How many stations are in the NMC OSCE?

The nursing OSCE has 10 stations: four APIE stations linked around one patient scenario, four clinical skills stations arranged as two pairs, and two silent written stations on professional values and evidence-based practice.

How much does the NMC OSCE cost?

The OSCE fee is £794. If you need to resit seven or fewer stations, the reduced resit fee is £397. Always confirm current fees on the NMC website before booking.

Where can I take the NMC OSCE?

As of mid-2026 the NMC lists the University of Northampton, Ulster University and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust as approved providers. Oxford Brookes and Northumbria have closed their centres, so check the NMC page before you travel.

Are NMC OSCE questions repeated?

Yes, in pattern. The skills are drawn from a published list, so the same stations and examiner questions recur in different scenarios. Practising the published skills and the common examiner questions covers most of what you will meet.

What does APIE mean in the OSCE?

APIE stands for assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation. APIE stations are linked around one patient scenario and often include a medication administration task and a deteriorating-patient decision.

What are the silent stations in the NMC OSCE?

They are written stations with no examiner interaction. One covers professional values, such as confidentiality or raising a concern, and the other covers evidence-based practice, where you interpret information and apply it to a patient.

How many times can I sit the NMC OSCE?

Under current guidance you can generally sit the OSCE up to three times as part of one application. Check the NMC website for the latest attempt and timing rules.

What happens if I fail only some OSCE stations?

You normally resit only the stations you failed. If you fail seven or fewer, the reduced fee of £397 applies. You will need to book a new date with your test provider.

How can I practise for the OSCE at home?

Rehearse each skill on a pillow or model, speak every safety step aloud, record yourself and compare against the NMC marking criteria. Practise with a partner acting as the patient and time every station.

Do I have to pass the CBT before the OSCE?

The NMC states the two parts can be taken in either order, but both must be passed. Some employer or sponsorship arrangements may expect the CBT first, so confirm your own route.

NMC OSCE Questions and Answers 2026/2027: 10+ Most Repeated

Q: Which skills can be tested in the adult nursing OSCE?

Published skills include administration of inhaled medication, administration of a suppository, ANTT with wound assessment, and intramuscular and subcutaneous injections. Other fields of nursing have their own skills lists in their information booklets.

The NMC publishes the OSCE structure, marking criteria and skills list, and within that frame the same stations and examiner questions come back again and again. This guide counts down 12 of them, from hand hygiene to NEWS2 escalation, with the questions examiners ask and what a strong answer sounds like.

The Clock Is the Hardest Examiner

Nobody fails the NMC OSCE because they cannot wash their hands. Candidates fail because a buzzer sounds, a stranger in a lanyard stands silently with a clipboard, and a skill they have done a thousand times on the ward suddenly comes out in the wrong order.

What do examiners ask, which stations come up and is there a pattern you can rehearse? There is, to a point. The NMC publishes the structure of the exam, the marking criteria and the list of skills that can be assessed. Within that published frame, the same stations and the same examiner questions come back again and again. This article counts down the ones that matter most.

One Buzzer and One Missed Check

Callum had ten years of experience on a medical ward and could give an injection in his sleep. At his mock OSCE in the UK, the station was subcutaneous injection. He walked in, greeted the patient, and went straight to the sharps bin and the syringe.

He forgot to check the allergy band.

Nothing about his technique was wrong. His angle was good, his site rotation was neat and he stayed calm. But one missed identity and allergy check is a critical safety step, and it cost him the station. In the debrief his assessor said something he never forgot: the examiner is not watching whether you know the skill, they are watching whether you do every safety step out loud, in order, even when it feels obvious.

He changed his practice. Every skill became a script he could say under pressure: introduce, consent, check identity, check allergies, wash hands, prepare, perform, dispose, document. A few weeks later it was automatic.

Get the 100 Most Repeated OSCE Practice Questions Here

How the NMC OSCE Is Built

The nursing OSCE has 10 stations. Four are APIE stations, linked around one patient scenario: assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation. Four test clinical skills, set out as two pairs. The last two are silent written stations, one on professional values and one on evidence-based practice. Communication, dignity and professional behaviour are marked at every station.

It costs £794. If you fail seven or fewer stations, the reduced resit fee is £397. As of mid-2026 the NMC lists three approved test providers, the University of Northampton, Ulster University and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, after Oxford Brookes and Northumbria closed their centres. Check the NMC OSCE page before you book anything, because centres and rules do change.

The 12 Most Repeated OSCE Stations and Questions

For adult nursing, the NMC's published skills include inhaled medication, suppository administration, ANTT with wound assessment, and intramuscular and subcutaneous injections. The list below blends those with the questions examiners most often ask, plus recurring APIE and written themes. Other fields of nursing have their own skills, so check your own information booklet.

1. Hand hygiene and PPE

Examiner asks: "When do you clean your hands?"
Strong answer: Before touching a patient, before a clean or aseptic task, after any risk of body fluid exposure, after touching the patient and after touching their surroundings. Then name the product and the technique, not just the moment.

2. Patient identification

Examiner asks: "How do you confirm who this is?"
Strong answer: Ask the patient to state their full name and date of birth, check the wristband, and match both against the prescription chart. Never offer the name and wait for a yes.

3. Allergy and prescription check

Examiner asks: "What if the chart is unclear?"
Strong answer: Do not administer. Contact the prescriber, document the query and do not guess at a dose or route.

4. Medication administration (usually in APIE)

Examiner asks: "What checks do you make before giving this?"
Strong answer: Right patient, drug, dose, route and time, plus allergies, expiry, previous doses and the reason for the medicine. Afterwards, record it. If the patient refuses, document and report the refusal.

5. Subcutaneous injection

Examiner asks: "Where would you inject and why?"
Strong answer: Name an appropriate site such as the abdomen or thigh, explain you rotate sites to avoid lipohypertrophy, choose the angle to suit the needle length and tissue, and dispose of the sharp at the point of use.

6. Intramuscular injection

Examiner asks: "Why this site?"
Strong answer: Explain how you chose the site, for example the ventrogluteal area or the deltoid, based on volume, the medicine and the patient's build. Mention landmarks and a 90-degree insertion.

7. Inhaled medication and peak flow

Examiner asks: "What advice do you give after a steroid inhaler?"
Strong answer: Rinse the mouth afterwards to reduce thrush. Describe the technique: shake, breathe out, seal your lips, breathe in slowly and hold, wait before a second dose, and use a spacer when it helps.

8. Suppository administration

Examiner asks: "How do you protect dignity here?"
Strong answer: Explain the procedure, gain consent, close the curtains, expose only what is necessary, position the patient on their left side, and offer a way to signal if they want to stop.

9. ANTT and wound assessment

Examiner asks: "What are key parts and key sites?"
Strong answer: Key parts are the elements that must stay aseptic, such as a needle tip or the inside of a dressing. Key sites are the patient's wound or access point. Protect both, use clean gloves appropriately and decontaminate surfaces.

10. Deteriorating patient and NEWS2

Examiner asks: "The score is 7. What do you do?"
Strong answer: A total of 7 or more triggers an emergency response. Stay with the patient, call for help using the local process, and communicate with SBAR: situation, background, assessment, recommendation. Document what you did and when.

11. Professional values (silent written station)

Task: A scenario about confidentiality, candour or raising a concern.
Strong answer: Anchor your reasoning in the NMC Code: honesty with patients, prompt action on worries, privacy protected unless harm is at stake, and escalation instead of silence.

12. Evidence-based practice (silent written station)

Task: Interpret a short piece of guidance, a chart or a result and apply it to a patient.
Strong answer: State what the evidence says, say how it applies to this patient, and name what you would do next. Short, clear sentences score better than long ones.

Download the 100 Most Repeated OSCE Practice Questions With Answers

Why Candidates Lose Marks Even When They Know the Skill

Three errors repeat. First, skipping the safety steps that feel obvious: identity, allergy, consent and hand hygiene. Second, working silently. Examiners can only mark what they see and hear, so say what you are doing. Third, poor timing. Some stations leave little slack, and a candidate who spends too long on preparation runs out of time before documentation.

Practising Without a Hospital

You do not need a ward to practise. Record yourself performing each skill on a pillow or a model, then watch it back against the marking criteria in the NMC booklet. Practise with a partner who plays the patient and asks the questions above. Time yourself. Rehearse your opening line for every station until it is automatic.

Where to Get the Question Set

A free video can show you a technique. It cannot tell you which questions an examiner is likely to ask or whether your answer is strong enough to score. If you want the OSCE stations, the likely examiner questions and model answers in one structured set, you can get them here.

Get Your 100 Most Repeated Pattern OSCE Practice Questions Now

NMC OSCE Questions and Answers 2026/2027: 10+ Most Repeated Stations and Examiner Questions