Specialist Language Courses

Where is PTE Academic accepted for nurses?

PTE exam

PTE Academic is now accepted by a growing number of nursing boards, enabling healthcare professionals to use it to show their English language proficiency.

If you’re a nurse, you can use the PTE Academic test in Australia and the US.

Australia

The Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Authority (AHPRA) requires a score of 65 in each skill.

They only accept test results:

  1. from one test sitting, or
  2. a maximum of two test sittings in a six month period only if:
  • a minimum overall score of 65 is achieved in each sitting, and
  • you achieve a minimum score of 65 in each of the skills across the two sittings
  • no score in any of the skills is below 58.

See Ahpra & National Boards and Ahpra Nursing and Midwifery Board

The United States

The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) added PTE Academic to its list in 2022.

A growing number of State Boards of Nursing in the USA now accept PTE Academic test scores, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.

Generally, nurses need an overall score of 55 with no score below 50 in any of the individual skills. However, there may be variances from state to state so it’s important to check.

Please note that while this information is correct at the time of writing, acceptance policies may change over time, so do check the PTE Academic website or contact the relevant institution directly to get the most up-to-date information on their score requirements and acceptance policies.

Check out this guide of how the PTE works:

Our Medical English and exam preparation courses

SLC offers one-to-one test preparation training which targets the areas you need to improve and gives you what you need to prepare for success, click here for more information.

We are Medical English, OET, PTE and IELTS preparation specialists. Our uniquely effective course design and delivery offers an unparalleled range of Medical- and exam-focused courses and tests.

Explore our courses:

OET Preparation courses

Medical English courses

IELTS Preparation courses

More To Explore
Subscribe to our newsletter

Get updates and get the latest materials on Medical English, OET and IELTS