Years in nursing school, long nights in wards, piles of lecture notes only pay-off when you know how to pass NMCN exam.
As the last bridge to cross for your license, see proven success tips that thousands of student nurses use to pass the nursing council exam every year and get their RN license.
What’s the NMCN exam?
It’s a professional exam conducted by NMCN for student nurses and midwives before they’re licensed to practice.
The exam is held four times a year (March, May, September and November) and has three components:
- Written Exam (Paper I and II): Each paper consists of 100 objective questions and 3 – 5 Essays.
- Practical Exam (OSCE): An Objective Structured Clinical Exam with 12 stations lasting 60 minutes.
- Viva: An oral presentation with your project for about 10 minutes.
Knowing this structure is your first step but the pass mark is next.
What’s the pass mark for Nursing Council exam?
The pass mark for NMCN professional qualifying exam is 50%.
And this applies to all the exam components.
For the written exam, each objective paper is worth 40% and essays 60%.
So, you need to achieve 50% aggregate in both sections to be considered a pass.
It’s not enough to excel in one and ignore the other. The council assesses your overall performance, so balance matters.
The same 50% threshold applies to OSCE practical exam too.
You need to demonstrate sufficient clinical competence across the 12 stations, so don’t make the mistake of cramming theory without practical skills.
50 per cent may sound simple, but don’t let that fool you into light preparation.
The exam covers a wide range of nursing topics and the essay part requires you to think and communicate your knowledge clearly.
Aim far above 50% in every section so that even if you have a tough paper on that day, you won’t still fall below cut-off.
What happens if you fail Nursing Council exam?
Failing the NMCN exam doesn’t mean your nursing career is over.
In fact, the council made a landmark change to that regard of late.
Years before, those who failed NMCN exam three times were completely dismissed from training.
But that policy is now gone.
In a circular dated September 1, 2025, NMCN announced that those who fail any paper will now be allowed to retake only that paper until they pass.
For example.
If you pass the written exam but fail OSCE, you only retake OSCE and not the entire exam.
So, one bad score no longer wipes away years of effort.
But this new policy also states that you must remain in school and maintain at least 80% lecture and clinical posting attendance to be eligible for the resit.
And each failed resit counts against the training institution, so your nursing school now has a direct incentive to support you through the process.
Bottom line is you have unlimited chances to resit.
But this safety net is not to encourage lazy preparation. Remember that retaking even one paper adds unnecessary stress, takes extra time and delays your license.
So, the best is still to pass the nursing council exam on your first or this next attempt.
See how to pass NMCN exam
Since passing NMCN exam is the only gate between years of training and your licence to practice.
Whether you’re taking it for the first time or going for a resit, follow these tips to see how to pass NMCN exam this one time.
1. Start early
A big mistake is starting your preparation for the nursing council exam (too) late.
NMCN exam is broad, testing all you’ve covered during your entire training.
Can you cram three years of nursing knowledge in two weeks?
Starting early gives you enough time to identify your weaknesses and fix them before exam day.
Student nurses who pass nursing council exam are the ones who started months before they were even registered for the exam.
2. Understand the exam format
Before you open a single book, understand what you’re preparing for.
NMCN exam is not just a written test.
It tests your knowledge, clinical skills and ability to communicate what you know.
Use the official syllabus as your main guide and study only according to the topics therein.
When you know what topics will appear in the exam, you stop wasting time studying things that will not show up and focus your energy where it counts.
- SEE AND DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL NMCN EXAM SYLLABUS
3. Review exam content
Not every topic in NMCN exam syllabus carries the same weight.
Prioritise areas that are repeated the most in nursing council exams.
Some include:
- Medical-Surgical Nursing
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Paediatric Nursing
- Community Health Nursing
- Pharmacology and Drug Administration
- Nursing Ethics and Professional Practice
So, don’t read everything cover to cover.
Use the syllabus to guide which chapters you give the most time to.
And focus on understanding concepts more than memorising facts that can be forgotten under pressure.
4. Start easy
When you sit down to study, don’t start with your hardest topic.
Start with topics you know quite well and gradually move to others.
This builds the momentum needed for your continuation and the confidence to tackle difficult topics as them come.
Apply this same logic on exam day.
Skip tough questions and answer the ones you know first, then return to those tough questions once you’re through with all the ones you know.
5. Create a study plan
A study plan turns your preparation from scattered reading into an organised progress.
Start building your plan as early as six months to your exam date.
Here’s a simple structure to work with:
- Months 1–2: Cover foundational topics like Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology
- Months 3–4: Tackle core nursing subjects like Medical-Surgical, Obstetrics, Paediatrics
- Months 5–6: Intensive revision, past questions and mock exams
Dedicate specific hours each day to study and treat those hours like ward shifts: “non-negotiable”.
Even 1 focused hour a day will pile up into powerful preparation over six months.
6. Practice past questions
This is one of the most important part of how to pass NMCN exam.
NMCN past questions show the exam pattern, how questions are framed, topics repeated every year and their level of details too.
The more past questions you study, the less chances of any question catching you unaware on your exam day.
But ensure to always review your wrong answers while you study past questions.
Because knowing “why” you got 1 answer wrong is more valuable than getting 10 questions right.
- GET NURSING COUNCIL EXAM PAST QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
7. Get the right textbooks
Not every nursing textbook is useful for the NMCN exam.
Stick to ones that have been confirmed to help Nigerian nursing students succeed.
Here are some of our recommendations:
- Ross and Wilson Anatomy and Physiology
- Comprehensive Nursing Manual by Cecy
- The Green Bible (most popular)
- Brunner and Suddarth’s Medical-Surgical Nursing
We have a longer list but avoid collecting too many books.
Pick just 2–3 solid ones to study thoroughly and back them up with past questions.
- SEE FULL LIST OF TOP TEXTBOOKS FOR NURSING COUNCIL EXAM
8. Join study groups
Don’t go through this alone. Study groups can help you pass NMCN exam.
When you study with others, you cover topics faster, learn things you missed on your own and stay motivated even on days you don’t feel like opening a book.
Find course mates online or offline who are serious about passing too.
Divide topics among the group, teach each other, quiz one another on past questions and “ginger” each other.
Sometimes, the energy of a study group is better than studying alone.
- JOIN OUR STUDY GROUP FOR NIGERIAN NURSES
9. Work on your mindset
Fear, self-doubt and exam anxiety are real, but controllable.
Remind yourself why you chose nursing and how you did not come this far to stop now.
When negative thoughts come, replace them with proof of how hard you’ve worked.
Picture yourself completing the exam.
Talk to yourself with encouragement, not criticism, just like you would talk to a friend who was struggling.
And always remember that confidence isn’t the absence of fear but to keep going even with the fear.
Your mindset is quite a sensitive part of how to pass NMCN exam.
10. Pay attention in school
If you still have time before the council exam begin, pay attention during your training.
Lectures, ward rounds and clinical postings are not just to fulfil all righteousness, they’re your preparation.
Take notes. Ask questions. Engage with every procedure you observe.
NMCN exam tests your practical nursing knowledge and real clinical experience.
So, don’t just cram concepts, understand the reason behind them.
Nursing school lecturers also plan their lessons around the content areas that appear in council exams.
Go back to your lecture notes even if your NMCN exam is soon.
- GET NURSING COUNCIL e-NOTES FOR ALL THE TOPICS
11. Prepare for OSCE procedures
OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Exam) is the practical aspect of nursing council exam, and many underrate it.
It consists of 12 stations:
- 6 procedure stations (where you perform clinical skills)
- 6 question stations (where you’ll answer theory-based questions)
The entire OSCE lasts 60 minutes.
And some common OSCE procedures you should practise include:
- Bed bath and personal hygiene procedures
- Wound dressing and aseptic technique
- Administration of medications (oral, IV, IM)
- Taking and recording vital signs
- Catheterisation
- Nasogastric tube insertion
- Patient positioning and pressure ulcer prevention
- Health education and patient communication
Don’t just read about these procedures.
Practise each step out loud with a mentor or classmate to watch you and give feedback.
OSCE rewards precision, confidence and clinical reasoning.
12. Take care of yourself
You can’t pass any exam with a tired brain or sick body.
Self-care is not laziness but a crucial part of your NMCN exam strategy.
- Get 7–8 hours of sleep at night so your brain can perfect what you studied during the day.
- Eat healthy and don’t skip meals because your brain needs fuel to store information.
- Exercise to reduce stress and keep your mind sharp.
- Schedule breaks in your study plan. (45-min study, 10-min break). You retain more when you study in sessions.
Avoid those all-night cramming, especially few days to the exam.
Instead, just review your notes, eat a good meal and go to bed early that night.
13. Pray
Many have confirmed that prayer was part of their preparation to pass the nursing council exam.
Don’t neglect your spiritual wellbeing in the middle of the pressure.
Take time to pray, stay grounded in your faith and trust the process.
You’ve done the work, now believe that every other factor beyond your control will work together for good.
Conclusion
Passing NMCN exam is within your reach.
Many nurses have passed it before you, and with the right preparation, you will too.
Just start early, study smart, take care of yourself, maximize study group and trust God to crown your efforts.
You didn’t choose nursing by mistake, did you? Good. Now go and earn that licence!
GOOD LUCK.
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