NMC CBT or OSCE Failed? Your Retake Rules, Costs & What to Do Next (2026)
Failing the CBT or OSCE is common, not catastrophic second-attempt OSCE pass rates run 76–84% across UK centres, far higher than first-attempt rates. What matters now is doing the next 48 hours right: getting your feedback, understanding exactly which rules apply to your situation, and rebooking with a plan instead of panicking.
First: Get Your Feedback
If you failed the OSCE, your results email includes feedback on which stations and elements you didn't pass; you only need to resit those specific stations, not all ten. If you failed the CBT, your Pearson VUE account breaks your result down by Part A (numeracy) and Part B (clinical) within 48 hours. Read this before you do anything else. Resitting blind, without addressing what actually went wrong, is the single most common reason candidates fail a second time.
CBT: What Actually Happens If You Fail
- There's no formal limit on CBT attempts you can keep resitting, each time paying the full £83 fee.
- The real constraint is time, not attempts: your CBT pass expires if you don't also pass the OSCE within 2 years of passing the CBT. Failing repeatedly eats into that window.
- Double-check you booked the correct CBT type for your field of practice (adult, mental health, learning disabilities, etc.) before assuming you need more study. Booking the wrong exam type is a genuine, avoidable cause of failure that has nothing to do with clinical knowledge.
OSCE: What Actually Happens If You Fail
1. First resit: if you're only resiting less than 4 stations, the fee is £397, not the full £794.
2. You must wait at least 10 days between sittings. Use this time deliberately, focused only on the specific stations you failed.
3. All resits happen at the same centre as your first attempt; you cannot switch centres partway through an application, so factor this into your original centre choice.
4. You get up to 3 attempts total per application. If you fail the third attempt, your application closes.
5. After a closed application, you must wait at least 6 months before starting an entirely new OSCE application at full £794 cost, sitting all 10 stations again, including ones you previously passed.
Building a Real Recovery Plan, Not Just Rebooking
- Don't rebook immediately out of anxiety to “get it over with.” The 10-day minimum gap exists partly because rushed resits without targeted preparation tend to repeat the same mistakes.
- Treat your feedback as a syllabus, not a verdict. If you failed a specific skills station, find structured practice specifically for that skill rather than re-studying everything.
- Reconsider your budget realistically before committing to a resit date factor in that a second OSCE trip may mean additional UK travel and accommodation costs on top of the exam fee itself.
For the full cost picture across the whole journey, including how rest fees fit into your overall budget, see How Much Does UK NMC Registration Really Cost From Nigeria?. And before rebooking your OSCE at the same centre, it's worth reviewing current centre-level pass rates see NMC OSCE Pass Rates by Test Centre for the NMC's own quarterly data, since second-attempt rates also vary somewhat by centre.
When to Get Outside Help
If you've failed twice on either the CBT or the OSCE that's a reasonable point to bring in structured, targeted preparation support rather than repeating the same self-study approach a third time. A third failed OSCE attempt closes your entire application and costs six months plus a full new fee to restart, so the stakes of getting the second rest right are meaningfully higher than the first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What happens if I fail the NMC CBT?
There's no formal limit on CBT attempts, and each resit costs the full £83 fee. The real constraint is time: your CBT pass expires if you don't also pass the OSCE within 2 years of passing the CBT.
Q: How many times can I resit the NMC OSCE?
Up to 3 attempts total per application, with at least a 10-day gap between sittings. If your third attempt fails, your application closes and you must wait at least 6 months before starting an entirely new application at full cost.
Q: Do I have to resit all 10 OSCE stations if I fail?
No. You only resit the specific stations you didn't pass. If that's 7 or fewer stations, the resit fee is £397 instead of the full £794.
Q: Can I switch OSCE test centres for my resit?
No. All resits must take place at the same centre where you sat your first attempt, which is why it's worth researching centre-level pass rates before your very first booking.
