The registered nurse OSCE: your questions answered
The Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) is the last exam for Stream B registered nurses. These answers come from the NMBA's website and its Registered Nurse OSCE Candidate Handbook of 7 July 2026.
Checked against the official sources on 9 October 2026
What the OSCE is
The OSCE is a clinical exam held in a simulation environment. It assesses whether you have at least the practical skill, knowledge and competence of a graduate registered nurse from an Australian NMBA-approved program. It is tested against the NMBA Registered Nurse Standards for Practice.
It is a regulatory exam, not a teaching exercise. Examiners do not coach, prompt or give feedback, and it is run the same way for every candidate. The NMBA and Ahpra set and run it. OBA Nursing Academy does not.
At a glance
- Stations
- 10
- Each station
- 10 minutes: 2 reading, 8 performing
- Where
- Adelaide and Melbourne
- Fee
- AUD $4,000 per sitting
- Results
- By email within 8 weeks
- Pass valid for
- 5 years
Eligibility, fees and booking
Who sits the RN OSCE?
Stream B candidates who have completed Orientation Part 1 and the Portfolio stage and passed the NCLEX-RN. You must pass the OSCE before you can apply for registration. There are separate OSCEs for enrolled nurses and midwives.
Where is it held?
In person, in Australia only. The venues are Adelaide Health Simulation in Adelaide, South Australia, and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) in Melbourne, Victoria. It cannot be taken online or overseas. Do not contact the venues; all questions go to the IQNM Exams Team.
How much does it cost?
AUD $4,000 for each sitting, paid through your IQNM dashboard. This is Ahpra's fee and is separate from anything you pay for preparation.
How long do I have to pay and book?
You have 120 days to pay from when your case reaches the OSCE stage. After paying, you have 180 days to schedule your exam date. If either deadline passes your case is closed, and if you had paid but not scheduled, the fee is refunded. You can ask for your case to be reopened when you are ready.
How do I get an exam date?
After you pay, and have given the team a copy of your Australian visa if you live overseas, the IQNM Exams Team invites you to an available date. Respond before the date in the invitation. A confirmation letter with your date, time and venue is emailed four to eight weeks before the exam period.
How often is it held?
There is no set frequency. Ahpra monitors demand and offers dates as exam days become available.
Do I need a visa?
If you live overseas, yes. After you pay the fee, the IQNM Exams Team sends you a letter to include in your visa application, and you must give them a copy of your visa approval before you are offered a date. Ahpra cannot give visa advice, and neither can OBA. Contact the Department of Home Affairs or a registered migration agent.
What if I cannot attend?
Email the IQNM Exams Team at least five full business days before your exam date and time. Weekends and Australian public holidays do not count as business days.
The exam itself
How are the stations run?
There are 10 stations, each a clinical scenario. You have two minutes outside the room to read the instructions and eight minutes inside to perform. The reading material tells you what the station needs you to do.
Will the examiner help me?
No. You will not receive coaching, prompting, a further explanation of the task, or feedback during the exam.
What charts and forms are used?
The NMBA publishes examples, including adult and paediatric observation charts, neurological and neurovascular observation charts, a blood glucose record, falls risk and pressure care risk assessments, a mental health risk assessment and an intravenous fluid order chart. You may be asked to use other, similar forms.
What do I do on arrival?
Follow the instructions in your confirmation letter. At registration you will be asked to empty your pockets and to remove jewellery and watches, apart from stud or sleeper earrings. Read the handbook's exam-day rules before you travel.
Results and what comes next
When do I get my result?
By email within eight weeks of your exam date. Your result letter shows your mark and the performance standard you achieved at each station.
Can I get more feedback or a recheck?
No. Ahpra does not give further feedback or recheck results. A procedural review is available only where the exam was not run in line with the published procedures.
How long is a pass valid?
Five years. It satisfies the recency of practice standard for a maximum of two years, so if you apply for registration more than two years after passing you will need other evidence of recent practice. If the pass expires you re-sit the OSCE, but not the NCLEX-RN.
What if I do not pass?
You can re-sit. You must wait at least 45 calendar days from your result, pay the fee again and complete the whole exam, not only the stations you did not pass. Your earlier result is not taken into account.
How to prepare
The NMBA directs candidates to the Registered Nurse OSCE Candidate Handbook and the NMBA standards for practice, and publishes example charts and forms.
The Board and Ahpra do not endorse any external OSCE preparation programme. That includes ours.
OBA's OSCE Clinical Skills Intensive is independent preparation: simulation-based practice of the clinical skills against the published standards, with feedback from Australian registered nurse educators. It does not guarantee a result.
Is the OSCE the same as an ANMAC skills assessment?
No. The OSCE is part of registration as a nurse. ANMAC's skills assessment is for migration. See who does what.
Sources
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Registered Nurse OSCE Candidate Handbook, 7 July 2026. NMBA: Examination (handbooks and policies)
- NMBA: Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) and NMBA: Exam information for registered nurses.
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Policy: Examination re-sits, approved 29 August 2024.
- NMBA fee schedule effective 18 September 2025.
This page is general information, checked on 9 October 2026. Requirements, fees and dates change. The regulator's own website is the authority for your situation. OBA Nursing Academy provides education and exam preparation. It does not register nurses and does not give migration advice.