Pre-registration nursing for every country: 56 subjects, a full study manual for each, and the licensing examinations and regulators of the world. From SUNYRA, a Laisha company.
This library was written by SUNYRA, Laisha's health arm, and moved into Laisha on 2026-10-19. It is a study reference for nursing students. It does not diagnose, does not prescribe, names no drug doses, and is not a substitute for a nurse's own programme, regulator and local protocols.
What nursing is, how a patient is assessed, and the skills, medicine safety, infection control and first aid every later subject assumes.
The body in health and illness, the medicines that act on it, and the food that sustains it.
The person, their family and their society, and how a nurse talks with them.
Nursing adults who are ill, system by system, from the ward to theatre, critical care, the emergency department and the end of life.
Mental illness, its care, and substance use.
Pregnancy and birth, the newborn, the child and adolescent, and the older adult.
Health outside the hospital: populations, prevention, environment, work and disasters.
Ethics and law, leading and teaching, evidence, records, safety and registration.
Only examinations whose published specification Laisha has actually read are listed here. Several large countries run nursing examinations that are not yet in this file, and they are absent rather than guessed at. Weightings and pass marks change. Each entry records where its figures came from so they can be rechecked against the source rather than trusted indefinitely. The subject mapping is Laisha's own reading of each published blueprint, not an official mapping issued by the examining body. It is a study aid, not a syllabus. The two Indian examinations here are mapped from published pattern descriptions reported by education sources rather than from a specification document issued by AIIMS itself. That is a weaker source than the NCSBN and NMC documents behind the other entries, and it is recorded as such rather than presented as equivalent. The Philippine and Indian entries are compiled from published descriptions of each examination and curriculum rather than from a specification document obtained directly from the examining body. That is a weaker source than the NCSBN and NMC documents behind the other entries, and it is recorded as such rather than presented as equivalent. The Japanese, Nigerian, Kenyan, Saudi and Australian entries are compiled from published descriptions of each examination rather than from a specification document obtained from the examining body. Their structure is recorded; their exact question counts, timings and pass marks are deliberately not, because this library will not print a figure it has not read in a source. Check the regulator's own page before planning around any of them.
| NMBA Outcomes-Based Assessment secondary Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), through AHPRA · licensing | Two stages: a multiple-choice cognitive assessment, then a practical objective structured clinical examination. Stage one is multiple choice; stage two is a set of practical stations. The two stages are sat separately, stage two only after stage one is passed. | source |
| AIIMS BSc (Hons) Nursing Entrance secondary All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), India · entrance | Computer-based multiple choice, in English or Hindi. 100 questions. 120 minutes. | source |
| NORCET secondary All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi · civil-service | Two stages, both computer-based: Prelims then Mains. Prelims: 100 questions. Mains: 100 questions.. Prelims: 90 minutes. | source |
| Japan National Nursing Examination secondary Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Japan · licensing | Written multiple choice, in Japanese. A compulsory section and a general and situational section. One examination day, held annually in February. | source |
| Nursing Council of Kenya Licensure Examination secondary Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK) · licensing | Written papers with a practical assessment. Set by the Council across the nursing curriculum. Held on a published cycle each year. | source |
| NMCN Professional Examination secondary Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) · licensing | Written papers with a practical and oral component. Set by the Council across the nursing curriculum. Held on a published cycle each year. | source |
| Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination secondary Professional Regulation Commission, Board of Nursing, Philippines · licensing | Written multiple choice across five test papers. 500 questions in total, 100 per paper. Two days. | source |
| Saudi Nursing Licensure Examination secondary Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS), Saudi Arabia · licensing | Computer-based multiple choice, in English. Single-best-answer across the nursing curriculum. Delivered at approved test centres on booking. | source |
| NMC Test of Competence — CBT Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), United Kingdom · licensing | Two parts taken in one sitting, passed or failed independently. 115 questions in total: 15 numeracy, 100 clinical. 3 hours — 30 minutes for Part A, 2.5 hours for Part B. | source |
| NMC Test of Competence — OSCE Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), United Kingdom · licensing | Practical examination across stations. 10 stations. Around three hours. | source |
| NCLEX-RN secondary National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), delivered at Pearson VUE centres · licensing | Computerised adaptive testing (CAT). Between 75 and 145 questions. Up to five hours, including mandatory and optional breaks. | source |
These examinations exist, but their published specifications have not been read, so no subjects or weightings are claimed for them.
The degree itself rather than a licensing examination: four years, eight semesters, examined semester by semester by the affiliating university.
For the majority of nursing students worldwide, who are studying for a degree or diploma rather than a licensing examination, and whose country's examination is not in this library yet.
Every country this library can name a nursing regulator for, and how that country admits a nurse to practice. A nurse in a small country needs this more than a nurse in a large one, because there is less written about their route anywhere else.
| Afghanistan | Ministry of Public Health, Nursing Directorate | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Albania | Order of Nurses of Albania | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Algeria | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Andorra | Col·legi Oficial d'Infermeria d'Andorra, with the Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Angola | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Argentina | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Armenia | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Australia | Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, via AHPRA | examination |
| Austria | Gesundheit Österreich | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Azerbaijan | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Bahamas | Nursing Council of the Bahamas | examination |
| Bahrain | National Health Regulatory Authority | examination |
| Bangladesh | Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council | examination |
| Barbados | Barbados Nursing Council | examination |
| Belarus | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Belgium | Federal Public Service Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Belize | Nurses and Midwives Council of Belize | examination |
| Benin | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Bhutan | Bhutan Medical and Health Council | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Bolivia | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Nursing chambers of the entities | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Botswana | Nursing and Midwifery Council of Botswana | examination |
| Brazil | Conselho Federal de Enfermagem (COFEN) | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Brunei | Nursing Board for Brunei | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Bulgaria | Bulgarian Association of Health Professionals in Nursing | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Burkina Faso | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Burundi | Ministry of Public Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Cambodia | Cambodian Council of Nurses | examination |
| Cameroon | Ministry of Public Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Canada | Provincial and territorial regulators; Quebec via OIIQ | examination |
| Cape Verde | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Chad | Ministry of Public Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Chile | Superintendencia de Salud | portfolio or credential assessment |
| China | National Health Commission | examination |
| Colombia | Ministerio de Salud | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Comoros | Ministère de la Santé (Ministry of Health) | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Costa Rica | Colegio de Enfermeras de Costa Rica | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Croatia | Croatian Nursing Council | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Cuba | Ministry of Public Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Cyprus | Cyprus Nursing and Midwifery Council | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Czechia | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Denmark | Danish Patient Safety Authority | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Dominica | General Nursing Council of Dominica, within the Caribbean Regional Nursing Body arrangements | examination |
| Dominican Republic | Ministry of Public Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Ecuador | Ministerio de Salud Pública | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Egypt | Egyptian Nursing Syndicate | portfolio or credential assessment |
| El Salvador | Junta de Vigilancia de la Profesión de Enfermería | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Estonia | Health Board | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Eswatini | Eswatini Nursing Council | examination |
| Ethiopia | Ministry of Health | examination |
| Fiji | Fiji Nursing Council | examination |
| Finland | Valvira | portfolio or credential assessment |
| France | Ordre National des Infirmiers | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Gambia | Nurses and Midwives Council of The Gambia | examination |
| Georgia | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Germany | State recognition authorities (Anerkennung) | examination and supervised practice |
| Ghana | Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana | examination |
| Greece | Hellenic Nurses Association | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Grenada | Grenada Nurses and Midwives Council, within the Caribbean Regional Nursing Body arrangements | examination |
| Guatemala | Ministry of Public Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Guinea | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Guyana | General Nursing Council | examination |
| Haiti | Ministry of Public Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Honduras | Colegio de Profesionales de Enfermería | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Hong Kong | Nursing Council of Hong Kong | examination |
| Hungary | National Healthcare Service Center | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Iceland | Directorate of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| India | Indian Nursing Council (INC) and State Nursing Councils | examination |
| Indonesia | Indonesian National Nurses Association and Ministry of Health | examination |
| Iran | Ministry of Health and Medical Education | examination |
| Iraq | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Ireland | Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) | examination and supervised practice |
| Israel | Ministry of Health, Nursing Division | examination |
| Italy | FNOPI | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Ivory Coast | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Jamaica | Nursing Council of Jamaica | examination |
| Japan | Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare | examination |
| Jordan | Jordanian Nursing Council | examination |
| Kazakhstan | Ministry of Health | examination |
| Kenya | Nursing Council of Kenya | examination |
| Kiribati | Ministry of Health and Medical Services | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Kuwait | Ministry of Health | examination |
| Kyrgyzstan | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Laos | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Latvia | Latvian Nurses Association | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Lebanon | Order of Nurses in Lebanon | examination |
| Lesotho | Lesotho Nursing Council | examination |
| Liberia | Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery | examination |
| Libya | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Liechtenstein | Amt für Gesundheit (Office of Public Health) | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Lithuania | State Health Care Accreditation Agency | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Luxembourg | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Madagascar | Ministry of Public Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Malawi | Nurses and Midwives Council of Malawi | examination |
| Malaysia | Malaysian Nursing Board (Lembaga Jururawat Malaysia) | examination |
| Maldives | Maldives Nursing and Midwifery Council | examination |
| Mali | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Malta | Council for Nurses and Midwives | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Marshall Islands | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Mauritius | Nursing Council of Mauritius | examination |
| Mexico | CENEVAL and Secretaría de Salud | examination |
| Micronesia | Department of Health and Social Affairs | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Moldova | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Monaco | Direction de l'Action Sanitaire | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Mongolia | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Montenegro | Chamber of Nurses and Midwives | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Morocco | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Mozambique | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Myanmar | Myanmar Nurse and Midwife Council | examination |
| Namibia | Nursing Council of Namibia | examination |
| Nauru | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Nepal | Nepal Nursing Council | examination |
| Netherlands | BIG Register, Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| New Zealand | Nursing Council of New Zealand | examination and supervised practice |
| Nicaragua | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Niger | Ministry of Public Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Nigeria | Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria | examination |
| North Macedonia | Chamber of Nurses | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Norway | Norwegian Directorate of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Oman | Oman Medical Specialty Board | examination |
| Pakistan | Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council | examination |
| Palau | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Palestine | Palestinian Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Panama | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Papua New Guinea | Papua New Guinea Nursing Council | examination |
| Paraguay | Ministry of Public Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Peru | Colegio de Enfermeros del Perú | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Philippines | Professional Regulation Commission, Board of Nursing | examination |
| Poland | Supreme Council of Nurses and Midwives | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Portugal | Ordem dos Enfermeiros | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Qatar | Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners | examination |
| Romania | Order of Nurses, Midwives and Medical Assistants (OAMGMAMR) | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Russia | Ministry of Health | examination |
| Rwanda | National Council of Nurses and Midwives | examination |
| Samoa | Samoa Nurses and Midwives Board | portfolio or credential assessment |
| San Marino | Istituto per la Sicurezza Sociale (ISS), the national health authority | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Saudi Arabia | Saudi Commission for Health Specialties | examination |
| Senegal | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Serbia | Chamber of Nurses and Health Technicians | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Seychelles | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Sierra Leone | Nurses and Midwives Board | examination |
| Singapore | Singapore Nursing Board | examination |
| Slovakia | Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Slovenia | Nurses and Midwives Association of Slovenia | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Solomon Islands | Ministry of Health and Medical Services | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Somalia | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| South Africa | South African Nursing Council (SANC) | examination |
| South Korea | Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute | examination |
| South Sudan | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Spain | Consejo General de Enfermería | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka Nursing Council | examination |
| Sudan | Sudan Medical Council | examination |
| Suriname | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Sweden | Socialstyrelsen | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Switzerland | Swiss Red Cross (SRK/CRS) recognition | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Syria | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | Ministério da Saúde (Ministry of Health) | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Taiwan | Ministry of Health and Welfare | examination |
| Tajikistan | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Tanzania | Tanzania Nursing and Midwifery Council | examination |
| Thailand | Thailand Nursing and Midwifery Council | examination |
| Timor-Leste | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Togo | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Tonga | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Nursing Council of Trinidad and Tobago | examination |
| Tunisia | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Turkmenistan | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Tuvalu | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Türkiye | Ministry of Health | examination |
| Uganda | Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council | examination |
| Ukraine | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| United Arab Emirates | DOH Abu Dhabi, Dubai Health Authority, Ministry of Health | examination |
| United Kingdom | Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) | examination |
| United States | State Boards of Nursing, via NCSBN | examination |
| Uruguay | Ministry of Public Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Uzbekistan | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Vanuatu | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Venezuela | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Vietnam | Ministry of Health | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Yemen | Ministry of Public Health and Population | portfolio or credential assessment |
| Zambia | Nursing and Midwifery Council of Zambia | examination |
| Zimbabwe | Nurses Council of Zimbabwe | examination |
This is a compiled list, not an official register. No global body publishes one.
The regulator named is the body responsible for admission to practice as far as this library can establish. Names change, bodies merge, and some countries split the role between a ministry and a professional council.
The route is a general description of how that country normally admits a nurse. It is not legal advice and it is not a substitute for asking the regulator directly.
Countries are missing. A country's absence here means this library could not name its regulator with confidence, not that it has none.
Where a country appears here but has no examination in exams.json, that means the examination's published blueprint has not been read — not that no examination exists.
The eight smallest states added most recently are named from their national health authority or professional college as this library could best establish it. Several of them have no separate nursing council at all, and the ministry named is the body that admits to practice. Confirm with the ministry before relying on it.
These notes are free to read here, with no account.
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