OET score requirements by country and regulator

Verified on 6 October 2026.

Most nursing regulators ask for at least 350 in Listening, Reading and Speaking. Writing ranges from 300 (NMC in the UK, NCNZ in New Zealand) to 350 (Ahpra in Australia). Find your regulator in the table below, then read its section for combining rules, how long results last and which test modes count. NMC OET requirements.

By OETify editorial team.

Requirements by regulator

Each organisation sets its own scores and decides how long it accepts a result. OET’s list of recognising organisations warns that requirements change, so check the rule with your regulator before you book. OET Test Handbook 2026.

L/R/W/S means Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Numbers are minimum scores. Letter grades are in the regulator’s own words. All rows were checked on 6 October 2026.

NMC: scores and combining 2 sittings

The NMC needs 350 in Listening, Reading and Speaking and 300 in Writing. It accepts IELTS Academic and OET, but you can only combine results from the same test, and both sittings must include all 4 sub-tests. NMC accepted English language tests.

To combine, reach each required score across 2 sittings taken within 12 months of each other. Both test dates must fall within 2 years before the NMC assesses your complete application. You can combine an OET@Home result with an OET on Paper or OET on Computer result. NMC OET requirements.

In both sittings, Listening, Reading and Speaking must be at least C+. The NMC states the Writing minimum as “Grade C (250-290)”, but OET’s full C band runs from 200 to 290. If a Writing score is below 250, ask the NMC before you rely on combining. OET Test Handbook 2026.

Example with made-up scores, in L/R/W/S order: 350/300/300/350, then 300/350/250/300. Together they reach every required score and no score falls below the minimums. The pair still has to meet the date rules, and you give the NMC permission to verify your results before you apply.

If you have tried combining and still narrowly miss in only 1 skill, the NMC may accept supporting information from a current UK employer. Whether this applies depends on your circumstances. NMC: if you narrowly miss the required scores.

NMBI: one result, no combining

NMBI accepts a single result and does not accept combined results. It accepts IELTS Academic, IELTS Academic for UKVI and OET. NMBI English language requirements.

NMBI’s table puts the C+ in Writing:

OET’s B band is 350 to 440. NMBI’s text only says “Grade B in three components and C+ in one component”, without naming Writing, so ask NMBI if your C+ is not in Writing.

NMBI does not accept OET@Home. Its page does not say whether OET on Computer at a venue counts, so ask NMBI before you book that mode. Your result must be less than 2 years old when you submit your registration (for online applications started after 28 September 2020). NMBI English language requirements.

Ahpra: new scores from 23 April 2026

Your Ahpra scores depend on your test date. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) and the Medical Board of Australia both use these rules. Ahpra accepted English language tests.

Under the new scores you can combine 2 full sittings no more than 12 months apart. No score in either sitting may fall below Listening 320, Reading 340, Writing 350 or Speaking 350, and across the pair you need each required score. If your 2 dates fall either side of 23 April 2026, each test must meet the table for its own date.

Example with made-up scores, in L/R/W/S order: 350/340/350/360, then 320/360/350/350. Together they reach every required score and no score falls below the minimums. Date, mode and application rules still apply.

Ahpra usually accepts results from within 2 years before you lodge your application, with limited exceptions for continuous work or study approved by the Board. It accepts OET on Paper and OET on Computer at a venue, including Speaking taken online with a remote interlocutor, but not OET@Home.

NCNZ: sitting and validity windows

NCNZ accepts OET and IELTS Academic for nurses. For OET it needs 350 in Listening, Reading and Speaking and 300 in Writing. NCNZ English language requirements.

Your scores can come from more than 1 sitting, as long as you reach them within 12 months of your first sitting. All sittings must fall within 3 years before you apply. NCNZ does not set minimum scores for combining or say that each sitting must include all 4 sub-tests.

Example with made-up dates: first sitting on 10 January 2024, last required score on 10 October 2024, application on 1 December 2026.

Applying on 1 December 2026 meets both windows. This is only a date check: your scores, test mode and other conditions still count.

NCNZ accepts computer tests at an approved venue (Speaking may be online) but not tests taken fully online at home. Compare the test modes before you book.

UAE: English proof in one PQR case

The UAE’s shared Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR) do not ask every nurse for OET. They ask for English proof from nurses licensed in certain listed countries who qualify for an exemption from the work-experience requirement, if their university studies were not in English or their licence is from a non-English-speaking country on that list. OET is one accepted option, at “not less than C”. PQR nursing section 13.1.15.4.

The PQR gives no per-skill score, validity period, combining rule or mode rule. Ask your authority whether this case applies to you: Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH) or Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP).

USA: TruMerit programmes and state boards

TruMerit (formerly CGFNS) sets its own English rules for each programme. For registered nurses, VisaScreen asks for Listening 320, Reading 340, Writing 350 and Speaking 360 for tests from 12 May 2026; earlier tests follow the previous rules. TruMerit VisaScreen.

The Certification Program uses the same scores and needs your English test within 1 year of the Nurse Qualifying Exam. Neither programme accepts at-home tests, and neither states a combining or partial-retake rule. Your state nursing board may have separate requirements.

Medical regulators

Doctors need OET Medicine and their own regulator’s scores; a Nursing result does not count. Medical Council of Ireland English requirements.

Ireland

The Medical Council of Ireland needs at least B in every sub-test in a single sitting. Your certificate must be within 2 years of both application and registration. OET@Home is not accepted.

New Zealand

The Medical Council of New Zealand needs 350 in Listening, Reading and Speaking and 300 in Writing. You can combine 2 full sittings within 12 months if every score is at least 300. Results must be within 2 years before you apply; for new NZREX Clinical candidates, the date counts from the exam instead. The policy does not say which test modes it accepts. MCNZ English language policy.

United States

Every ECFMG Pathways applicant must meet the OET Medicine requirement, whatever their first language, language of study or citizenship. You need 350 in Listening, Reading and Speaking and 300 in Writing in one test administration. If you miss one score, you retake all 4 sub-tests. For 2027 Pathways, the score must be from 1 January 2025 or later. OET@Home is allowed only if your country has no paper or computer venue. ECFMG OET requirements.

Turn your requirement into targets

OET results have no single expiry date: each organisation decides which dates count. Write down a separate target for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, with the latest test date and application date your regulator allows beside them. A free OETify baseline then shows where your Reading, Writing and Speaking stand today.