New UK NMC OSCE Stations Explained: What Changes from 26 October 2026
The NMC OSCE update landed in every OSCE WhatsApp group this week as a forwarded screenshot and a wave of panic, and none of those forwards answered the only question that matters: does it affect your exam date? In September 2026, the NMC announced new stations and scenarios as part of its routine replenishment of the exam, across Adult, Mental Health and Paediatric Nursing. They apply to candidates sitting their first OSCE from Monday 26 October 2026; if your first sitting is before that, nothing changes for you. Our OSCE training in Kochi has already aligned its mocks to the new version.
Status (reviewed September 2026, living page): The new stations apply to candidates sitting their first OSCE on or after Monday 26 October 2026; earlier exams use the current materials. Eight new Professional Values scenarios and seven new Evidence-Based Practice scenarios are added, mapped to specific fields. Mental Health Nursing also gains two APIE cases and three clinical skills; Paediatric Nursing gains one APIE case and two clinical skills. Prepare from the updated marking criteria documentation. The 10-station structure and marking principles are unchanged.
Does This NMC OSCE Update Affect You? The Date Decision
Everything hinges on the date of your first sitting, because the NMC frames the announcement around it.
First exam before 26 October 2026. You are not affected. Prepare from the current materials; the new stations cannot appear in your exam.
First exam on or after 26 October 2026. You may meet any of the new stations for your field alongside the existing bank, and should prepare from the updated marking criteria documentation.
Resit candidates. The NMC's wording is based on the first attempt, and previous updates have kept resit candidates on the version they first sat. If you first sat before 26 October, the new stations should not appear in your resit. Because the announcement does not spell this out, confirm with your test centre when you book.
New OSCE Stations from 26 October 2026: Professional Values and EBP by Field
The largest part of the new OSCE stations from 26 October 2026 is fifteen new silent written stations, mapped to specific fields.
Field | New Professional Values scenarios | New Evidence-Based Practice scenarios |
Adult Nursing | Self-medication from ward stock; unsafe staffing levels; use of bed rails | None this round |
Paediatric Nursing | Hand washing | Donor human milk; O2 saturations; parental presence |
Mental Health Nursing | Information sharing; racism in mental health care; missed information in PICU; team Christmas party | Improving the physical health of a mental health patient; patients' sleep on the ward; physical restraint in mental health care; smoking and schizophrenia |
The new Professional Values scenarios assess the same things as the existing ones: professional responsibility, accountability, patient safety, communication and conduct. Across all of them, candidates must recognise the concern, use professional judgement, escalate through the correct channel and document accurately. Candidates who have prepared the existing Professional Values scenarios will find the additions test the same judgement in new settings. For Adult Nursing, the three PV scenarios are the whole of this round; there are no Adult-specific APIE, skills or EBP additions.
New OSCE Stations from 26 October 2026: OSCE for Mental Health Nursing
The OSCE for Mental Health Nursing gains its PV and EBP additions above plus field-specific stations in two categories.
Category | New additions for Mental Health Nursing |
APIE scenarios | Psychosis; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) |
Clinical skills | Medication adherence; mental state examination (MSE); non-suicidal self-injury |
The two APIE scenario additions matter most, because APIE is four linked stations following one patient, so a new scenario changes the spine of the exam. Psychosis and PTSD both demand structured assessment, risk-aware planning and a calm, recovery-focused approach. The new skills are equally significant: a mental state examination and a non-suicidal self-injury station test structured observation and safe, non-judgemental communication, marked as precisely as any physical skill. Candidates for the OSCE for Mental Health Nursing have the broadest revision this round, and working through each addition with a trainer who knows mental health is the fastest route to confidence.
New OSCE Stations for Paediatric Nursing
The new OSCE stations from 26 October 2026 for Paediatric Nursing combine the PV and EBP additions above with two field-specific categories.
Category | New additions for Paediatric Nursing |
APIE | Allergic reaction |
Clinical skills | Aseptic non-touch technique (ANTT); medication administration via nasogastric tube (NGT) |
An allergic reaction APIE follows a child through recognition, escalation, treatment and evaluation, with parental communication throughout. ANTT tests the infection-control sequence, and medication via NGT tests the checks, calculation and technique that keep a child safe.
The NMC OSCE Changes 2026 Pattern: February and October
In isolation, this feels like a shock. As part of the NMC OSCE changes 2026 pattern, it is exactly what the regulator said it would do: replenish the station bank at intervals so the exam stays current and unpredictable. The February additions for Adult Nursing, from 23 February 2026, were the first round; this is the second, and broader.
Round | Applies to first sittings from | Additions |
February 2026 | 23 February 2026 | Adult Nursing: one APIE (suspected DVT), two skills, two PV and three EBP scenarios |
September 2026 | 26 October 2026 | 8 PV and 7 EBP scenarios across Adult, Paediatric and Mental Health; Mental Health APIE (psychosis, PTSD) and three skills; Paediatric APIE (allergic reaction) and two skills |
Two things stand out in the NMC OSCE changes 2026: each round adds to the bank rather than changing the structure, and each comes with a lead-in and a cut-off defined by first sitting. That is the replenishment cycle of the Test of Competence working as designed, and the NMC OSCE changes 2026 are unlikely to be the last. The Test of Competence itself, the CBT and OSCE together, is not being redesigned; the OSCE bank is being refreshed. Reading the NMC OSCE changes 2026 as a cycle rather than a crisis is the most useful reframing for a candidate.
What Doesn't Change in the NMC OSCE Update
The NMC OSCE update adds stations; it does not change how you are assessed. The exam remains 10 stations: four linked APIE, four clinical skills in two pairs, and two silent written stations for Professional Values and Evidence-Based Practice. The marking principles are unchanged: safety and correct process, critical steps that must be completed to pass, one assessor, the same timings. What has been updated is the marking criteria documentation, which now includes the new stations, so work from the current version rather than a shared PDF. The same things decide the result: reading the scenario properly, prioritising safety, communicating and documenting as you go, and managing time. The NMC OSCE update changes the content you may meet, not the skill that passes it.
How to Prepare for the OSCE If Your Exam Falls After 26 October
Download the updated marking criteria documentation for your field from the NMC portal; forwarded PDFs are often the pre-update version.
Know how the new OSCE stations from 26 October 2026 break down for your field: Adult adds three PV scenarios; Paediatric adds one PV, three EBP, one APIE and two skills; Mental Health adds four PV, four EBP, two APIE and three skills.
Sit only mocks aligned to the new version; a mock built on the old bank is practice for an exam you are not taking.
Keep the existing bank in your revision; the new stations are additions, not replacements.
Our UK OSCE training for nurses has rebuilt its mocks around the September update, so candidates with post-October dates practise against the stations they may actually meet.
Frequently Asked Questions About the NMC OSCE Update
Do the new OSCE stations apply to my exam?
Only if your first OSCE attempt is on or after Monday 26 October 2026. Earlier first sittings continue with the current materials and cannot meet the new stations. Later dates should prepare from the updated marking criteria documentation for their field.
What changes for Adult Nursing?
Three new PV scenarios: self-medication from ward stock, unsafe staffing levels and use of bed rails. There are no Adult-specific APIE, clinical skills or EBP additions in this round; those came in February.
What changes for Mental Health Nursing?
Four PV and four EBP scenarios, plus two APIE additions (psychosis, PTSD) and three clinical skills (medication adherence, mental state examination, non-suicidal self-injury).
Do resits use the new stations?
The NMC frames the change by first attempt, and previous updates have kept resit candidates on the version they first sat, so a first sitting before 26 October should mean your resit uses the current materials. This is not spelt out in the announcement, so confirm with your test centre.
Has the marking changed?
The principles have not: 10 stations, safety-first assessment, critical steps, one assessor and the same timings. The marking criteria documentation has been updated to include the new stations, so download the current version for your field. Technique still decides the result.
The Bottom Line on the NMC OSCE Update
The NMC OSCE update is routine replenishment with a clear cut-off: first attempts from 26 October 2026 may meet the new stations; earlier sittings will not. Fifteen PV and EBP scenarios are added across the three fields, with field-specific APIE and skills for Mental Health and Paediatric Nursing. The structure and marking principles are untouched, so the method that passed last month still passes in November.
If your date falls after the cut-off, prepare against the updated version. Register now for OSCE training in Kochi at Envertiz Academy, with mocks already aligned to the new stations.
Disclaimer
This article is for general informational purposes only. The NMC OSCE structure, station content, implementation dates, resit arrangements and marking criteria are set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council and its approved test providers and may change; the information above reflects the position on the review date shown. Station and scenario names are category-level descriptions of the NMC's announcement, not exam content. Always confirm the version of materials that applies to your examination date with the NMC and your test centre.
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