OET for UK Nursing Registration (NMC) 2026-27: Scores, Combining, CBT, and OSCE

Is OET for UK nursing registration compulsory? OET, the Occupational English Test, is an English exam made for health workers, with a separate Nursing version. It’s one of only two English tests the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) accepts as proof of English. IELTS Academic is the other one, a general academic English test.

The NMC is the UK regulator that keeps the register of nurses and midwives allowed to work in the UK, so its rules decide what counts as OET for UK nursing registration.

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Four points clear up the confusion you'll see online:

• OET is your English evidence: each sub-test, meaning one of its four parts (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking), is scored on its own.
• The CBT is not an English test: the CBT (computer-based test) checks numeracy and clinical nursing knowledge.
• The OSCE is not an English test either: the OSCE (objective structured clinical examination) is a practical exam with 10 stations.
• Together they form the Test of Competence: the Test of Competence is the NMC's two-part check, CBT plus OSCE, for nurses trained outside the UK.

Sources: NMC: accepted English language tests

Your target for OET for UK nursing registration is Grade B (350 or above out of 500) in Listening, Reading, and Speaking, and Grade C+ (300 or above) in Writing. OET reports each sub-test on that 0 to 500 scale and turns it into a letter grade from A, the highest, down to E.

Read the table row by row: each line is one sub-test, with the single-sitting minimum for OET for UK nursing registration and the IELTS Academic score the NMC asks for instead.

What this means for you: Writing has the lower bar, but a strong Writing score can't rescue a weak Listening score, because each sub-test must clear its own line.

The NMC accepts OET on Paper, OET on Computer, and OET@Home (the version you take remotely on your computer), and it asks every applicant to take the Nursing version. Computer and home results arrive within 48 hours, and Indian candidates on Paper can see results in as little as 5 days.

OET is tailored to health care work, which is why many nurses compare OET or IELTS Academic before they book. The NMC also accepts IELTS UKVI, which is a version of IELTS Academic. University admission has its own IELTS score for the UK, a separate rule.

Sources: NMC: OET requirements, NMC: IELTS Academic requirements, OET: results and scoring

My insight: Before you pay, check that you have picked the Nursing version of OET, because the NMC asks every applicant to take the Nursing examination.

Combining scores means using results from two test sittings together, and the NMC allows it for OET for UK nursing registration. A test sitting is one occasion when you take all four sub-tests. Missed one grade by just a? Review these rules before you book a full retake:

• Across the pair: one B (350-440) each in Listening, Reading, and Speaking, and one C+ (300-340) in Writing.
• In every sitting: no Listening, Reading, or Speaking score below C+, and no Writing score below C (250-290).
• Timing: both sittings within 12 months of each other, counted by test date, not certificate date.
• Same test, all four parts: sit all four sub-tests each time, and combine OET with OET only, never with IELTS.

The NMC's own example shows how a pair works for OET for UK nursing registration. Read across each row to see which sitting supplies the passing grade.

This pair is accepted. If Test 2 Listening had been a C instead, the NMC wouldn't accept it, because Listening would then sit below the C+ floor in one sitting.

My insight: If one sitting leaves you short in only Writing, book the second sitting inside the 12-month window and prepare all four sub-tests, because both sittings must stay at or above the floor in every sub-test.

The NMC says English test scores are valid for two years, so count forward from your test date before you book. Two different clocks run on your OET for UK nursing registration, and mixing them up can waste good scores.

• The 12-month clock: applies only when you combine; the two sitings must fall within 12 months of each other.
• The two-year clock: every score you use must come from a test taken in the two years before the NMC assesses your complete application.
• Test date counts: both clocks run from the day you sat the test, not the date on the certificate.
• Your evidence: MyOET is your online OET account; give the NMC permission there to check your results before you submit, or your application may be delayed.

Send your OET certificate and candidate number, and both certificates if you combined.

An NMC application that doesn't progress within three months of opening is closed, so get your OET result first. Here's how the route fits together for nurses trained outside the UK, with OET for UK nursing registration as step one.

1. Pass OET (Nursing version): reach the NMC grades in one sitting or two, and give the NMC access through MyOET.
2. Open your NMC application: pay the qualification evaluation fee, which covers the NMC's check that your nursing qualification and eligibility are accepted; the NMC aims to finish it within 14 days.
3. Start the two-year window: once the NMC confirms you're eligible, you have two years to complete registration, including the CBT and OSCE.
4. Pass the CBT: Part A numeracy has 15 questions in 30 minutes; Part B clinical has 100 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes.
5. Pass the OSCE: four linked APIE (assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation) stations, four skills stations, and two on values, behaviors, and evidence-based practice.
6. Submit and register: send the complete application and pay the registration fee; the NMC aims to consider it within 30 days.

You must pass the CBT and the OSCE within two years of each other, in either order. Pearson Professional Assessments runs the CBT and has test centers in most countries, but the OSCE is held only at three approved UK providers (University of Northampton, Ulster University, and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust), so plan a trip to the UK for it.

Sources: NMC: how long is it going to take, NMC: CBT, NMC: OSCE

My insight: Time your OET for UK nursing registration so the test date sits well inside two years of the day the NMC will assess your full file, because that assessment comes only after the CBT and OSCE are done.

The four NMC charges after OET for UK nursing registration total about INR 1.56L, and they fall at different steps. Read the table top to bottom: each row is one charge, with a short note.

Fees are converted at 1 GBP = INR 127.16 as of November 2026 and will shift with the exchange rate, so check the latest rate before budgeting.

What this figure means for you: the OSCE is close to two-thirds of the total, so a failed OSCE is the costliest slip. The NMC raised its fees on 1 October 2026, and every amount above is the new one. Resit charges:

• CBT partial resit: INR 8,901 (GBP 70) for clinical only, or INR 6,358 (GBP 50) for numeracy only.
• OSCE full resit: INR 1.01L (GBP 794) if you fail eight or more stations.
• OSCE partial resit: INR 50,483 (GBP 397) if you fail up to seven stations.

The table does not include OET exam fees itself, which vary by format and provider. Add rent and UK living costs on top. Once registered, UK nursing salary bands show how long the fees take to earn back.

Sources: NMC: how much is it going to cost, NMC: information for internationally trained applicants

The Health and Care Worker visa is the UK work visa for health and care jobs, and it has its own English rule. Sort your NMC English first, because it can cover your visa English too. GOV.UK says nurses don't need to prove their English again if they've already passed an English assessment accepted by their regulator.

• Passed OET for the NMC: your OET result is an English assessment accepted by your regulator, so the visa doesn't ask for a separate English test.
• No accepted pass yet: the visa asks for CEFR B2, which is a level on the European scale of language ability.

Planning to bring your spouse or children? Read up on the UK dependent visa before you budget.

The NMC and the UK government set the rules on OET for UK nursing registration and on visas, and both can change. This content is general information, not legal or immigration advice; check the NMC pages before you decide.

The NMC gives you routes back after a missed grade or a failed test, so take the cheapest fix first. Every route below comes from the NMC's pages on OET for UK nursing registration and the Test of Competence.

• Combine first: if one sub-test of your OET for UK nursing registration fell short, see whether a second sitting within 12 months can pair with the first; the NMC has a test combining calculator.
• Narrow miss in one sub-test: once combining is exhausted, extra information from your current UK employer may help, but only if you already work in the UK, and it depends on your circumstances.
• Retake OET: you retake all four sub-tests together, because the NMC doesn't accept a single sub-test retake.
• CBT fail: three attempts per application, at least 10 days apart and all within one year; after three fails, the application closes and you wait six months to reapply.
• OSCE fail: up to three attempts, at least 10 days apart, at the same test center; failing the third closes the application.
• Who to contact: the NMC for registration questions, your OET test center for results, and your counselor for timing.

The numbers should steady you, not scare you. From January to March 2026, CBT first-attempt pass rates were 76% for numeracy and 77% for clinical, across 2,150 first attempts. The OSCE was harder the first time: 41% passed at the University of Northampton and 49% at Ulster University. Those are first-attempt figures; counting every sitting that quarter, resits included, 2,967 candidates took the CBT with a 63% combined pass rate, and 3,009 candidates sat the OSCE with a 78% combined pass rate.

Sources: NMC: if you narrowly miss the required scores, NMC: Test of Competence pass rates 2026

My insight: If you fail the OSCE, book the resit only after you've reworked the stations you failed, because you get just three attempts and the third failure closes your application.

1. Aim for B, B, B, and C+: OET for UK nursing registration requires Grade B in Listening, Reading, and Speaking and Grade C+ in Writing.
2. Watch both clocks: combine sittings within 12 months, and keep every OET for UK nursing registration score inside the two years before the NMC assesses your file.
3. Budget before you apply: NMC fees and tests after OET for UK nursing registration total about INR 1.56L (GBP 1,226), before visa, flights, and rent.

Talk to a Leap Scholar counselor to plan your OET timing, NMC application, and UK nursing move.