Free NCLEX, OET & IELTS Practice for Nurses

Preparing for a nursing exam — whether it's the NCLEX, the UK's CBT, or an English test like OET or IELTS — is expensive. Between registration fees, prep courses and question banks, the costs add up fast. The good news: there are genuinely free ways to practice, and you don't need to pay hundreds of pounds for quality revision.

What are the main exams?

NCLEX-RN

The US nursing licensing exam — computer-adaptive, covering safe and effective care, health promotion, psychosocial integrity and physiological integrity. Questions are mostly multiple-choice but also include select-all-that-apply, ordering and fill-in-the-blank.

UK CBT (NMC)

The UK's Computer-Based Test for nurses trained outside the UK — two parts: numeracy and clinical. You need to pass both to register with the NMC.

OET (Occupational English Test)

The English test designed for healthcare professionals. Nurses sit the Nursing version, with real healthcare scenarios in the listening, reading, writing and speaking sections.

IELTS

The general English test accepted by many registration bodies (though the NMC now prefers OET). IELTS Academic is the usual route for nurses.

Free ways to practice

1. Official free resources (start here)

• NMC publishes free sample numeracy questions and guidance on the CBT format.
• OET offers a free official sample test and a free "OET Ready" practice portal.
• IELTS (via British Council/IDP) provides free sample papers and video walkthroughs.
• NCBSBN (who run the NCLEX) publishes the free NCLEX test plan and sample questions.

2. AI practice tools

AI tutors have changed exam prep. The best free tools give you instant explanations, adapt to your level, and never charge per question:

• NursePrep — Nursemate's free AI exam review for nurses. Practice NCLEX, UK CBT, IELTS and OET questions with instant explanations and progress tracking. It's completely free, no sign-up required, and built by a nurse.

3. Structured revision

• Study the official test plans (free PDFs) — they tell you exactly what's examined and in what proportion.
• Practice in timed conditions once a week — exam technique is a skill.
• Keep a mistake log — review what you got wrong, not just how many you got right.

How to build a free study plan (4 weeks)

• Week 1: Diagnose — take a full free practice test, note your weak areas.
• Week 2: Focus — spend 30 minutes daily on your weakest domain.
• Week 3: Apply — practice scenario-based questions; for OET, do one full writing task daily.
• Week 4: Simulate — two full timed mock tests, then review every mistake.

The trap to avoid

"Free question banks" that collect your email, show you 5 questions, then demand £50/month. Real free resources exist — official samples, AI tools, and community study groups (the r/NCLEX and r/OET communities on Reddit are genuinely helpful and free).

Start with NursePrep

NursePrep is the free AI exam review from Nursemate — NCLEX, UK CBT, IELTS and OET practice with instant explanations and progress tracking, no sign-up, no paywall.

👉 Try NursePrep now · Chat with Florence about exam questions

Last updated: 7 August 2026. Always verify current exam requirements with the official registration body.