Press Release

Nursing & Midwifery Council chooses Pearson VUE to deliver Test of Competence exams for overseas nurses applying to work in UK


LONDON, UK, August 5, 2015 – The Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) has launched an exam programme for overseas nurses applying to practice in the UK – the NMC Test of Competence – in partnership with computer-based testing global leader Pearson VUE.

The tests, with five specialities, form part of the wider application and registration process for overseas nurses and midwives coming to live and practice in the UK. Pearson VUE is providing its ExamDeveloper software to enable NMC to author new content for the exam in the future.

The exams are Registered Nurse - Adult, Registered Midwife, Registered Nurse – Children, Registered Nurse - Mental Health and Registered Nurse – Learning Disabilities.

Candidates can sit the tests at Pearson VUE’s network of over 5,000 test centres in 180 countries worldwide, offering the convenience of booking tests on demand at their local test centre rather than having to travel to a city centre on one particular day.

Bob Whelan, managing director of Pearson VUE, said: “I am delighted that the Nursing & Midwifery Council has chosen to enter into this new partnership with Pearson VUE, taking advantage of not just our global test delivery services but also the sophisticated ExamDeveloper software suite to further develop the exam.

About the Nursing & Midwifery Council
The Nursing & Midwifery Council (www.nmc.org.uk) is a regulator for the largest group of healthcare professionals at work in the UK, with some 683,000 registered nurses and midwives. This means that the NMC sets standards for nurses and midwives to meet in their working lives. The NMC's primary purpose is to protect patients and the public in the UK through effective and proportionate regulation of nurses and midwives. It sets and promotes standards of education and practice, maintains a register of those who meet these standards and takes action when a nurse or midwife’s fitness to practise is called into question.


Media contact

Damien Fletcher
+44 (0)20 7775 6785
damien.fletcher@pearson.com