N&MC Ghana Exam
Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana Licensure Examination
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ExploreAbout this exam
The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana (N&MC) licensure examination is the gateway assessment that candidates from accredited nursing and midwifery training institutions must pass before they can be entered on the Council's professional register. The Council describes registration as "a periodic process of updating the register of Nurses and Midwives who have qualified by passing their licensure exams in their respective fields," and it operates under the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act 2013 (Act 857), with a mission to secure "in the public interest, the highest standards of training and practice of nursing and midwifery in Ghana." The examination is delivered as an online, computer-based test; the Council held its first online examination in September 2018 for the Registered Mental Nursing Programme, and it now runs online licensing examinations for the basic programmes. Content spans the breadth of pre-registration practice: professional foundations, ethics and regulation; medical-surgical and adult health; maternal, newborn and reproductive health; child and family health; and community, public health and mental health nursing. This page is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Council. Preparation should combine your institutional curriculum and the Council's published scope of practice with the free online CPD and e-learning facilities the Council provides, plus repeated practice under timed, exam-style conditions so that recall, clinical reasoning and question-reading accuracy are all rehearsed before exam day.
What you'll study
About N&MC Ghana Exam preparation
Is the N&MC licensing examination written on paper or on a computer?
It is an online, computer-based examination. The Council states that it held its first online examination in September 2018 for the Registered Mental Nursing Programme, which was the first programme rolled onto its Online Licensing Examination Platform, and it has since run online licensing examinations for the basic programmes.
How many questions are on the paper and how long do I get?
The Council does not publish an item count or a time limit on its public website, so any figure you hear from colleagues should be treated as hearsay. Check your admission letter, examination timetable and the candidate instructions issued through the Council's Online Examination pages for the confirmed structure of your sitting.
What score do I need to pass?
No pass mark is published on the Council's website, so we do not quote one. Because the paper is competitive and standard-referenced against safe practice, prepare to answer accurately across all five content areas rather than aiming at a bare minimum, and confirm the pass rule with the Council directly.
If I fail, can I resit, and how soon?
The Council's public site does not state a resit window, number of attempts or waiting period, so we cannot give you a reliable figure. Contact the Council's examination unit through the contact details on nmc.gov.gh before you plan a retake, since rules can differ between programmes and cohorts.
What does it cost to sit the examination?
The Council does not display examination or registration fees on the pages we can verify, so we do not quote an amount. Fees are communicated through official Council channels and your training institution. Never pay anyone who claims they can secure your slot, upgrade a result or sell you a results card.
In what order should I revise the content areas?
Start with professional foundations, ethics and regulation, because those principles recur inside clinical scenarios. Then rotate medical-surgical, maternal and newborn, child and family health, and community and mental health nursing, spacing them rather than blocking one topic for weeks, and finish with mixed timed sets that force you to switch domains the way the real paper does.
How do I register for the licensing examination and check my results?
Use the Online Services area of the Council's website, which hosts examination registration, licensing, online indexing and a results checker, along with an examination registration tutorial and procedure manuals. The Council warns that it does not sell result cards or change results, and that anyone promising either is not acting for the Council.
Why do I need a licence after passing, and what is revalidation?
The Council describes licence renewal as validating your status as a nurse or midwife in Ghana, noting it is a legal requirement and the sole duty of the practitioner. A revalidation policy is planned for introduction in 2026 with reflective CPD documentation, practice feedback and self-declaration; it is not yet in force.
What are the common reasons candidates underperform?
Typical causes are superficial recall without clinical reasoning, misreading stems that ask for the first or most appropriate action, poor time discipline under timed conditions, and neglecting ethics, law and mental health because they seem less clinical. Practise justification of every answer, not just recognition of the right option.