PTE Score for Nursing and Health Registration 2026

Only some nursing regulators accept PTE Academic, so check the regulator before you book. Of the five we checked on 2026-10-13, AHPRA accepts it (its page says the same tests and scores apply across the National Boards, which we read as covering nursing and midwifery) and the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) accepts it, while the UK's Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the Nursing Council of New Zealand and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) do not list it. These figures are registration rules, not visa rules, and the two are published by different bodies.

Registration versus visa: keep them apart

A registration body decides whether you can practise under a protected title. A visa decides whether you can live and work in the country. Each sets its own English rule, and a score that satisfies one may not satisfy the other. This page covers registration only. For visas, use PTE score for Australia PR, PTE score for UK, PTE requirement for UK Skilled Worker visa, PTE score for New Zealand and PTE score for Canada.

Regulator by regulator

Checked 2026-10-13 for every row above, at the linked page.

Australia: the AHPRA and NMBA numbers

AHPRA publishes two PTE Academic tables, chosen by the date you sat the test. Checked 2026-10-13 at the AHPRA accepted tests page.

Other points from the same pages, checked 2026-10-13 at the registration standard:

• You may combine two sittings within 12 months. Each sitting must still meet the overall score, and no skill in either sitting may fall below the floor the page lists (for the newer table: listening 53, reading 54, writing 60, speaking 66).
• If your first sitting was before 23 April 2026 and your second on or after it, the first is judged on the older table and the second on the newer one.
• Results are accepted if obtained within the two years before you lodge. Older results can be accepted only if you have worked continuously in a relevant role or stayed enrolled in a Board-approved program, and the page sets conditions on this.
• AHPRA says scores may change in line with concordance research, so confirm on the day you apply.
• The accepted-tests page states the same tests and scores apply across the National Boards (the exception is the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board). We read the nursing and midwifery position from that general statement, so confirm on the NMBA page when you apply.

Worked example: same marks, different outcome

Priya sits PTE Academic on 5 November 2026 (a test after 23 April 2026) and scores overall 64, listening 60, reading 61, writing 62 and speaking 74. Against the newer table, overall 64 clears 63, and listening, reading and writing clear 58, 59 and 60, but speaking 74 is below the 76 needed. She fails on one skill even with a good overall score. Speaking is the skill to plan around, because it carries the highest floor in the newer table. If she resits within 12 months, the two-sitting rule lets her combine results, but each sitting must also meet the overall score and the per-skill floors.

Canada: CNO and NNAS

CNO lists PTE: Academic with speaking 75, listening 73, reading 66 and writing 68, and sets no overall score. It accepts results if the test is written within two years of registering, and you must reach every benchmark in one complete attempt. Checked 2026-10-13 at the CNO page. The page did not say whether an online or at-home PTE is allowed, so ask CNO before booking. NNAS says that since 14 October 2022 it no longer collects language scores, so other provinces set their own tests (NNAS FAQs, checked 2026-10-13). We did not check any other provincial regulator.

Decision checklist before you book

1. Name the regulator for the country and, in Canada, the province.
2. Open its accepted-tests page and confirm PTE Academic is listed and in which format.
3. Note the test-date rule, the validity window and whether sittings can be combined.
4. Only then book. If PTE is not listed, plan for IELTS Academic or OET, or look at the regulator's non-test pathways.
5. Treat the visa as a second, separate check.

Some regulators offer routes with no test. The NMC page links to "Qualified in English" and "Recent practice in English" routes without describing them here, and NMBI lists a trained-in-English route and a registered-and-practised-in-English route. See each regulator's page for conditions.

Not covered

We did not verify medical, dental, pharmacy or other health boards, the US, the Gulf states or other countries. Use the universities hub for nursing degree entry scores, which are set by each university and differ from registration scores, and the PTE eligibility checker to compare your own scores. For an overview of countries, see PTE score requirements by country.