The CGFNS (Commission for Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools) has rescinded its decision to raise its PTE speaking score requirement for foreign-trained nurses seeking work visas for the United States. The requirement will once again be a score of 50 (down from 63). This comes after other issuers of nursing certifications declined to follow the CGFNS’s lead on the issue.
This isn’t an industry I follow closely, but it appears the score requirement was increased in December due to concerns that nurses were entering the USA with limited speaking skills. According to the CGFNS, there was “an alarming increase in healthcare workers holding a lower speaking score over the past three years.”
Discussions with the US Department of Health are ongoing, however. Those may soon result in a mandate that all issuers of nursing certificates require higher scores.
There is some interesting data buried in the CGFNS announcement. It suggests that Pearson has captured much of this lucrative market.
From 2022 to 2024, the percentage of nurses submitting PTE scores to the CGFNS increased from 7% to 50%. The percentage submitting IELTS scores decreased from 84% to 35%.
The required IELTS speaking score is currently 7.0. Some other tests are also accepted.
Note that the CGFNS does what is known as visa screening based on score requirements set by the government. State regulatory bodies have their own requirements that regulate proof of language skills in each state which nurses must also adhere to following their arrival in the USA.