The Ibadan CBT Scandal: What the NMC Found About Nigerian Nurses and One Test Centre

You did not land on a page about the Nigerian nurses test scandal by accident. This page is for nurses who want the full record first, and then a clean, safe route onto the UK register.

In March 2023, Pearson VUE, which runs the UK nursing regulator's computer-based test (CBT), found suspicious data at one test centre: Yunnik Technologies in Ibadan, Nigeria. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) later said there was "evidence of widespread fraudulent activity" there, most likely by "proxy testers" sitting the test for other people, and it treated every CBT taken at the centre as invalid (NMC, 20 September 2023). But the NMC also said that "the majority of the individuals who sat their CBT at the Yunnik centre are not considered to have joined our register fraudulently." It suspected 48 people on the register and 669 applicants. More than 1,200 others were only asked to retake the test. As of September 2026, the NMC said it had completed 44 of the 48 hearings for registered professionals, "with fraud proven in most cases", and had refused 215 of 224 applications where it had concerns (NMC Annual Fitness to Practise Report 2025-26, September 2026).

That is the short answer. If you are a Nigerian nurse planning your own CBT, or you have just been offered "help" to pass it, read the rest before you pay anyone.

Imagine you are 29, a registered nurse in Lagos with five years on a busy medical ward. You have your IELTS or OET result. A UK care home or hospital trust is interested. Now you need to pass the CBT.

A message arrives in a nursing WhatsApp group. Someone knows a centre where "everybody passes". They can "arrange" a slot. They say it is "sure", and it costs a fee on top of the official one. A friend from nursing school says her cousin went that way and is already working in Manchester.

You have studied for months, and the power keeps cutting out. It sounds like a shortcut everyone is already using.

Key facts about the Yunnik test centre case

The totals moved as the NMC checked its records: 1,970 candidates and 512 registrants in May 2023, 515 registrants in September 2023, and 1,995 people in its later annual reports. We give each figure with its date.

What is the NMC CBT, and why does one test centre matter so much?

If you trained as a nurse outside the UK and do not hold a recognised European qualification, you must pass the NMC's Test of Competence to join the UK register. It has two parts: a multiple-choice computer-based test, the CBT, and a practical exam, the OSCE (NMC, page updated 11 August 2026). You usually sit the CBT in your home country and the OSCE in the UK.

The CBT itself has two parts. Part A is numeracy: 15 short-answer questions in 30 minutes. Part B is clinical: 100 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours and 30 minutes (NMC Investigating Committee decision, 5 October 2026). You must pass the CBT and OSCE within two years of each other, in either order, and the pair is then valid for five years (NMC Test of Competence page).

So the CBT is the first big gate, and a single dishonest centre could damage both the people who used a proxy and the much larger group who did not.

How the fraud was found

Step 1: the data. On 15 March 2023, Pearson VUE "identified that the Yunnik centre was delivering NMC CBTs for multiple candidates in unusually short test times." A security review also "found several instances of the Yunnik centre submitting suspicious admission photos for NMC candidates." Pearson VUE concluded that data from 15 March 2019 to 31 March 2023 showed "a specific pattern of probable fraudulent behaviour, likely proficient proxy testing, that was not present in other test centres globally" (NMC Investigating Committee decision, 5 October 2026).

Step 2: the first public statement. On 4 May 2023, the NMC said Pearson had "stopped testing at this centre immediately", and that Pearson had "reviewed all data relating to the NMC's CBT from every test site globally, and there is no evidence of similar activity at any other site." It added that it had not yet made any decisions about individuals (NMC, 4 May 2023).

Step 3: tighter security everywhere. In July 2023, the NMC suspended CBT testing at all 49 third-party Pearson VUE centres using the same model as Yunnik, "due to lower levels of security controls at this type of test centre" (Nursing Times, 19 July 2023). The centre had opened in 2019.

Step 4: checking the data. Pearson told the NMC there was "no evidence of system error, cyber-attack or other technical error". An independent data expert then compared Yunnik's test times with centres in Nigeria and worldwide, and found the pattern "statistically significantly quicker" (NMC, 20 September 2023).

Step 5: the benchmark. On 3 August 2023, the NMC's Registrar chose a cut-off: test times at the 1 in 2,500 percentile, so fast that the result was likely obtained by fraud (NMC Investigating Committee decision, 5 October 2026).

How fast is that? The NMC told the Guardian that some people finished the 30-minute numeracy test in under three minutes, and some finished the two-and-a-half-hour clinical test in under seven minutes (The Guardian, 18 October 2024). In one 2026 hearing, the panel noted from the data evidence that, excluding Yunnik, only three of 56,000 people worldwide had finished Part B in under 15 minutes, and only 15 of 58,000 had finished Part A in under 5 minutes (NMC Investigating Committee decision, 5 October 2026).

Did every nurse who tested in Ibadan cheat?

No. This is the fact most often lost on social media. On 20 September 2023, the NMC split everyone into four groups:

Source: NMC, 20 September 2023.

Everyone got up to three free resits, paid for by Pearson. Refusing to resit, or failing three times, meant an "incorrect" entry referral for registrants and a closed application for applicants (NMC, 20 September 2023). Most of the group without allegations simply resat. By May 2024, 454 of the 467 registered professionals had passed a new CBT and their cases were closed. The other 13 had booked a test (Nursing Times, 23 May 2024).

The NMC also asked employers "to eradicate any unfair, racist or discriminatory behaviour" towards those affected (NMC, 20 September 2023). So if you know a Nigerian nurse in the UK who sat the CBT in Ibadan, the record does not let you assume anything about them.

What happened to the 48 nurses already on the register?

For registrants, the question was "fraudulent or incorrect entry", heard by an independent panel of the NMC's Investigating Committee. It looks at how someone joined the register, and is separate from a case about clinical care. The NMC said "no clinical concerns have been raised with us about the affected individuals on our register" (NMC employer guidance, viewed 8 November 2026).

How the outcomes built up:

• May 2024: nine hearings held, four removals, five adjourned (Nursing Times, 23 May 2024).
• As of May 2025: 49 professionals referred. Ten removed after a panel found fraudulent entry. "Two individuals were found to have incorrect entries but permitted to remain on the register" (NMC Annual Fitness to Practise Report 2024-25, July 2025).
• September 2026: 44 of 48 hearings completed, "with fraud proven in most cases and individuals removed from the Register where appropriate" (NMC report 2025-26).

The 2025-26 report gives no exact removal total, so neither do we.

A panel decision dated 5 October 2026 shows how these hearings work. The nurse denied using a proxy, and the panel noted there was no direct evidence, "either from a witness or even CCTV footage", that she had. It weighed the test times, the evidence about the centre and her account, found her entry "fraudulently procured", and directed her removal. She had 28 days to appeal (NMC Investigating Committee decision, 5 October 2026). We do not name her; this page is about the process.

What happened to the 669 applicants?

Applicants could not work as registered nurses yet. In February 2024, sources told the Guardian that most of the 669 were already in the UK, "mainly working as healthcare assistants" (The Guardian, 14 February 2024).

Each applicant had to pass a new CBT. Then an Assistant Registrar decided if they met the NMC's character requirements, taking into account "any evidence relating to whether or not they fraudulently obtained their CBT" (NMC employer guidance). A refusal at this stage is not published.

• February 2024: the NMC had refused "the vast majority" of the first 80 applications it considered, said Andrea Sutcliffe, then NMC chief executive (The Guardian, 14 February 2024).
• March 2025: 200 reviewed, 191 refused, 9 admitted, 17 pending (Nursing Times, 11 March 2025).
• As of May 2025: 209 refused (NMC report 2024-25).
• September 2026: 224 reviewed, 215 refused (NMC report 2025-26).

The NMC said the nine admissions showed it looked at "the whole application journey, not solely what happened at Yunnik" (Nursing Times, 5 December 2024). Sam Foster, an NMC executive director, told the Guardian: "Some applicants have been open and honest about what happened and have been admitted to the register" (The Guardian, 18 October 2024).

By March 2025, 20 people had admitted using a proxy tester at Yunnik: one registrant and 19 applicants (Nursing Times, 11 March 2025).

The nurses' side: "collective punishment"

Many accused nurses deny any wrongdoing. In October 2024, more than 100 Nigerian nurses wrote to the UK health secretary, Wes Streeting. "We are concerned that although there are irregularities with the test centre, the action taken by the Nursing and Midwifery Council means an unjust collective punishment of all of us," they wrote. They said the test was simple, that many of them had retaken it in the UK in similar times, and that they had learned to work fast online because internet cuts in Nigeria could wipe their answers. Five of the seven who spoke to the Guardian said they learned they were suspected only after arriving in the UK (The Guardian, 18 October 2024).

Unions and support groups pushed back too. The GMB union said in February 2024 that nurses "were badly advised, firstly to enrol at this centre and then give questionable accounts of what happened there", and that they "should be given another chance" (The Guardian, 14 February 2024).

One appeal that succeeded. In December 2024, a registration appeal panel overturned a refusal for one nurse who had revised for four and a half months and had 12 years of clinical experience. It accepted she had given "a credible explanation" for her fast time and directed that she be admitted (Nursing Times, 11 March 2025). The NMC said one outcome "does not change the underlying evidence of the CBT investigation".

The visa problem. In March 2025, Nursing Times reported Home Office letters asking some nurses to leave the UK while their NMC appeals still waited for a hearing. About 50 nurses, through Broad Street Solicitors, had sent the NMC a pre-action letter on 13 February 2025, the step before a judicial review claim. Pastor Peters Omoragbon of Nurses Across The Borders said: "The NMC could be accused of deliberate delay." The NMC replied that "there have not been deliberate delays" (Nursing Times, 11 March 2025).

What the courts have said. As of November 2026, we could not find a reported court judgment on the Yunnik cases in the NMC's statements or the outlets we checked. The routes themselves are clear: a nurse removed by an Investigating Committee panel can appeal to the county court within 28 days (Nursing Times, 5 December 2024), and a nurse whose registration appeal is dismissed can appeal to the county court within 21 days (NMC registration appeal decision, 21 July 2026).

The NMC's own lessons. In May 2024, Andrea Sutcliffe said an internal audit found the NMC needed to "get stronger" at spotting "organised fraudulent activity" (Nursing Times, 23 May 2024). The NMC also said it was "concerned by several accounts that some may have been pressurised into using a proxy tester at Yunnik" (The Guardian, 18 October 2024).

Who is behind it?

Yunnik Technologies Ltd was a third-party company running a Pearson VUE Authorised Test Centre. Pearson controlled the technology, but the room and the staff belonged to the test centre (NMC Investigating Committee decision, 5 October 2026). Pearson VUE told the Guardian it suspended the centre and "ultimately de-authorise[d]" it, but does not share how cheating happened, to avoid helping "potential bad actors" (The Guardian, 18 October 2024).

Asked if it had identified the proxies, NMC sources told the Guardian it was not their role, but that they had notified "the relevant authorities in the UK and Nigeria" (The Guardian, 18 October 2024). As of November 2026, we found no report of criminal charges against any named person in connection with the centre, and no public response from Yunnik Technologies in the sources we checked.

What did it cost?

The sources we checked do not publish what proxy testers charged. They do show the cost to nurses: homes sold, loans taken, partners who gave up jobs in Nigeria (The Guardian, 18 October 2024), dismissals while waiting for hearings, and debt (Nursing Times, 5 December 2024). One nurse told the Guardian: "My career has been on hold for more than 13 months, even after passing the new test." Many worked as care workers on lower pay.

The NMC says the Department of Health and Social Care advised that people who had not received their PIN because of the investigation "can continue to be sponsored and employed at a lower banding" until it ends, even past the usual eight-month limit (NMC employer guidance, viewed 8 November 2026).

What changed for nurses taking the CBT now

Three changes matter if you are booking a CBT in Nigeria in 2026.

1. Only high-security centres. The NMC says: "We now only use CBT test centres that have CCTV and biometric monitoring in place" (NMC employer guidance, viewed 8 November 2026). Pearson's own professional centres have palm-vein biometrics and CCTV. The third-party model Yunnik used did not (NMC Investigating Committee decision, 5 October 2026).

2. The data is watched. The NMC added "additional monitoring and reporting" with Pearson (NMC employer guidance). Impossible test times are exactly what caught Yunnik.

3. Your record follows you. A suspicious CBT can come back as a character question years later. The same is true for language tests. In its 2025-26 report, the NMC said it had referred six cases linked to withdrawn English language test results to its Investigating Committee and was investigating 15 more (NMC report 2025-26). Our guide to fake test centres and bought language scores explains how test providers check results.

How to book your CBT safely

1. Wait for the NMC. Pearson says you book "once the NMC has told you that you will need to take the CBT", online or by phone. The NMC sets the date by which you must finish it (Pearson VUE NMC page, updated 2 September 2026).
2. Use your own account. Create it yourself on Pearson's NMC page (Pearson now calls itself Pearson Professional Assessments). Never let an agent hold your login.
3. Check the emails. Pearson says: "All correspondence from Pearson will end with '@pearson.com'."
4. Book the right test. Each field has its own code, such as NMC_RNA for adult nursing and NMC_RNMH for mental health. If you book the wrong one, Pearson says it cannot refund the payment (Pearson VUE NMC page).
5. Pay Pearson directly. If your card does not work in Nigeria, Pearson offers official test vouchers (Pearson VUE NMC page). There is no "slot fee".
6. Prepare with the NMC's own materials. If you have failed before, our guide on what to do after failing the CBT or OSCE covers resits and visa timing.

After the CBT comes the OSCE, in person in the UK, plus a face-to-face ID check by the NMC's ID verification team at a Test of Competence centre (NMC, viewed 8 November 2026). For how the whole UK route compares with other countries, see our guide to the best countries for Nigerian and Filipino nurses.

Red flags you can check yourself

If someone is offering a shortcut on any qualification, from a nursing degree to a test result to a "sponsorship" package, score the warning signs before you pay. Pick "A degree or diploma" or "A job or sponsorship deal" in the checker below.

How to check if a nurse is on the NMC register

The NMC register is free to search. Every registered nurse and midwife has a unique code called a PIN, and the NMC says searching by PIN gives the most accurate result (NMC, viewed 8 November 2026). You can also search by first and last name.

The result shows registration status, location, expiry date and qualifications. Statuses include "Registered", "Interim suspension order" and "Removed by a fitness to practise (FtP) panel".

Employers can ask the NMC directly if someone sat their CBT at Yunnik, at employerlinkservice@nmc-uk.org (NMC employer guidance). The NMC will not tell an employer whether it suspects that person of fraud. That is for the individual to share.

A clean NMC record also matters if you move on later. Our guide to Ahpra registration for NMC nurses shows the faster route it opens to Australia.

The honest lesson

Most of the nurses who sat the CBT in Ibadan were never accused of anything. They booked a test at a Pearson-approved centre near home, and then lived with resits, letters and questions from colleagues.

A smaller group took a shortcut, or were pushed into one. For many of them, it cost the career they had trained for.

What protects you is boring and slow. Study with real material. Book the test yourself, at a centre the NMC still uses, in your own name. Keep every email. If your time is fast because you are well prepared, good. Just make sure the person in the chair is you.

If someone offers you a sure pass, do not answer. Show this page to the friend who sent it.

Frequently asked questions

What happened at the Yunnik test centre in Nigeria?

Yunnik Technologies in Ibadan was a third-party centre running the NMC's CBT for Pearson VUE. In March 2023, Pearson found unusually fast test times and suspicious admission photos. On 20 September 2023, the NMC said there was "evidence of widespread fraudulent activity", probably proxy testing, and treated every CBT from the centre as invalid.

Did all the Nigerian nurses who took the CBT in Ibadan cheat?

No. On 20 September 2023, the NMC said the majority were not considered to have joined the register fraudulently. It suspected 48 people on the register and 669 applicants. It made no fraud allegation against 467 people on the register and 771 applicants. Those people only had to resit the CBT, free of charge.

How many nurses were removed from the NMC register over Yunnik?

As of May 2025, the NMC said 10 people had been removed after panels found fraudulent entry, and two were allowed to remain. By September 2026, it had completed 44 of 48 hearings, "with fraud proven in most cases". It did not publish an exact removal total in that report. Separately, it refused 215 of 224 applications where it had concerns.

Can a nurse removed over Yunnik appeal or reapply?

Yes. A nurse removed by an Investigating Committee panel can appeal to the county court within 28 days. A refused applicant can appeal to an NMC registration appeal panel, then to the county court within 21 days of that decision. A removed nurse can also reapply, and an Assistant Registrar then decides on character. At least one registration appeal was allowed, in December 2024. As of November 2026, we found no reported court judgment on the Yunnik cases.

Is the Yunnik test centre still open?

No. Pearson stopped testing there in 2023 and told the Guardian in October 2024 that it had suspended and "ultimately de-authorise[d]" the centre. The NMC says it now uses only centres with CCTV and biometric monitoring.

Is it safe for Nigerian nurses to take the NMC CBT now?

Yes, if you book it yourself. Wait for the NMC to tell you to book, use your own Pearson account, pay Pearson directly or with official vouchers, and check that every email ends in "@pearson.com". Never pay for a "sure pass".

How do I check if a nurse is on the NMC register?

Use the free "Search the register" tool on the NMC website. Search by PIN for the most accurate result, or by name. It shows registration status and any restrictions, such as an interim suspension order or removal by a panel.

Is someone offering a guaranteed CBT pass a scam?

Treat it as one. No honest person can guarantee a CBT pass. The fraud the NMC found at Yunnik was proxy testing, where someone else sits the test for you, and most people suspected of it were removed from the register or refused registration.

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