Information for Trusts & Agencies

The information on this page will provide important information on preparing your candidates and how to book if you are an NHS Trust or Agency.

The Northumbria NMC Competence Test Centre  runs OSCE examinations five days a week (Monday – Friday, with two sessions each day at 08:15am, 12:15pm. 

Whilst we appreciate there may be internal demands within your Trusts, such as training, we kindly request that you contact us as soon as possible if you have candidates who need to take their OSCE examination within a tight or restricted time period. 

We will always endeavour to accommodate  you request, although there may be circumstances that prevent us from guaranteeing that your candidates will be assessed on or by certain days or dates. 

To request a test date  please complete the online enquiry form or contact us at CTCTrustEnquiries@northumbria.ac.uk 

If we cannot  accommodate your request, we will provide you with reasonable alternative dates and/or times. 

We are only able to hold/reserve the day/date for a limited time. 

The OSCE test costs £794. (Effective from 1st April 2019) 

Should your candidate need to re-sit, the costs are as outlined below.

*Please allow ten days between original test date and re-sit to allow for additional preparation and action on feedback. 

Full OSCE application (ToC 2021)

£794

1st Attempt Fail (1-7 stations) (ToC 2021)

£397

For candidates who failed up to 7 stations across both the APIE/skill stations. 

You will  require a resit at 50% cost which is equal to £397. 

1st Attempt Fail (8-10 stations) (ToC 2021)

£794

For candidates who failed 8 – 10 stations across both the APIE/skill stations. 

You will require a resit at full cost which is equal to £794. 

You will need to sit only the APIE station(s) that you failed. You will be given your original paperwork from the APIE stations that you passed (where applicable), in order to complete the resit station(s). You will require 10 days to elapse before booking your 2nd attempt. 

2nd Resit

Costs are as 1st Resit. 

Candidates must wait 10 days before sitting the 2nd Resit. 

Should a candidate fail the 2nd resit then a new OSCE application is required. 

Candidates must wait six months before sitting the new OSCE. 

The new application will be charged at full cost. 

The OSCE examination consists of assessing the patient journey and assessment of skills. Candidates are in the test centre for approximately three hours. 

An identification (ID) check will be conducted on-site by the NMC ID checker during your OSCE where all the candidate’s original documents submitted as part of the application process to the NMC will be verified. 

Please see the NMC website for further details.

Refund, Cancellation and Substitution Policy for Part 2 of the NMC Test of Competence Competence Test Centre

Northumbria University accepts Part 2 of the NMC Test of Competence payment made by debit/credit card for individual bookings. For NHS Trusts and agencies, payment will be made by Purchase Order. In making such bookings, the client accepts this refunds, cancellations and substitutions policy.

Bookings: For all test bookings fees are payable prior to booking. Individual candidates – Payment is required at time of booking. Trusts – Examination dates and times will be confirmed by the University after initial communication from the Trust. Upon receipt of your payment, confirmation will be sent to the Trust to confirm the booking. An email confirmation will also be sent to each candidate on the booking. Please note that we can only accommodate by available dates, we cannot accommodate specific date requirements.

Cancellations: Cancellation charges are applied in all cases. We regret that we must do this, however all bookings involve administrative costs, and it is difficult to fill spaces made vacant by late cancellations. Cancellation charges depend on when the written cancellation notice is received to CTCGeneralEnquiries@northumbria.ac.uk (for individuals) or CTCTrustEnquiries@northumbria.ac.uk (for Trusts and agencies). A full refund will be given only if more than 3 weeks’ notice is given of a cancellation or reschedule, see below for refund rates: • Over 3 weeks of cancellation notice: Full refund • Less than 3 weeks cancellation notice: No refund unless in exceptional circumstances, for which a medical certificate may be requested. Alternatively, a substitute delegate can be named within 14 days of the test date. This is to allow them enough time to access the online materials. There will be no extra surcharge for making a substitution. No refund will be given for non-attendance or if no prior notice (within the stated time above) of cancellation is given. Please note: Unfortunately, there may be instances beyond the University’s control to change the timing of the test or test date. We reserve the right to cancel or move a test date up to and including the date of the test. We will strive to give as much notice as possible in such an event. The University will work closely with those affected to find the next most convenient date. In all cases, people who had registered to attend a cancelled test date will be given the option of a full refund or of rescheduling to a future date, but Northumbria University disclaim any further liability. Northumbria University will endeavour to give at least 24 hours’ notice for a cancelled Test of Competence date, but in the instance of staff sickness we will communicate with all candidates and/or trusts and agencies to advise. The University will not be held liable for any expenses incurred by the candidate and/or trust or agency.