If your NMBI decision letter names the RCSI aptitude test, this is what you are walking into. Everything below is taken from RCSI’s own pages for the Overseas Aptitude Test (General Nurse), checked on 9 September 2026.
What the test is for
The NMBI registers nurses in Ireland. When it assesses a nurse trained outside the EU (and some trained inside it), it can decide that the training does not fully match the Irish programme and ask for a compensation measure. One option is an adaptation period in an Irish hospital. The other is the aptitude test, run since December 2015 by the RCSI Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery.
RCSI says the test is based on the NMBI Standards and Requirements for Nurse Registration Education Programmes, and checks what a newly qualified general nurse in Ireland must be able to do. It is not a test for one job or one hospital. It is a test of whether you can register as an RGN at all.
Two parts, in order
| Part | Format | Pass |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Theory (MCQ) | 150 questions, four options, one answer each, 180 minutes, supervised online | 50% |
| 2. Practical (OSCE) | 14 stations, 10 minutes each, trained assessors, some with a mannequin or an actor | Competent at every competency at every station |
You must pass the theory before you can book the OSCE. A station descriptor sheet is posted outside and inside each OSCE station, and the scenarios can change from one test date to the next.
Attempts
Two attempts at each part, which means one repeat. A failed theory test is repeated in full, all 150 questions. A failed OSCE means resitting only the stations you failed. RCSI recommends at least two weeks between a fail and the second attempt.
That is the whole reason to over-prepare for the theory paper. A 50% pass mark sounds forgiving until you remember there is no third go.
Why people fail
RCSI publishes its own view on this, and it is unusually direct. About 60% pass the OSCE at the first attempt, 70% at the second. The two causes it names:
- Lack of preparation. Tests open about 3.5 months ahead. RCSI says candidates should read every link on its preparation page and practise filling in the documentation used at the stations (the INEWS chart, the medication record, the fluid balance chart).
- Rote learning. Candidates recite a learnt script, give information that belongs to a different station, or cannot explain what they have just said when asked. RCSI wants applied knowledge, and it notes that some of what candidates recite is not from its reading list at all.
Our practice questions are written to match that: each answer comes with the reason and the document it was checked against, so you learn the why, not only the what.
The reading list
RCSI groups its “minimum background reading” under about thirty headings: cardiovascular, respiratory, sepsis, observations, infection prevention, medication, older person care, safeguarding, the NMBI Code and so on. It also lists the current example scenarios for several OSCE stations. Our practice topics follow those headings one for one, and the OSCE page lists the station examples.
One warning from RCSI itself: the groupings are for revision, but any reference may come up at any station. Read across the list, not just the headings that look clinical.
Practical details
- Venue: Smurfit Building, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9.
- Theory dates on the RCSI schedule when we last checked: 19 September 2026, 3 October 2026, 4 October 2026, 10 October 2026. RCSI plans 35 tests in 2026, mostly on weekends, none in July or December. Fee, dates and the two attempts are covered in their own guide.
- You cannot leave the theory room before 60 minutes have passed.
- The fee was €2,800 when we checked (€2,500 if an eligible employer pays RCSI directly). It covers two attempts at each part and has not changed since 2015. If you fail the theory twice, only the OSCE portion is refunded. Dates, booking and the TransferMate payment steps are on the RCSI fees page.
Source: RCSI Overseas Aptitude Test (General Nurse), overview, theory test, practical test and preparation pages.