10 Common OSCE Mistakes… How to Avoid Them?
If you’ve ever walked out of an OSCE feeling like your brain turned to mush, you’re not alone. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is one of the biggest challenges student nurses face — and one of the most nerve-wracking exams you’ll take during your nursing degree. OSCEs are a vital part of the BSc and Nurse Associate curriculum, and students have to pass their OSCE to satisfy the NMC requirements and qualify as a Nurse.
In this guide, I’ll break down 10 common OSCE mistakes student nurses make. And, I’ll give you the practical tips to help you feel calm, prepared, and ready to pass.
See Also:
How to Give a Safe & Effective Nursing Handover
Student Nurses Guide to Reflective Writing
Mastering the 6 R’s of Medication Administration
What is an OSCE?
An OSCE — or Objective Structured Clinical Examination — is a practical skills assessment used in nursing and healthcare education. Instead of writing about what you’d do, you actually demonstrate your skills in a controlled, timed environment.
During an OSCE, you move through a series of short stations, each designed to test a specific clinical skill or scenario. This might include tasks like:
- Taking a patient’s observations
- Performing a wound assessment
- Giving a safe medication handover
- Communicating with a patient or relative
- Demonstrating infection control techniques
You’re usually assessed by an examiner who observes your performance and scores you against clear marking criteria. OSCEs are designed to reflect real-world nursing practice, so they test not just your technical ability, but also your communication, professionalism, and ability to stay calm under pressure.
In short — your OSCE shows that you can safely and effectively apply theory to practice.
Knowing that your OSCE stands between you and your PIN adds huge pressure. It’s no wonder so many student nurses feel a mix of dread and nerves leading up to it.
The good news? Most OSCE mistakes are common, predictable, and preventable. Once you know what they are and how to avoid them, your confidence and performance will skyrocket. Here’s 10 common mistakes that student nurses make in their OSCE exam:
Forgetting to Introduce Yourself & Confirm Your Identity
One of the most basic and most commonly missed steps in an OSCE is failing to introduce yourself or confirm the patient’s identity. When nerves kick in, students often dive straight into the task without doing the professional basics.
Why it matters:
This step isn’t just politeness, it’s about patient safety. Verifying identity ensures you’re performing the right procedure on the right person.
Check out my blog Mastering the Right’s of Medication Administration: A Nurse’s Guide for more on medication safety.
How to avoid it:
Always start every station with a clear introduction:
“Hello, my name is [Your Name], I’m a student nurse. Can I confirm your full name and date of birth please?”
Check the patient’s wristband and match it to documentation.
Explain what you’ll be doing and gain consent before continuing.
Tip: Build this into your muscle memory by practicing this on placement. Make it a habit and you won’t make a mistake in your real OSCE exam.
Missing Hand Hygiene Steps
Another easy way to lose marks is forgetting to perform hand hygiene at the right times. Some students only do it once at the start, while others forget it altogether when the adrenaline hits.
Why it matters:
Hand hygiene is one of the most heavily marked criteria in every OSCE. Missing it is an instant red flag for unsafe practice.
How to avoid it:
Always perform hand hygiene before and after patient contact.
If you touch equipment or move between tasks, repeat it.
Say it out loud during your OSCE: “I would now perform hand hygiene.”
💡 Tip: Practise the 5 moments of hand hygiene until they’re second nature.
Download your FREE 5 Moments of Hand Hygiene Resource to keep with you on placement and when prepping for your OSCE exams.
Skipping Consent or Compassion
Many students rush through consent or give overly clinical explanations. Remember, OSCE assessors want to see compassion and clear communication, not robotic scripts.
Why it matters:
Patients have a legal and ethical right to know what is happening. Gaining consent and communicating effectively is part of the NMC code of conduct and standards of proficiency. Communication skills are part of every marking grid.
How to avoid it:
Use simple, patient-friendly language.
Pause and check understanding: “Does that make sense?”
Gain verbal consent before continuing.
Tip: Always communicate what you’re doing and why, even when it feels obvious. It shows awareness and professionalism.
Read the CQC regulations for gaining consent from patients here: Regulation 11: Need for consent – Care Quality Commission
Not Following the Correct Assessment Framework
You might know your content, but if you don’t follow the right structure, your OSCE can fall apart fast. You will end up missing important steps that will lose you makes and could be the difference between a pass and a fail.
Why it matters:
OSCEs test your ability to perform tasks in a logical, safe, and systematic way. Frameworks like ABCDE, SBAR, or SOAP are designed to help you stay on track.
How to avoid it:
Memorise your frameworks — and practise applying them in scenarios.
Don’t jump between steps — follow the sequence.
If you forget a step, say what you would do next. You get paints for honesty and remembering!
-Stay calm and breathe. If you rush you are bound to forget steps.
Tip: Write out the ABCDE or SBAR frameworks and stick them on your study wall for quick recall.
Download your FREE SBAR cheat sheet to take with you on placement and as part of your OCSE prep.
Panicking When You Don’t Know Something
Every student hits a moment in their OSCE where they freeze. Maybe the question is unexpected, or the equipment looks unfamiliar. The key is not to panic but to breathe and take a second to reset.
Why it matters:
OSCEs aren’t just testing knowledge — they’re assessing your ability to stay calm and think safely under pressure. Which is what we have to do in real life on the ward or in the community. We face high pressure and situations that can change in an instant. Think about how many of these situations you’ve faced before and know that you can overcome whatever you are faced with; If you take a second to breathe.
How to avoid it:
Take a breath and ground yourself — silence for a few seconds is okay.
Use phrases like: “I’m not entirely sure, but I would check with my registered nurse.” Or you can mention how you would look for a Trust policy or national guidelines on this, so that you are providing gold standard and safe care.
Always prioritise safety over speed.
Tip: Practise breathing exercises or positive self-talk before your OSCE to stay calm and focused. A good thing to start early is finding a calming phrase that you repeat in placement situations that you can use in your exam. Something like ‘Breathe. Focus. Trust that you know’.
Forgetting to Document or Report Findings
You might complete your assessment perfectly, but if you forget to handover or document what you found, you’ll lose vital marks. You know the saying ‘if it isn’t documented it never happened’. Markers want to know that you know how to protect your PIN number when you are out in practice. A good handover shows a safe and effective practitioner.
Why it matters:
Documentation and communication are part of patient safety. The assessor wants to see that you can close the loop on care.
How to avoid it:
Use SBAR for any handover or escalation.
Document findings clearly, factually, and promptly.
Always state who you’d report to — “I would now escalate to my registered nurse.”
Tip: Keep a small SBAR prompt card in your pocket while revising.
If you want more confidence in handing over, look at my Complete Handover Pocket Pack. You can download and keep on your phone for preparing for OSCEs or print it pocket size to keep with you on placement and start feeling confident in one shift!
Overlooking Patient Comfort & Dignity
It’s easy to get caught up in ticking clinical boxes and forget about the person right in-front of you. You get so scared to drop marks for process and clinical skills we forget that there are plenty of marks available for showing empathy, preserving dignity, and prioritising people. These are in your code of conduct.
Why it matters:
Dignity, privacy, and respect are core nursing values and always part of your OSCE marking criteria.
How to avoid it:
Offer privacy — close curtains or doors.
Use blankets or sheets to maintain dignity.
Ask about comfort: “Are you comfortable?” “Would you like me to adjust anything?”
Tip to remember: treat the mannequin or actor as a real patient — not a prop. A smile, eye contact and talking to them like one of your human patients may seem weird but you have to put your nursing mask on and use your imagination.
Poor Time Management
Running out of time is one of the biggest reasons students lose marks in their OSCE. They concentrate on their first few stations and have very little time for the rest. Because we don’t know what station is next, you could be missing easy marks on a skill you know really well.
Why it matters:
OSCEs are time-limited for a reason — to simulate real-world prioritisation and efficiency.
How to avoid it:
Practise timed run-throughs of each station. Get a stopwatch or use your phone and actually time it. You will be surprised how fast time goes when you are in exam conditions.
Learn to prioritise essential actions first. These are the big marks and pick up those smaller marks towards the end. The safety aspects ae usually the most important and worth those pass worthy marks.
Don’t get stuck explaining every small detail — focus on safety and accuracy. If they want more detail, the marker will ask you.
Tip: Use the “must-do, should-do, could-do” rule when planning your time. Write scenarios and put the must-dos at the top and learn these first.
Forgetting Equipment Checks or PPE
Many students forget to check their equipment before use — or use the wrong PPE for the task. Check the PPE guidance that is likely on your VLE (virtual learning environment) and ask these questions in your practical clinical skills sessions. Write them down so you are not guessing if you need a mask or not.
Why it matters:
Equipment safety and infection prevention are key elements of patient safety. Using out of date equipment because you didn’t check the expiry date is a fail over something so simple.
How to avoid it:
Always check equipment function, expiry, and cleanliness. It takes seconds to do this, but it can mean the difference between a pass and fail.
Use appropriate PPE for the situation — gloves, apron, mask if needed. Find out in what situations you should be using each.
Say out loud: “I’ve checked my equipment is clean and in working order.”
Tip: Build a quick pre-procedure checklist into your OSCE routine.
Download my FREE OSCE Exam checklist to give you a quick prompt of the things you need to remember at each station. Use this checklist in simulation, and it will be second nature in your OSCE exam and when you’re on placement.
Not Reflecting or Learning from Feedback
Once the OSCE is over, many students walk away relieved, but never take time to reflect on what went well or what to improve. If you do this after every mock exam or extra simulation practice you do in the skills lab, you will improve each time and gain those extra marks with confidence.
Why it matters:
Reflection is a professional skill that builds lifelong growth. Every OSCE experience, pass or fail, is a chance to become a stronger nurse. Reflecting here will in turn help you to reflect after placement and make reflection assignments easier.
How to avoid it:
Write a short reflection after each mock or exam.
Identify one strength and one improvement point.
Discuss it with your practice assessor or lecturer.
Tip: Use a simple framework like Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle to guide your post-OSCE reflections.
Download my FREE Reflection prompt that details each of the 6 stages of Gibbs reflective model and what to write in each section to keep your reflection structured.
Final Thoughts: Turning OSCE Anxiety into OSCE Confidence
Every student nurse makes mistakes and that’s how you learn. The key is to identify them early and turn them into opportunities for growth.
Here’s the truth: OSCEs aren’t designed to trick you — they’re there to check that you’re safe, compassionate, and ready to practice as a nurse.
If you can:
Introduce yourself clearly
Prioritise safety and consent
Communicate and document well
Stay calm under pressure
…then you’re already doing better than you think.
You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to show that you care, think safely, and act professionally.
Don’t forget to download these to help you prepare for your OSCE exams:
