NMC gives a range, 60 to 90 per cent, and sets the mark per station, so one figure for the whole OSCE is more precise than its source. This page said until 2026-09-28 that no pass mark was published, which was wrong.
Reading a pass rate as your odds on the day. The NMC does publish these, quarterly and by test centre, and this site wrongly said otherwise until 2026-09-02. What it publishes is three different measures, and the 78 per cent figure everyone quotes counts candidates rather than first sittings. Our guide to the OSCE pass rate separates them.
Assuming a strong station rescues a weak one. Every station has to be passed on its own, so treat each as needing to stand alone.

Common questions

What is the pass mark for the NMC OSCE?: There is one per station rather than one for the exam. The NMC's Test Specification says the pre-set pass marks vary by station and are generally set within 60 to 90 per cent, depending on the station type. It does not publish each station's figure.
Are OSCE stations passed individually?: Yes. Each station is a pass or fail on its own and you must pass all 10 to pass the OSCE. A resit is only the stations you failed, and the fee is reduced when that is 7 stations or fewer.
Where can I download the OSCE marking criteria?: You cannot, because the NMC does not publish the grids as a document. What it publishes is the shape of the exam and the candidate information for it. A file being passed around as "the 2026 marking criteria" was written by somebody other than the NMC, and using it to revise means rehearsing against one person's guess.
How many candidates pass the OSCE?: The NMC publishes this every quarter. In January to March 2026, 78 per cent of candidates achieved a pass, but only about 42 per cent of first sittings did, and the gap between those two is where most of the confusion online comes from. Our guide to the OSCE pass rate takes it apart properly.
Does your simulator predict my OSCE result?: No. Our report is a simulated verdict, marked against criteria we wrote, and it carries no weight with the NMC or an employer. Our simulator covers assessment-style stations from the 10: you hold the conversation with a simulated patient by typing, and are marked against criteria we wrote ourselves. The four clinical skills stations are performed on manikins and equipment and are not simulated here. The result is a simulated verdict, not a prediction of how an NMC assessor would mark you.

Practise an assessment station

Talk to a simulated patient and get a marked report against the station criteria.

Simulator attempts come with every access plan, 4 of them with the 99 days plan, which is a full APIE sitting, and in larger packs on their own.

Stations are added and rewritten as the exam guidance changes, and every attempt runs against the current version, so a revision reaches your next station rather than a later edition of something you bought.

Watch a marked station See pricing

This page is one part of the exam. Work through the whole thing with the NMC OSCE pages.