The test of competence is specific to the appropriate nursing field and always consists of
two parts.

Part 1 is a computer-based test (CBT).

The CBT contains a numeracy test (which consists of short-answer questions requiring a numerical answer), objective questions and a theory test (which is multiple choice) The CBT comprises 115 questions.

All questions are scored as correct or incorrect, and there is no partial credit. Part A will comprise a 15-mark numeracy assessment.

Part B will be a 100-mark theory assessment.
The length of the CBT is 3 hours, and this includes any breaks from testing, which are optional.

Part 2 is a nursing objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) – a practical nursing examination.

CBT structure
The CBT is split into two parts:

Part A covers numeracy and Part B covers clinical questions for nursing or midwifery.

CBT part Timing Number of questions
Part A: Numeracy 30 minutes 15
Part B: Clinical 2 hours and 30 minutes 100