What the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, the NMC and the Nursing Council of New Zealand accept, at what score, and whether an at-home test counts.
Short answer: IELTS Academic and OET are accepted by all three regulators. Australia also accepts PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT and Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency. The UK and New Zealand do not. Scores differ by regulator, and at-home versions are mostly refused. ScoreFluent does not offer OET practice, so this page reports only what the regulators publish. Start with the Ahpra accepted tests page, the NMC tests page or the NCNZ English language page.
Each regulator publishes its own list. They overlap on two tests. Ahpra publishes one list for all National Boards except the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board, so the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) uses it. Sources: Ahpra, NMC and NCNZ, checked 16 October 2026.
| Test | Australia (NMBA via Ahpra) | UK (NMC) | New Zealand (NCNZ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| OET | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| PTE Academic | Accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted |
| TOEFL iBT | Accepted | Not accepted | Not listed |
| Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency | Accepted | Not accepted | Not listed |
| LanguageCert Academic, MET, CELPIP | Not listed | Not accepted | Not listed |
“Not listed” means the regulator's own page does not name the test. The NMC goes further: it says IELTS Academic and OET are “the only tests we can accept as proof of English language competence”. A test being on a visa list does not make it count for registration; for example, Home Affairs accepts MET for Australian visas, but Ahpra does not list it.
About OET. OET is a healthcare-specific English test, and all three regulators accept it. ScoreFluent does not offer OET practice. For format and booking, use the official OET site.
Ahpra updated its minimum scores from 23 April 2026 to align with current score concordance research and the scores Home Affairs sets for migration. Which table applies depends on when you sat the test. These figures are for tests taken on or after 23 April 2026. Tests taken on or before 22 April 2026 are assessed against the earlier minimums in the transition arrangements policy, which Ahpra links from its accepted tests page.
| Test | Overall | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6.5 | 7 |
| OET | N/a | 350 | 360 | 350 | 360 |
| PTE Academic | 63 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 76 |
| TOEFL iBT (Taking TOEFL for Australia) | 91 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| Cambridge C1 Advanced | 178 | 175 | 179 | 180 | 194 |
| Cambridge C2 Proficiency | 185 | 185 | 185 | 176 | 185 |
These are administrative minimums on different scales, not an exchange rate or a difficulty ranking. The TOEFL iBT figures are on the scale Ahpra publishes for the “Taking TOEFL for Australia” pathway. Do not convert them from the global 2026 TOEFL 1 to 6 scale. Source: Ahpra, Table 2, checked 16 October 2026.
Ahpra says the National Boards accept the same tests and minimums, and that the 23 April 2026 changes do not change the level of English required for registration. It also says the required scores are benchmarked so that none of the accepted tests is easier to pass than another.
Both set a score in each of the four skills. Neither publishes an overall minimum on the pages we checked: the NMC says you must reach its scores “in each of the four domains”.
| Regulator | Test | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NMC (UK) | IELTS Academic | 7 | 7 | 6.5 | 7 |
| NMC (UK) | OET | Grade B (350 or above) | Grade B (350 or above) | Grade C+ (300 or above) | Grade B (350 or above) |
| NCNZ (New Zealand) | IELTS Academic | 7 | 7 | 6.5 | 7 |
| NCNZ (New Zealand) | OET | 350 | 350 | 300 | 350 |
Sources: NMC accepted tests (page shows “Last updated: 08/03/2024”) and NCNZ English language requirements, checked 16 October 2026. The NMC also asks you to choose the Nursing version of OET.
Ahpra accepts one sitting, or at most two sittings within 12 months, with a minimum in each component for each sitting. Results from different providers cannot be combined. It accepts IELTS One Skill Retake. Results are valid for two years before you lodge your application, with exceptions for continuous work or study.
The NMC lets you combine scores across two sittings of the same test, with test dates within 12 months and both no more than two years old when it assesses your application. All four skills must be taken together, so it does not accept IELTS One Skill Retake.
NCNZ accepts the required scores across more than one sitting if they are met within 12 months of the first sitting, and all sittings fall in the three years before your application. You cannot mix OET and IELTS results.
Sources: Ahpra, NMC IELTS page and NCNZ, checked 16 October 2026.
The wider picture, covering visas, universities and each provider's own at-home version, is in the at-home English tests guide. Sources: Ahpra, NMC IELTS, NMC OET and NCNZ, checked 16 October 2026.
No. Each regulator has routes that use your education or practice instead. These are summaries; the regulator's own page has the conditions.
Sources: NMBA, NMC, NCNZ and the NCNZ policy guidance dated 19 August 2022, checked 16 October 2026.
Passing a registration test does not satisfy a visa requirement on its own, or the reverse. In the UK, for example, GOV.UK says nurses on the Skilled Worker route can be exempt from the visa English test if they passed an assessment accepted by their regulated body. See the UK work and family visa guide for the visa side, and the Australian visa guide for Home Affairs scores, which differ from Ahpra's.
Through Ahpra, the National Boards accept five tests: Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency, IELTS Academic, OET, PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT. All must be taken at a test centre, and TOEFL iBT must be booked as "Taking TOEFL for Australia".
Ahpra requires an overall 7, with at least 7 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing. Those figures are the same for tests taken before and after 23 April 2026.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council accepts only IELTS Academic and OET. It says these are the only tests it can accept and that it is not looking to accept any other tests at the moment.
The NMC requires IELTS Academic 7 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing. For OET it requires grade B (350 or above) in listening, reading and speaking and C+ (300 or above) in writing.
No. The NMC lists only IELTS Academic and OET, so PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge, LanguageCert, MET and CELPIP results are not accepted as evidence of English for NMC registration.
No. NCNZ says "We do not accept PTE." Its approved tests are OET and IELTS Academic, with minimums of 7 in reading, listening and speaking and 6.5 in writing for IELTS, and 350, 350, 350 and 300 for OET.
Rarely. Ahpra does not accept at-home or remote-proctored versions, except the OET computer-based test at a test centre. The NMC does not accept IELTS Online but does accept OET@Home. NCNZ does not accept tests conducted completely online.
Often, within limits. Ahpra accepts up to two sittings in a 12-month period with a floor in each component. The NMC accepts two sittings of the same test within 12 months. NCNZ accepts scores gathered within 12 months of the first sitting, with all sittings in the three years before you apply.
Ahpra says results are valid for two years before the date you lodge your application, with exceptions for continuous work or study. The NMC says the test must be in the two years before it assesses your complete application. NCNZ asks for all sittings within the three years before you apply.
Ahpra says its minimum scores are benchmarked to equivalent levels across the accepted tests, so it is not easier to reach the required scores on one test than another. Choose by which format suits you and which regulators you may apply to.
No. ScoreFluent offers IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT and Cambridge C1 Advanced practice, which cover the other tests regulators list, but not OET. Practice results are estimates, not official scores, and ScoreFluent is not affiliated with any regulator or exam owner.
Requirements change. Check the immigration authority and the receiving institution or programme again before booking a test or submitting an application.
The visa test is a separate decision from NMC registration, with its own list and levels.
Read the guide →Home Affairs sets visa scores that differ from the Ahpra registration scores.
Read the guide →Which exams can be taken at home, and who refuses the result.
Read the guide →ScoreFluent includes IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT and Cambridge C1 Advanced practice, which covers the other tests these regulators list. It does not include OET. Practice estimates are not official scores, and registration is decided by the regulator.
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