RCSI Overseas Aptitude Test · General Nurse
Pass the aptitude test theory paper first time.
150 questions, three hours, two attempts, and a €2,800 fee riding on them. Practise every heading on the RCSI reading list with the HSE or NMBI source under each answer, then sit the full paper on the real clock.
Modes
Practise the way that suits you
Pick a mode. Progress is saved in your browser, and to your account once you have the pass.
needs the theory pass. Everything else is free without an account.
Syllabus
Every heading on the RCSI reading list
41 topics in 5 groups. Each question names the document it was checked against.
12 topics · 299 questions
Clinical systems
Body systems and the conditions RCSI names on its reading list.
Cardiac · Respiratory · GI · Renal · Neuro · Diabetes · Sepsis · Skin · Stoma · Osteoporosis · Nutrition · Pain
9 topics · 212 questions
Older person and acute care
Where most OSCE stations sit: the frail, confused or deteriorating adult.
Older person · Delirium · Dementia · Frailty · Falls · End of life · Chronic disease · Acute situation · Peri-operative
6 topics · 257 questions
Fundamentals and patient safety
Observations, infection control, medicines and lines. Asked in every paper.
Fundamentals · Observations · IPC · Medications · IV therapy · Preparations
5 topics · 146 questions
Professional, legal and policy
The NMBI Code, consent, safeguarding and Irish health policy.
Safeguarding · Code and policy · Community · Health system · Teaching
9 topics · 259 questions
Medical-surgical foundations
Textbook ground the theory paper draws on beyond the reading list: blood, fluids, wounds, emergencies, drugs, evidence.
A&P · Transfusion · Fluids · Wounds · Shock · Pharmacology · High-alert · Oncology · Theory
The route
How the real test works
1
NMBI decision letter
You apply to the NMBI first. If the decision letter names the RCSI aptitude test as your compensation measure, you register for a test date with RCSI. Tests open about 3.5 months ahead.
2
Theory: 150 MCQs, 180 min
Supervised online paper, four options, one answer each. Pass mark 50%. You may not leave before 60 minutes. Fail it and the whole paper is repeated; a second fail ends the route.
3
OSCE: 14 stations, 10 min each
Simulated ward stations with trained assessors: observations, medication round, wound dressing, sepsis screening, safeguarding conversations and more. You must be marked competent at every station.
Next theory dates on the RCSI schedule: 19 September 2026, 3 October 2026, 4 October 2026, at the Smurfit Building, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9. Fee €2,800 for both parts, two attempts each. RCSI schedule
Theory pass
Try it free, then one payment for everything.
€79€59once, 6 months of access. Not a subscription.
Launch price until 15 October
- Every question in every topic on the RCSI reading list, with the source named on each answer
- The full 150-question, three-hour mock on the real clock, unlimited sittings
- Short one-hour mocks, mistakes deck and saved questions
- Progress saved to your account, on any device
- Pass guarantee: fail the real theory test, get another 6 months free
Card payment by Stripe. 14-day refund, no questions. You get two attempts at the real paper; a fail means sitting all 150 questions again. Refunds and guarantee. Given a code by your agency? Enter it in your account.
FAQ
Questions people ask
What is the RCSI aptitude test?
The RCSI FNM Aptitude Test for Overseas General Nurses is one of the compensation measures the NMBI can ask for before it registers a nurse trained outside Ireland. It has two parts. Part 1 is a theory test: 150 multiple-choice questions in 180 minutes, four options, one answer, pass mark 50%. Part 2 is a practical OSCE of 14 stations, 10 minutes each, and you must pass the theory before you can sit it. Both are held at the Smurfit Building, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9.
Is this the NMBI aptitude test?
Same exam, two names. The NMBI decides in your decision letter that you need a compensation measure and accepts the result; RCSI writes and runs the test. Nurses call it the NMBI aptitude test, RCSI calls it the FNM Overseas Aptitude Test for General Nurses. Either way it is this paper and this OSCE.
What does the theory test cover?
RCSI says both parts are based on the NMBI Standards and Requirements for Nurse Registration Education Programmes: what a newly qualified general nurse in Ireland must know. On its preparation page RCSI publishes a "minimum background reading" list grouped under headings such as sepsis, observations, infection prevention, medication, older person care, safeguarding and the NMBI Code. Our topics follow those headings one for one.
Are these the actual RCSI questions?
No. RCSI does not publish its bank, and we would not copy it if it did. Every question here is written from the public documents on the RCSI reading list and the NMBI standards, and each answer names the document it was checked against so you can read the source yourself. The ten sample MCQs RCSI does publish are covered in the guides.
How many attempts do I get?
Two attempts at each part, including one repeat. A failed theory test is repeated in full; a failed OSCE means resitting only the stations you failed. Both attempts are covered by the €2,800 fee, but a second fail at the theory ends the route and only the OSCE portion of the fee comes back. RCSI reports that about 60% pass the OSCE at the first attempt and names lack of preparation and rote learning as the usual causes of failure.
Is this free?
The demo is free and needs no account: the Observations and INEWS topic in full, 3 questions with answers and sources in every other topic, one short mock exam, the OSCE station notes and all the guides. The theory pass is €59 (launch price until 15 October, then €79), paid once for 6 months, not a subscription. If you fail the real theory test while your pass is active, we extend it by another 6 months for free.