1.1 Structure of the Overseas Aptitude Test
Key Takeaways
- The test has two sequential parts: Part 1 is a supervised online theory paper of 150 multiple-choice questions, and Part 2 is a practical OSCE of 14 stations; Part 1 must be passed before Part 2 can be attempted.
- Part 1 allows 3 hours for 150 four-option MCQs with a minimum pass mark of 50%, and no candidate may leave the test until 60 minutes have passed.
- Part 2 consists of 14 stations of 10 minutes each; the station descriptor is displayed outside and inside the station, and the candidate must be deemed competent in every competency at every station to pass.
- The fee is EUR 2,800 (EUR 2,500 where a prospective employer pays RCSI directly at the point of application) and includes two attempts at each part; it has remained unchanged since the first test in December 2015.
- RCSI reports that on average 60% of applicants pass at the first attempt and 70% of those who take a second attempt are successful; a failed theory paper is repeated in full, while a failed OSCE requires resitting only the failed station or stations.
Structure of the Overseas Aptitude Test
Core Assessment Overview: The Overseas Aptitude Test for general nurses is developed, coordinated and managed by the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery (FNM) at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) for overseas nurses applying to register as a General Nurse (RGN) with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) (Bord Altranais agus Cnaimhseachais na hEireann). RCSI developed the test in 2015 and has run it since December 2015. It is one of the compensation measures that NMBI may require of an internationally qualified nurse, and you may only apply if you hold an in-date NMBI decision letter stating that the General Nurses Division applies to your application and that the RCSI FNM Aptitude Test is one of the compensation measures open to you.
The assessment is divided into two distinct, sequential components:
- Part 1: Theory (knowledge) test - a supervised online multiple-choice paper covering the syllabus and knowledge expected of a pre-registration nursing programme in the Republic of Ireland.
- Part 2: Practical test (OSCE) - an Objective Structured Clinical Examination of 14 simulated clinical stations.
Part 1 must be successfully completed before Part 2 can be attempted. Both parts are based on the NMBI Standards and Requirements for Nurse Registration Education Programmes and test what a newly qualified general nurse in the Republic of Ireland must be able to achieve. RCSI is explicit that the test examines your potential suitability for registration as a general nurse with NMBI, not your suitability to work in one specific environment such as the ward where you have a job offer.
Venue. Both parts of the test are held in the Smurfit Building, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9. Candidates who plan travel, accommodation or annual leave around a different Dublin address are planning around the wrong site.
Part 1: The Theory Test
Part 1 is a supervised online assessment - the questions are delivered on screen, but the sitting itself is invigilated in person at the test venue.
Published Examination Parameters
| Specification | Published requirement |
|---|---|
| Number of questions | 150 multiple-choice questions |
| Options per question | 4 possible answers; exactly one answer required per question |
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Average pacing | 1.2 minutes (72 seconds) per question |
| Pass mark | Minimum 50% (75 of 150 items) |
| Minimum sitting time | You will not be permitted to leave the test until 60 minutes have passed |
| Delivery | Supervised online assessment at the test venue |
| Prerequisite | In-date NMBI decision letter naming the RCSI FNM Aptitude Test as a compensation measure |
RCSI does not publish a negative-marking rule for Part 1, and the published standard is a simple 50% of 150 items. A blank answer can therefore never score; work at roughly 72 seconds per item, and where you are uncertain, eliminate what you can and commit to a single best answer rather than leaving the item empty.
What the Questions Look Like
RCSI publishes a small number of sample MCQs on its theory-test page. Those samples range across cardiac output, principles of nursing decision-making, the Kubler-Ross stages of dying, peptic ulcer disease, classification of pneumonia, responses after head injury, professional accountability, alveolar collapse, blood administration and the phases of wound healing. They are illustrative only - RCSI does not publish a topic-by-topic blueprint or any percentage weighting for the theory paper. Treat the breadth of those samples as the honest signal: the paper ranges across the whole pre-registration syllabus, from applied physiology to professional conduct.
Examination Room Conduct
Part 1 is invigilated. Bring the identification and documentation RCSI requests in your invitation, and expect the usual secure-examination restrictions on notes and personal devices. The one timing rule RCSI publishes is the 60-minute floor: no candidate may leave the test until 60 minutes have elapsed, however early they finish.
Part 2: The Practical Test (14-Station OSCE)
The practical test uses the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) methodology, which RCSI describes as an internationally recognised way of letting an applicant demonstrate competence in a simulated practice setting. Each station is set up as a clinical setting and holds all the equipment needed for that station.
Station Structure and Timing
- The circuit consists of 14 stations, each assessing different competencies.
- You spend 10 minutes at each station carrying out the care set out in the station descriptor.
- Each station has a descriptor sheet displayed both outside and inside the station, and it remains available for you to refer to as you need during the station. For some stations, further detail on the scenario is available inside the station.
- When the time is up the assessment ends, whether or not you have finished. Unfinished care is simply unobserved care, so sequence the highest-risk elements of the task early.
- Station descriptors and scenarios may change from one test to the next, so a memorised station script from a previous sitting is a liability rather than an asset.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ONE OSCE STATION: 10 MINUTES |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Descriptor sheet is posted OUTSIDE and INSIDE the station and stays |
| available to you throughout. |
| |
| 0 min Read the descriptor; identify the task, the equipment present |
| and any stated warnings. |
| -> Hand hygiene, introduce yourself, confirm identity and consent. |
| -> Deliver the care in the descriptor, verbalising your reasoning. |
| -> Document / dispose / make safe. |
| 10 min Time called. Assessment ends regardless of progress. |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Equipment Rule
Each station has specific equipment which must be used as part of the care at that station. The converse is equally examinable: if something is not at the station, it does not need to be used. Candidates lose time hunting for a piece of kit that was never provided; check what is on the trolley during your first look at the station and work with it.
Assessors and the Competence Standard
Every station has a trained assessor - an experienced nurse with a postgraduate qualification who has been trained by RCSI as an OSCE assessor. Some stations use a manikin; at others an assessor may act as the patient, a relative or a staff member.
Assessors mark each performance as competent (pass) or incompetent (fail). To pass the practical part, the applicant must be deemed competent in each competency at each station. There is no compensatory percentage: strong performance at twelve stations does not offset an unsafe omission at the thirteenth.
Comparing Part 1 and Part 2
| Feature | Part 1: Theory test | Part 2: Practical test (OSCE) |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Supervised online MCQ paper | 14 simulated clinical stations |
| Volume | 150 four-option MCQ items | 14 stations |
| Duration | 3 hours | 10 minutes per station |
| Standard | Minimum 50% | Competent in every competency at every station |
| Repeat rule | The theory test must be repeated in full | Resit only the station or stations failed |
| Venue | Smurfit Building, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9 | Smurfit Building, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9 |
| Prerequisite | In-date NMBI decision letter | A pass in Part 1 |
Attempts, Results and the Repeat Policy
Two attempts (that is, one repeat) are allowed for each of the two parts. The two parts are treated differently on repeat:
- Theory: a failed theory test must be repeated in full - all 150 questions again.
- Practical: an applicant who fails at the first attempt of the OSCE is required to resit only the station or stations failed.
RCSI strongly recommends allowing a minimum of two weeks to prepare for the second and final attempt, and warns candidates to allow sufficient preparation time rather than rushing into the next sitting.
Published Outcome Data
RCSI publishes the following outcome data for the practical test: on average, 60% of applicants are successful at the first attempt, and 70% of applicants who undertake the second attempt are successful. RCSI frames the failure rate against the fact that the OSCEs are built on the NMBI standards for Irish-trained general student nurses, so they reflect what an RGN working as a first-year staff nurse in a general hospital would be expected to know and do safely and competently.
RCSI itself identifies two recurring causes of failure that are worth internalising early:
- Lack of preparation. A test generally opens 3.5 months in advance. RCSI advises applicants to be fully familiar with everything on its test webpages, including all the linked references, and to practise filling in the documentation that may be used at the OSCEs.
- Rote learning. Nursing is not only knowledge but the application of knowledge to safe care. Candidates who memorise station sequences without understanding them fail when the scenario changes - and RCSI states plainly that scenarios do change between tests.
Fees
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Standard fee | EUR 2,800 |
| Employer-paid fee | EUR 2,500 where a prospective employer entitled to a discount pays RCSI directly - available only at the point of application, never retrospectively |
| TransferMate charge | EUR 10 if the fee is paid in euro |
| Not paid via TransferMate | EUR 200 administration charge, plus considerably longer processing |
| Paid into the wrong account | EUR 100 administration charge, plus considerably longer processing |
The fee includes two attempts at each part of the test, so a candidate who fails Part 1 once, or fails three OSCE stations once, pays no further examination fee for the permitted repeat. RCSI notes that the fee has, so far, remained unchanged since the first test in December 2015.
Payment mechanics matter more than they look. You must first hold an eight-digit RCSI ID number - not your NMBI number - which is issued automatically when you submit an online application with a recent photograph, the biographic page of your passport and your NMBI decision letter. The name on the application must match the NMBI decision letter exactly. Each applicant must make an individual payment; grouped payments covering several applicants are no longer accepted. There is no automatic refund of unused fees.
A candidate sitting Part 1 of the RCSI FNM Overseas Aptitude Test answers all 150 questions after 45 minutes and wants to leave the test room early. What does the published RCSI rule allow?
An applicant completes the 14-station practical test and is assessed as competent at 10 stations and incompetent at 4. Under published RCSI policy, what happens next?
How long does an applicant spend at each OSCE station, and what standard must be reached to pass the practical test?