Nursing in Ontario: the CNO's English and French test scores, and four ways to need no test at all
To register as a nurse in Ontario you must show you can work in English or French. A test is one of four ways to do it. If you take one, the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) accepts CELBAN, IELTS (General Training or Academic), OET, PTE Academic, TEF and TCF, each with its own minimum in every skill.
Source: the CNO's page Proficiency in English or French, with its accepted tests and minimum scores, read on 10 November 2026.
Four ways to meet the requirement, only one of them a test
You need one form of evidence, gained no more than two years before you open your application:
Education: a nursing programme, or additional nursing education, completed in English or French in any jurisdiction in the past two years, with a clinical component in a practice setting where English or French is a primary language. Simulation labs and virtual-only clinical hours do not count. A Canadian health care or health care support programme also counts.
Experience: practice as a nurse in the past two years in a setting where English or French is a primary language, in any jurisdiction; or health care or health care support work in English or French in Canada, confirmed by a regulated health professional who works with you.
Registration: current or recent registration as a nurse in a Canadian jurisdiction, within the past two years.
A test, with the results sent to the CNO directly by the test organisation. If your evidence expires before you register, the CNO grants a one-time, one-year extension without being asked.
The English test minimums
Every skill has its own minimum, reached in one complete attempt, apart from the IELTS One Skill Retake.
- IELTS (General Training or Academic)Overall 7; listening 7, speaking 7, reading 6.5, writing 6.5One Skill Retake within 60 days
- CELBANListening 9, speaking 8, reading 8, writing 7online or at a test site
- OETListening B (350), speaking B (350), reading C+ (330), writing C+ (320)no total
- PTE AcademicListening 73, speaking 75, writing 68, reading 66no total
The French test minimums
The CNO accepts proficiency in French on the same footing. TEF Canada: writing 400, speaking 500, listening 400, reading 400. TCF Canada: writing 10, speaking 12, listening 503, reading 453. For what those numbers mean on the Canadian scale, see our guide to TEF Canada and TCF Canada.
When a result counts
The windows are not all the same. IELTS Academic, OET, PTE Academic and CELBAN count if written within two years of registering. IELTS General Training and TCF count only if written within two years before you apply. TEF Canada counts either way.
The CNO adds a warning for immigrants: a test approved for immigration counts only once the CNO has set its own benchmark for it, and the CNO's minimum may differ from the one you need for immigration.
How Ontario compares
This comparison is ours. Ontario asks 6.5 in IELTS reading, where the UK's NMC, Ireland's NMBI, Australia and New Zealand ask 7, and it accepts IELTS General Training, which none of those four does. Its OET minimums for reading and writing (330 and 320) also sit below a B.
Listening and speaking are another matter: CELBAN asks 9 in listening, and PTE asks 73 in listening and 75 in speaking, against Australia's 58 and 76. See English test scores for nurses for the other four regulators, and IELTS bands, OET scores and PTE Academic scores for how the tests score.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Assuming you need a test.
Checking the education, practice and registration routes first.
The CNO needs one form of evidence from the past two years; nursing practice in English or French in any jurisdiction is enough on its own.
Using the IELTS score you sat for immigration without checking the CNO's minimums.
Comparing it skill by skill with the CNO's table.
The CNO says its benchmark may differ from the one you need for immigration.
Booking IELTS General long before applying to the CNO.
Sitting it within two years before you apply.
IELTS General results count only if written within two years before you apply for registration; Academic results count within two years of registering.
Questions
What IELTS score do nurses need for the College of Nurses of Ontario?
Overall 7, with listening 7, speaking 7, reading 6.5 and writing 6.5. The CNO accepts IELTS General Training and Academic, and a One Skill Retake within 60 days of the original test.
What CELBAN score does the CNO require?
Listening 9, speaking 8, reading 8 and writing 7.
Does the CNO accept OET and PTE?
Yes. OET: listening and speaking B (350), reading C+ (330), writing C+ (320). PTE Academic: listening 73, speaking 75, writing 68, reading 66.
Can nurses in Ontario prove French instead of English?
Yes. The CNO accepts TEF Canada (writing 400, speaking 500, listening 400, reading 400) and TCF Canada (writing 10, speaking 12, listening 503, reading 453).
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