The Midwifery OSCE — Your Practical Exam in the UK
The OSCE is the final assessment on the NMC pathway and the one most midwives have questions about. It is a hands-on, station-based exam sat in the UK and set in maternity care. Here is exactly what it covers, how it is structured, and how it fits into your arrival.
The midwifery OSCE is Part 2 of the NMC Test of Competence — a practical, station-based exam taken in person at a UK test centre. It is set in maternity scenarios (antenatal, labour and birth, postnatal and newborn care), built around the APIE framework plus skills stations, and cannot be sat outside the UK. Most internationally-educated midwives take it within their first weeks in the country. Source: NMC Test of Competence (nmc.org.uk). Information as of 2026-07.
How the midwifery OSCE works
Four things to understand before you sit it.
Structure
The midwifery OSCE is a series of timed stations at a UK test centre. It is built around the midwifery process — assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation (APIE) — applied to maternity care, combined with skills stations that test practical competencies and professional values expected of a UK-registered midwife.
Maternity scenario stations
You work through simulated scenarios spanning the maternity continuum — antenatal care, care during labour and birth, and postnatal and newborn care. You take a structured assessment, plan care, carry out a planned intervention, and evaluate the outcome. Documentation and clinical reasoning are assessed alongside the practical actions.
Skills stations
Short, focused stations test specific clinical skills to UK standards — for example medicines management and numeracy, immediate care of the newborn, and a values-based station on communication and professional conduct. The exact stations are set out in the NMC OSCE blueprint for midwives.
Where it is taken
The OSCE is delivered in person at NMC-approved test centres in the UK. You cannot sit the OSCE outside the UK, which is why it usually happens after you arrive in the country.
When you take it, and why it is last
Because the OSCE can only be sat in the UK, it comes after your English evidence, your CBT and your document assessment. In practice, many midwives arrive on a sponsored role with supernumerary time built in — protected time to settle, orient to UK maternity practice, and prepare — and then sit the OSCE within their first several weeks. Passing it is what lets the NMC complete your registration and issue your PIN on the Midwife part of the register.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the OSCE for midwives?+
The OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) is Part 2 of the NMC Test of Competence. For midwives it is a practical exam taken in person at a UK test centre, where you move through a series of timed stations that simulate real maternity situations across the antenatal, labour and birth, postnatal and newborn stages. It checks that you can apply midwifery knowledge safely and to UK standards.
Can I take the midwifery OSCE in my home country?+
No. The OSCE is only delivered at NMC-approved test centres in the UK. This is why most internationally-educated midwives take the OSCE after they have arrived in the UK, often within the first several weeks of starting a role that supports their preparation.
How is the midwifery OSCE structured?+
It combines scenario stations set in maternity care, built around the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation (APIE) framework, with shorter skills stations that test specific competencies such as medicines management and numeracy, immediate care of the newborn, and communication. Each station is marked against a defined set of criteria set out in the NMC OSCE blueprint for midwives.
What happens if I do not pass every station?+
You do not necessarily have to retake the whole exam. If you pass most stations but not all, you can usually resit only the stations you did not pass, and a lower resit fee applies. The NMC sets the rules on attempts and timeframes; check the current version before you book.
How should I prepare for the midwifery OSCE?+
Focus on UK maternity standards and documentation, the APIE framework applied to antenatal, intrapartum, postnatal and newborn care, and the specific skills the NMC lists in its OSCE blueprint for midwives. Many UK employers who recruit internationally provide structured OSCE preparation and supernumerary time before you sit it. The NMC publishes the blueprint and marking approach, which is the authoritative guide.
More UK midwife-registration guides
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Important — please read
This is general information to help internationally-educated midwives understand the UK registration pathway. It is not recruitment, immigration or legal advice. Gera is not a recruitment agency: we do not place midwives into NHS jobs, do not match candidates to specific vacancies, and never charge a midwife a placement fee. You apply on your own account, directly to NHS trusts and other licensed employers. Requirements, fees and pay scales change — always confirm the current position with the NMC (nmc.org.uk), UK Visas and Immigration (gov.uk) and NHS Employers (nhsemployers.org).