Everything you need to know about the Nursing Council of Kenya Licensure Exam: structure, 2026 schedule, registration, DigiProctor, grading, past papers, and revision resources. Kenya’s most comprehensive NCK guide, all in one place.
Sittings per year
Exam fee 2026
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Section 1
The Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK) Licensure Examination — also known as the Final Qualifying Examination (FQE) — is a mandatory, computer-based exam that every nurse and midwife must pass before they are legally permitted to practise in Kenya.
Established under the Nurses and Midwives Act, Cap 257 of the Laws of Kenya, the NCK is the sole professional regulatory body for all nursing and midwifery cadres in the country. Passing the licensure exam is the gateway to your registration certificate, your practising licence, and the start of your nursing career.
Why it matters: Without passing the NCK exam you cannot receive your nursing licence, cannot practise legally in Kenya, and cannot apply for jobs in public or private hospitals. It is the single most important milestone after graduation.
The NCK’s mandate is to ensure every nurse and midwife meets an acceptable standard of competence before entering clinical practice. The licensure exam is the mechanism through which that standard is verified. Passing it confirms that you are safe to practise independently and deliver quality care to Kenyan patients.
Every nursing graduate in Kenya must sit the NCK exam regardless of their cadre or training institution. This includes KRCHN graduates from KMTC and other diploma institutions, BScN degree graduates from universities, Higher Diploma specialty nurses (Critical Care, Oncology, Renal, Psychiatric, and more), Kenya Registered Midwives (KRM), Nurse Anaesthetists, Paediatric nurses, Ophthalmic nurses, and Palliative Care nurses.
Your university or college finals are institution-assessed and determine your academic qualification. The NCK exam is a national, independently administered licensure exam that determines whether you are legally permitted to practise. Passing your finals does not automatically mean you can practise — you must separately pass the NCK exam and receive your NCK registration certificate.
Full name
NCK Licensure Exam (FQE)
Format
Computer-Based (CBT)
Platform
DigiProctor
Question type
Duration per paper
~2 hours
2026 Exam fee
Sittings per year
Passing score
Maximum resits
Dress code
Registration portal
Section 2
The NCK exam is structured differently depending on your cadre. Below is a complete breakdown of the three main pathways — KRCHN, BScN, and Higher Diploma — with their paper topics, formats, and direct revision links.
p1
Paper 1 — Clinical Nursing
Medical-Surgical, Pharmacology, Anatomy & Physiology, Microbiology, Pathophysiology
p2
Paper 2 — Specialty Nursing
Community Health, Midwifery, Paediatric, Psychiatric Nursing, Management
p1
Paper 1 — Advanced Clinical Nursing
Medical-Surgical, Advanced Pharmacology, Anatomy & Physiology, Pathophysiology, Research
p2
Paper 2 — Specialty & Community Nursing
Community Health, Midwifery, Paediatric, Mental Health, Leadership & Management
p1
Critical Care (KRCCHN)
ICU care, ventilator management, haemodynamics, critical pharmacology
p2
Oncology, Renal, Psychiatric, Paediatric CC
Each specialty has its own 1-paper exam. Also: Anaesthetics, Ophthalmic, Palliative Care
The NCK exam is primarily MCQ-based, but modern sittings include clinical scenario questions — brief patient care vignettes requiring multi-step clinical reasoning. These test your ability to apply knowledge, not just recall it. This is the key reason why practising with rationale-based MCQs (rather than memorising random PDFs) gives you a decisive advantage. See our Beyond Past Papers guide → for the full breakdown.
Section 3
The NCK conducts exams three times a year. Each sitting has strict registration deadlines, withdrawal windows, and mandatory rehearsals. Plan your revision calendar around these dates.
Exam dates
18–20 February 2026
Purpose
Resits (failed Aug 2025)
App. deadline
31 December 2025
Rehearsal
17 February 2026
Results
31 March 2026
Exam start
13 May 2026
Exam end
15 May 2026
Withdrawal
3 April 2026
Mock 1
20–21 April 2026
Results
30 June 2026
Exam period
August 2026
Registration
Opened ~ May 2026
Rehearsals
Announced by NCK
Cadres
All cadres
Resit sitting
February 2027
Always verify exact dates at nckenya.com or osp.nckenya.go.ke. Dates can change. For full details including important deadlines, read our NCK Exam 2026 Schedule: Dates, Deadlines & Fees Guide →
Missing a deadline is one of the most common and avoidable reasons candidates cannot sit an NCK exam. Key dates to track: application open date, application deadline, withdrawal deadline (changing your mind after this incurs a penalty), exam centre change deadline (3 weeks before rehearsal), and rehearsal attendance (mandatory — missing it can result in disqualification).
Section 4
Registration is institution-led — you cannot apply independently. Your training institution nominates you via the NCK Online Services Portal. Here is the complete process.
1
Your institution (KMTC, university, or school of nursing) confirms you have met academic and clinical requirements, then submits your candidacy to NCK on your behalf.
2
NCK sends an activation link to your registered email. Check your spam folder. Click the link to access the NCK Online Services Portal at osp.nckenya.go.ke.
3
Log in and complete the exam application. Upload a clear ID scan and passport photo. Ensure your name exactly matches your official documents — mismatched names cause significant delays.
4
Pay through the official NCK portal payment channel. Never pay through unofficial agents. Save your payment receipt as proof of registration.
5
Choose from the approved list of centres across Kenya. Changes are only permitted up to 3 weeks before the rehearsal date — choose carefully.
6
NCK conducts mandatory rehearsals before every sitting. You must attend in person, take both mock exams, receive your NCK exam card, and sign the attendance register. Missing the rehearsal may result in disqualification.
The most frequent registration errors: submitting incomplete documents, uploading unclear photo scans, having a name mismatch between your ID and application, selecting the wrong exam centre, and missing the withdrawal deadline. Read our full NCK Registration Guide with 2026 deadlines → to avoid all of them.
Section 5
Since 2020, all NCK exams have been administered exclusively through DigiProctor — an AI-powered proctoring system that uses video recording, face recognition, and screen monitoring. Here is everything you need to know before exam day.
Bring the same laptop used during rehearsal to the actual exam
Install Chrome. No other browsers are supported by DigiProctor
Install and test the Testpad app before rehearsal day
Your face is verified against your profile photo via AI — no entry without a match
You can enter 15 minutes before your scheduled start time using your test key
If disconnected, re-enter via the same test key within the exam time window
Rehearsal is mandatory and non-negotiable. It serves three purposes: testing your hardware, verifying your DigiProctor profile, and familiarising you with the exam interface. Here is what to expect:
Section 6
Understanding the grading scale helps you set a real revision target. You need at least 49.5% to pass each paper — aim higher for Credit or Distinction.
SCORE RANGE
Fail
SCORE RANGE
Pass
SCORE RANGE
Credit
SCORE RANGE
Distinction
You need a minimum of 49.5% to pass any individual paper. You must pass each paper separately. Failing one paper does not mean you failed the entire exam — you only resit the failed paper(s).
You resit only the failed paper at the next available sitting (typically February). You are allowed a maximum of 4 resit attempts per paper. Read our NCK Resit Guide →
Results are published via the NCK Online Services Portal at osp.nckenya.go.ke. Log in with your registered credentials, navigate to “Examination Results,” and download your results slip. May 2026 results are expected by 30 June 2026. NCK also notifies candidates by email and SMS.
Section 7
Every ReviQuiz blog post, guide, and course organised by topic cluster. Click any section to expand it and find the most relevant resources for your preparation.
Vetted revision questions, free MCQs, and question banks mapped to the current NCK syllabus
NCK does not publicly release official past papers. ReviQuiz provides examiner-vetted questions compiled from 2003–2025 exam trends, university papers, and the current NCK blueprint — all with full rationales so you understand why, not just what.
Free Starter resources + full guide
Free 2026-aligned practice MCQs
Updated question sets for both cadres
What to use instead of random PDFs
Complete question bank with explanations
Complete question bank with explanations
Degree-level question bank
Degree-level question bank
SCORE RANGE
Fail
SCORE RANGE
Pass
SCORE RANGE
Credit
SCORE RANGE
Distinction
You need a minimum of 49.5% to pass any individual paper. You must pass each paper separately. Failing one paper does not mean you failed the entire exam — you only resit the failed paper(s).
You resit only the failed paper at the next available sitting (typically February). You are allowed a maximum of 4 resit attempts per paper. Read our NCK Resit Guide →
Results are published via the NCK Online Services Portal at osp.nckenya.go.ke. Log in with your registered credentials, navigate to “Examination Results,” and download your results slip. May 2026 results are expected by 30 June 2026. NCK also notifies candidates by email and SMS.
Kenya’s #1 NCK licensure exam preparation platform. Affordable, localized revision for KRCHN, BScN and Higher Diploma nurses ; pay via M-Pesa from Ksh 500.
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