Trusts and Agencies

NHS Trust and Agency dedicated test days

The Test Centre is able to run OSCEs up to 5 days a week in Oxford and in Swindon.

Whilst we appreciate there may be internal demands within your Trusts, such as training, we request that all Trusts contact us as soon as possible if they have candidates who need to take the OSCE within a restricted time period. Whilst we will do everything we can, we cannot guarantee that your candidates will be assessed on or by certain days or dates.

To formally request a dedicated test day for your Trust, please contact us directly on trustbookings@brookes.ac.uk. We will try to accommodate your request for specific dates. Failing this, we will provide you with reasonable alternatives. We are only able to hold/reserve a test day for a maximum period of 48 hours and the date can only be secured with a PRN and a method of payment, whether that be a purchase order or a card payment.

Booking process

Once your candidate has received their decision letter from the NMC to move on to Part Two, contact can be made to us in 2 ways:

The candidate can contact us individually to arrange payment and book a place on an individual test day.
You can confirm your candidates to us and make a payment by contacting trustbookings@brookes.ac.uk.

Once booked, candidates will receive details on how to access preparation materials will provide them with all the information they will need to prepare themselves for the examination.

Please note that we strongly recommend at least 14 days access to the online material in order to help candidates prepare sufficiently for the exam.

Group bookings

We cater for group and block bookings from NHS Trusts and Agencies. It can take up to ten days to confirm a group booking.

Examination process

The OSCE examination consists of assessing the person's journey and assessment of skills. Candidates are in the test centre for approximately three to four 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. If you are a Return to Practice candidate, then a full ID check will not be required, just your passport on arrival will need to be seen.

Please see the NMC website for further details.

Further information

Costs

For a full / new OSCE application (effective from 1 April 2019), the cost is £794.

This is non-refundable in the event of cancellation.

Rescheduling

Candidates wishing to rearrange their test date are required to notify the Competence Test Centre by emailing ctc@brookes.ac.uk with a minimum of three weeks notice of the original booked test date.

A minimum of three weeks’ notice from the original booked test date is required. Should the team be informed after this time, candidates will be required to rebook a new test date with a full payment, unless there are mitigating circumstances surrounding non-attendance.

Should the Competence Test Centre be informed after this time, candidates will be required to re-book a new test date with a full payment.

Re-sits

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

Under the new changes, from 16 July 2018, test centres will only require applicants to re-sit the parts of the OSCE assessment they failed and will not need to re-sit parts of the exam they have previously passed. If you need to re-sit any of the APIE station(s) you will be given the same APIE paperwork as your first test.

A partial re-sit will cost £397 and a full re-sit will cost £794. Effective from 1 April 2019.

Partial Re-sit Fail 1-7 stations

For candidates who failed up to four stations across both the APIE / skill stations. 'Partial Fail' will require a partial resit at 50% cost. The cost is £397.

For more information please contact us directly.

Full Re-sit Fail 8-10 stations

Candidates who failed five or more stations across both the APIE and skill stations. 'Full Fail' will require full re-sit at full cost. The cost is £794.

For more information please contact us directly.

2nd Re-sit

Costs are as 1st Re-sit. Candidates must wait 10 days before sitting the 2nd Re-sit.

Should a candidate fail the 2nd re-sit 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.

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

Cancellation policy

NHS Trusts and Agencies can change their candidates’ examination dates.

Should you wish to cancel or reschedule your candidate examination please contact us.

Methods of payment

We accept all methods of payment, either via payment card (except AMEX), or invoice (with a purchase order number if applicable).

Payment via invoice is expected within 28 days

Once we have received the purchase order number (if applicable), or you have received the invoice (once confirming your booking to us via email) we can process your candidates.

When making a payment you need to include the following information:

name of organisation
appropriate contact name and contact details
registered address
purchase order number (if applicable)
names of candidates and candidate ID numbers.