Are you getting ready for the upcoming November 2025 Nursing Council Exam? Whether you’re a first-time candidate or returning to improve your score, proper preparation can make all the difference between stress and success. This comprehensive guide breaks down everything you need to know: from detailed exam specifications and updates on the newly introduced computer-aided OSCE (CaOSCE), to practical time management strategies and common pitfalls to avoid. Let’s walk you through each paper, share essential topics to cover, and equip you with tips to enter the exam hall confident and ready. Your journey to success starts here!
What to Expect from November council exam
Preparations Made Easy
Highlight points to consider
- Overview of the Exams
- Specifications for each paper
- Updates on Osce Exams
- Time Management Techniques
- Areas of concentration (AOC
Overview Of Nursing Council Exams
- Date: Tue 5th – Fri 8th November 2025.
- Consists of three parts:
- Paper 1 – written on the first day
- Paper 2 – written on the second day
- Paper 3 – written over two days:
- Day 1: Viva/Project defence
- Day 2: Osce proper
Specification for each paper
Paper 1: Basic Nursing Care
- Three-hour paper, 250 objective questions.
- Courses to expect:
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Medical-Surgical Nursing I, II, III
- Primary Health Care
- Foundations of Nursing
- Nutrition and Dietetics
- Pharmacology
- Principles of Management
- Teaching
- Community Health Nursing
- Home Healthcare Nursing
- Healthcare Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
Note:
- Medsurg I: Primary Nursing, Team nursing, Health-illness continuum, Adaptation, Homeostasis, stress, illness behavior, inflammation, pain, Anxiety.
- Medsurg II: Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Digestive, Genito-urinary systems.
- Medsurg III: Integumentary, musculoskeletal, endocrine, neurologic systems and degenerative disorders.
Paper 2: Advanced Nursing Care
- Three-hour paper, 250 objective questions.
- Courses to expect:
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Medical-Surgical Nursing IV, V
- Mental Health/Psychiatric Nursing
- Reproductive Health
- Biostatistics
- Emergency and Disaster Nursing
- Health Economics
- Research and Statistics
- Politics and Governance in Nursing
- Nursing Informatics
Note:
- Medsurg IV: Reproductive health, Hematological disorders, Special senses, Aseptic techniques.
- Medsurg V: Oncology, critical care nursing, gerontology, palliative care.
OSCE Update
- Now called Caosce (computer-aided OSCE)
- Question section is CBT; 10 minutes per section.
- Total duration: about 60 minutes.
- Computer auto-shuts down after time ends.
- Practice is essential.
Examples of previous OSCE procedure questions
- Nursing procedures to be familiar with.
Viva / Project defence
- Random oral questions: organ description, health education, digestion of proteins, carbs, fats, use of medical instruments.
Project defence sample questions:
- What is the main objective of your project?
- What problem does it solve?
- Contribution to existing knowledge?
- Methodology?
- Challenges faced and how you overcame them?
- Key findings?
- Implications of findings?
- Sample size and rationale?
- Limitations?
- Improvements or future expansion?
- Recommendations?
- Alignment with industry needs?
- Potential impacts or benefits?
Tips for effective time management
- Create a time budget.
- Use the FLAG technique: flag tough questions and return later.
- Manage time per question with timers.
- Take short breaks.
- Practice with timed simulations.
- Stay focused and avoid distractions.
- Use time wisely, avoid unnecessary steps.
- Stay calm and composed.
- Review answers at the end.
AOC (Areas of Concentration)
- Can be misleading; don’t depend solely on them.
- Common mistakes:
- Waiting until exams approach to start studying.
- Relying only on past questions.
- Focusing too much on NCLEX questions.
- Not practicing enough questions.
- Thinking you need advanced computer skills for CBT.
- Avoid these mistakes!