Midwifery licensing exams by country: UK, Canada, Australia, US and Gulf

How midwives are licensed around the world

Midwifery is regulated in three ways. In some countries it is a branch of nursing, and midwives register after a joint or add-on nursing exam. In others it is a separate profession with its own regulator and exam, as in Canada and the United States. And in others, such as India, midwives are registered through nursing councils by qualification, with no national licensing exam.

That matters for preparation. The midwifery content in a nursing exam may be a small share of the paper, while a midwifery-specific exam goes deep on antenatal, intrapartum, postnatal and neonatal care. Check which sort of exam you are facing before choosing material.

Exams by destination

United Kingdom: NMC Test of Competence (midwifery)

Midwives trained outside the UK take a computer-based test with a numeracy section and a clinical section, followed by an OSCE. The NMC publishes the structure, test materials and fees. For first sittings, the NMC fees for nurses and midwives trained overseas total £1,170: £83 for the CBT, £794 for the OSCE, £140 for the application and £153 for registration. The language requirement is the same as for nurses: IELTS Academic 7 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing, or OET B, B, B and C+ in writing.

Australia: NMBA Outcome-Based Assessment (midwifery)

Internationally qualified midwives sit an MCQ exam and then an OSCE. This differs from the nursing route, which uses NCLEX-RN, so a nurse-midwife applying for both registrations meets two different assessments. Check the Board's midwifery page for the current structure and fees.

Canada: Canadian Midwifery Registration Exam (CMRE)

The CMRE is a multiple-choice exam with four options per question. About half of the questions are case based. It lasts 4 hours 45 minutes, with a 30-minute break. It is set by the Canadian Midwifery Regulators Council and is used by provincial regulators.

United States: AMCB certification

Certified Nurse-Midwives and Certified Midwives take the AMCB computer-based certification exam. The AMCB candidate handbook sets out eligibility and the content outline. Eligibility depends on completing an accredited US education programme, so internationally trained midwives usually need to complete or validate education first.

Germany, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines

Germany: since the 2020 Hebammengesetz, local midwives sit a state exam within a dual bachelor's programme (written, oral and practical), and foreign midwives may take an oral and practical Kenntnisprüfung or an adaptation course. Japan: the national midwife exam has about 75 items (144 points) in one day. South Korea: a written MCQ midwife licensing exam. Philippines: the Midwife Licensure Examination, MCQ over two days.

Gulf states

Qatar: Registered Midwife, 150 MCQs in three hours, 50% cut score, via Prometric. Abu Dhabi: DOH Registered Midwife, 100 MCQs in two hours at Pearson VUE. Dubai (DHA) and the UAE federal MOHAP use professional assessments through Prometric (MOHAP pass mark 60%). Saudi Arabia: SCFHS classification exams for midwifery specialist and technician. Bahrain: NHRA midwifery exam, a Prometric MCQ. For Oman we could not confirm a separate midwifery exam.

Comparison of the major midwifery exams

International mobility: common routes

1. Confirm the profession is regulated the same way. In some countries a midwife must also hold a nursing qualification, or the reverse.
2. Have your education assessed. Regulators compare your programme with their own competencies. Gaps can mean extra courses.
3. Sit the knowledge test. NMC CBT, the NMBA MCQ and Gulf tests are computer-based. The CMRE is set for Canadian provincial regulators.
4. Complete the practical assessment. The UK and Australia require an OSCE with midwifery scenarios.
5. Prove your language level. IELTS Academic or OET are accepted for the NMC.

What to prepare

• Normal and complicated birth. Labour and delivery, obstetric emergencies such as shoulder dystocia and postpartum haemorrhage, and fetal monitoring.
• Antenatal and postnatal care. Screening, hypertensive disorders, diabetes in pregnancy, infant feeding and neonatal assessment.
• Medicines and numeracy. Doses, infusions and oxytocic drugs. The NMC test includes numeracy.
• Professional standards. Consent, escalation and documentation, in the destination country's terms.
• OSCE skills. Practise out loud with a checklist and a partner.

Planning your route: a few decisions that change the cost

Midwives often hold more than one qualification. A dual-qualified nurse-midwife may be asked to prove both, and some regulators treat the two as separate registrations. Work out which registration you need before choosing an exam.

• Nursing or midwifery first. In the UK, the NMC test materials cover nursing and midwifery separately. In Australia, the nursing and midwifery assessments differ. If you want both registrations, budget for both.
• Your scope of practice. Midwives in some countries manage births independently, in others only under medical supervision. Exams test the destination's scope, so questions about who may prescribe, suture or escalate depend on the country.
• Education gaps. If your programme did not include the number of births or the clinical placements that the destination expects, the regulator may ask for extra supervised practice before you can test.
• Language test timing. Book IELTS Academic or OET so the result is current when your application is reviewed.

Common mistakes

• Treating a nursing question bank as midwifery preparation. The two overlap, but a midwifery exam goes deeper on labour, neonatal care and obstetric emergencies.
• Learning national guidance from the wrong country. Thresholds for induction, screening schedules and drug choices differ.
• Neglecting numeracy, which the NMC test examines separately.
• Leaving OSCE practice until the last fortnight. Practise stations aloud and in sequence.
• Assuming that every country has a midwifery exam. Some register by qualification only.

How TriagePass fits

Where a midwifery exam is live, its bank follows that exam's published content outline and item style. Where it is not, the exam shows as a waitlist and we do not sell a pass for it. The editorial policy explains how questions are checked against the destination's guidelines, and the pricing page lists the tiers.

A realistic study timeline

A midwife working shifts usually plans about three months for a computer-based knowledge test. Begin with a diagnostic set across antenatal, intrapartum, postnatal and neonatal domains, then target the weakest. In the last two weeks, sit full timed papers and practise numeracy separately if the exam tests it. Plan the OSCE as its own block, rehearsing each station aloud. The study planner converts your exam date and weekly hours into a pass length.