NMCN Midwifery Professional Qualifying Examination
NMCN
Understand the official NMCN Midwifery qualifying examination pathway, including Basic, Post Basic and Community Midwifery distinctions, applications, examination sittings, registration, and approved programmes.
What is the NMCN Midwifery qualifying examination?
The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, known as NMCN, regulates Midwifery education and professional practice in Nigeria. The Council indexes students, accredits programmes, reviews curricula, conducts professional examinations, registers qualified midwives, and issues professional licences.
The Midwifery Professional Qualifying Examination forms part of that pathway. A candidate's correct route depends on the exact programme in which the student is enrolled.
NMCN's public records use several distinct labels:
Basic Midwifery
Post Basic Midwifery
Community Midwifery
These labels should not be used interchangeably. Your programme title affects how your institution indexes and presents you, which application pathway applies, and the registration process that follows.
For subjects and study topics, use the NMCN syllabus guide. This page focuses on the official programme and examination process.
NMCN Midwifery Examination: Official Guide | Learn by Rightal
When are Midwifery examinations held?
NMCN's undated standing examination page associates Midwifery examinations with March and September. It does not provide a dated 2026 timetable, application window, centre or reporting time.
Do not calculate an exact date from that recurring pattern. Your institution and a current NMCN notice must confirm which sitting applies to your cohort. The maintained NMCN exam dates guide explains the available evidence and its limitations.
How Midwifery connects to the wider examination process
The exact administrative route depends on whether your programme is Basic, Post Basic or Community Midwifery and whether the application is fresh or a resit. These focused pages hold the shared rules:
NMCN indexing explains student records and index numbers.
NMCN exam format separates confirmed assessment information from assumptions.
NMCN resits covers referred papers and the unresolved attempt-policy conflict.
NMCN registration covers the separate process after a successful result.
Your school should confirm the correct application category, clearance, deadline and current payment workflow. Older NMCN application documents contain legacy portal and payment references.
Basic, Post Basic, and Community Midwifery
Basic Midwifery
NMCN treats Basic Midwifery as a Basic Registration route. Its Registration page says Basic Registration covers people who completed Basic Midwifery education and passed the Council's Final Professional Qualifying Examination.
Post Basic Midwifery
NMCN separately names Post Basic Midwifery in its indexing and approved-programme material.
A 2021 Council circular approved a single curriculum for Basic and Post Basic Midwifery programmes. It also said schools wishing to enrol Post Basic Midwifery students must obtain NMCN approval based on available human and material resources.
NMCN's indexing page mentions RN as a prerequisite for Post Basic Midwifery indexing, but the statement appears within a section about University Generic BNSc students. Candidates should obtain programme-specific eligibility confirmation from the approved institution and NMCN.
Community Midwifery
NMCN lists Community Midwifery separately from Basic and Post Basic Midwifery. A Community Midwifery approval should not be described as approval for every other Midwifery route.
Check the exact programme title in NMCN's approved-programme list before applying.
What did the single-curriculum circular change?
The Council's May 2021 circular says its Board approved implementation of a single curriculum for Basic and Post Basic Midwifery. It also states that Midwifery had been consolidated into ND/HND Nursing and that Colleges of Nursing Sciences already visited for ND/HND Nursing should begin implementation.
However, the December 2025 approved-programme list still contains separate programme labels, including Midwifery, Post Basic Midwifery, and Community Midwifery.
For students, the practical guidance is simple: use the exact programme name and pathway confirmed by your institution and NMCN. Do not assume that an older school title, a newer college structure, and a Community Midwifery programme lead through identical administrative steps.
Community service after Basic Midwifery
An NMCN circular dated January 2017 describes one year of compulsory service in a rural community for graduates of the Basic Midwifery programme. The circular calls it part of the training requirements and a prerequisite to registration and licensing.
This is an important rule, but the source is old. Before relying on it for a current graduation or registration decision, ask your school and NMCN:
Whether the requirement applies to your cohort
Who currently manages mobilisation
Which placement documents are required
How completion is reported to NMCN
Whether later guidance has changed the process
This page does not assume that every operational detail in the 2017 circular remains unchanged in 2026.
Registration after passing
NMCN describes Basic Midwifery as a Basic Registration route after approved education and the applicable qualifying examination. Examination success, professional registration and licensing remain separate stages. Continue with the NMCN registration guide after your institution confirms your result.
How to verify an approved Midwifery programme
The newest first-party approved-programme list located during this review is marked December 2025. It includes programme-level accreditation statuses and remarks.
Is Basic Midwifery the same as Post Basic Midwifery?
No. NMCN's public material names both pathways. A 2021 circular introduced a single-curriculum policy, but programme approval and candidate administration still need to be checked using the exact programme title.
Is Community Midwifery the same as Basic Midwifery?
No. NMCN lists Community Midwifery separately. Verify which programme your institution is approved to provide.
What is the exact 2026 Midwifery examination date?
The official page reviewed gives a recurring March and September schedule, not a dated 2026 notice. Confirm the exact date through your school and a current NMCN announcement.
Does the one-year community-service requirement still apply?
The located NMCN circular dates from 2017. It describes the service as compulsory for Basic Midwifery graduates, but affected students should obtain current confirmation for their cohort.
What is the Midwifery examination pass mark?
No current first-party pass mark was verified. Do not rely on an unofficial figure.
How much is the examination fee?
No current first-party examination fee was verified for this guide. Follow the amount presented through the current official application process or communicated by NMCN through your school.
