NMC OSCE marking criteria 2026

Where to read the NMC's marking criteria

The NMC publishes marking criteria as PDFs by field. One example is the adult nursing marking criteria PDF, September 2026. Open the current file for your field on the NMC resources page. We do not copy or reproduce them here.

The NMC says its criteria are indicative and tells candidates not to memorise them. Use them to understand what good practice looks like, then practise the underlying skills.

How the marking is built, in our words

Each station has its own list of criteria. They are linked to the NMC Code (the Code) and to the 2018 standards of proficiency for registered nurses. For skills stations they also draw on published evidence, with reading lists per field. You get a pass or a fail for each station, not a numeric score. If you fail, the centre's email lists the stations and elements you failed.

The pass rule is simple and strict. You need a pass in every one of the 10 stations. See the NMC OSCE results page for what follows a fail.

Essential criteria and red flags

Two rules can fail a station on their own.

• Essential criteria. Each marking grid has items you must meet, whatever else you do well.
• Red flags. An unsafe action that could harm a patient, or put the candidate, the simulated patient or the assessor at risk, is reviewed by a panel. If the panel agrees it is a red flag, that station is an automatic fail.

Habits that appear across public adult criteria

Reading the public adult criteria, the same families keep appearing:

• Safety of the scene and the patient's dignity.
• Hand hygiene to the WHO method, and introducing yourself.
• A two-identifier check against the wristband, and an allergy check.
• Consent before you touch or give anything.
• An A to E assessment using ACVPU, with accurate observations and scores.
• Spoken medicine checks: patient, drug, dose, date and time, route, diluent, allergy, and a valid, signed, legible prescription.
• Legible, signed and dated documentation, and no abbreviations in care plans.
• An SBAR handover.

Build these into every station you practise with the NMC OSCE mock test. Read how the linked stations use them on the APIE page.

Common questions

Where are the NMC OSCE marking criteria 2026?

On the NMC's own website, as PDFs by field, under the Test of Competence resources page for nurses and midwives.

What is a red flag in the NMC OSCE?

An action that could harm a patient, or put the candidate, simulated patient or assessor at risk. A panel reviews it, and an agreed red flag fails that station.