Apply for and sit the NCK nursing licensure exam
Nursing Council of Kenya · sources read 5 Oct 2026
Apply online on the NCK portal during the application window and pay KSh 8,000 per programme; your training school also submits you. Applications for the November 2026 exam closed on 5 October 2026. For the May 2027 exam, applications open on 21 December 2026 and close on 16 March 2027.
- Fee
- KSh 8,000Licensure exam, per programme
- How long
- Results for the November 2026 exam are due on 11 December 2026
- Closed
- 5 Oct 2026 Applications for the November 2026 exam closed
- Closed
- 15 Oct 2026 Last day to withdraw from the November 2026 exam
- Deadline
- 16 Mar 2027 Applications for the May 2027 exam close
- Where
- Online on the NCK Online Services Portal (osp.nckenya.com), through your training school. The exam is sat at your assigned exam centre.
What you need
- National ID and NCK exam card on exam day
Steps
- Apply for the exam on the NCK online portal within the application window, and pay KSh 8,000 per programme.
- Your training school submits your application online to NCK.
- Take both mock exams and attend the rehearsal in person at your exam centre, where you get your NCK exam card.
- Sit the exam, then check your results on NCK's online services once they're released.
Watch out
- Missed the November 2026 exam? The next window, for May 2027, opens on 21 December 2026.
- The rehearsal is compulsory. Miss it and you may be barred from the main exam.
- Arrive more than 30 minutes after the start and you won't be allowed in.
- You get at most 4 resits to pass every paper.
Who can apply
- Nursing and midwifery students whom NCK clears based on their conduct, academic and practical progress at the training school
- You must have been indexed with NCK during training
Official sources (6)
- Licensure Examination nckenya.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Instructions and Schedules for 2026 and 2027 Licensure Examinations nckenya.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Citizens' Service Delivery Charter (2025, Revision 2) nckenya.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Student Indexing nckenya.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Frequently Asked Questions nckenya.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- NCK Online Services Portal osp.nckenya.com · read 2 Oct 2026