National Nursing Licensure Examination (South Korea)간호사국시

Overview

The National Nursing Licensure Examination is the written test you must pass to become a registered nurse in South Korea. It is run by the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute (KUKSIWON, 한국보건의료인국가시험원), which publishes its information in Korean. It is a paper-based exam held on a single day, in three sessions.

Who can apply

You can apply if you meet one of these conditions.

• You completed an accredited nursing programme at a university or junior college in Korea.

• You completed a nursing programme abroad that the Ministry of Health and Welfare recognises as equivalent, and you hold a nursing licence from that country.

You cannot become a licensed nurse if you fall into certain legal categories. These include people with a mental illness (unless a medical specialist certifies fitness for nursing), people addicted to narcotics or similar substances, people under adult guardianship, and people within the legal waiting periods after a prison sentence or suspended sentence. The Ministry can also bar a person for up to three attempts if they used fraud or misconduct in an earlier exam.

Exam pattern

All questions are multiple choice with five options. Each question is worth one point, so the full exam carries 295 points.

You must be seated before the entry deadline for each session: 08:30, 10:55 and 13:40. There is a 60-minute lunch break after session 2. Bring your admission slip, photo ID, a black water-based computer marking pen and other writing tools.

Syllabus

The eight subjects are Adult Nursing, Maternal Nursing, Child Nursing, Community Health Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing, Nursing Management, Fundamental Nursing, and Health and Medical Laws. KUKSIWON publishes the detailed scope for each subject.

Marking and results

You pass if you score at least 60 percent of the total points across all subjects and at least 40 percent in every single subject. A low score in one subject can therefore fail you even if your total is high.

Important dates

For the exam held on 22 January 2027:

• Application period: 13 to 20 October 2026, 09:00 to 18:00.

• Admission ticket printing opens 16 December 2026. Exam venues are announced on 9 December 2026.

• Exam date: 22 January 2027.

• Results announced: 16 February 2027.

Fees

For the January 2027 exam, the application fee is 90,000 won.

How to apply

Most applicants apply online on the KUKSIWON website. You create an account, fill in the application form, upload a colour photo, and pay by 18:00 on the last day of the application period; an unpaid application is treated as not submitted. You can change your application until the day before the exam, except your name and ID number.

In-person application is only open to first-time applicants who graduated from a foreign nursing school. They must submit the application form, two printed photos, an identification copy, their diploma and transcripts, and entry and exit records, with apostille certification (or consular certification for countries outside the apostille system) and a notarised Korean translation. English-language documents can skip the translation.

After the exam

Results are posted in the pass-list search on the KUKSIWON site, and applicants who gave a mobile phone number also get an SMS. A pass can be cancelled after the announcement if it turns out you were not eligible to sit the exam.

Preparation tips

• Plan around the 40 percent per-subject minimum. Do not drop the smaller subjects such as Health and Medical Laws, which has only 20 questions.

• Practise sitting for long blocks. Sessions 1 and 2 give you about 54 seconds per question.

• Practise marking answers neatly with the required pen, since the answer sheet is machine read.

FAQs