Nurses can now take PTE to work in the United States

PTE Author
PTE Author
Nursing nurse patient image - 1008x567px
Reading time: 3 minutes

London, 22 June 2022: Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, has announced that its Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic can now be taken by people around the globe looking to practice nursing and other healthcare-related roles in the United States. 

The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, has recently added PTE to its list of approved English Language testing services for foreign healthcare workers.  

PTE can now be taken by workers who want to come to the US to work in one of the identified seven non-physician health professions, which include registered nurses, licensed practical or vocation nurses, and clinical and medical technicians. 

Giovanni Giovannelli, President, English Language Learning, Pearson, said: “We know there is a huge demand for nurses worldwide, with an estimated near-three million overseas healthcare workers in the US alone in 2021. 

“We also know the US is a highly sought-after destination for foreign health workers worldwide, including from the Philippines, India, Nigeria, Jamaica and Mexico. 

“With this in mind, we are delighted that PTE Academic has been added as a recognized English Language test by HRSA, helping us boost this vital profession by offering a new testing option for nurses who want to further their career in the USA.” 

Following this approval, PTE Academic has been added to CGFNS International’s system for verification. CGFNS International is an immigration neutral, nonprofit, mission-driven organization that helps foreign educated healthcare professionals live and work in their country of choice by assessing and validating their academic and professional credentials. They are the only organization approved by the United States Department of Homeland Security to validate the credentials of seven foreign healthcare professions for occupational visas. 

Furthermore, PTE can now be used by U.S state Boards of Nursing that recognize the test for licensure purposes. 

As part of their visa application process, healthcare workers are able to take PTE Academic at one of the 87 test centers across the USA, or from a choice of over 380 centers in 115 countries.  

Globally, PTE Academic is accepted by several medical agencies, including the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC), and the Graduate Entry Medical School Admissions System (GEMSAS). 

ENDS 

About Pearson 

At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to add life to a lifetime of learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. That’s why our 20,000 Pearson employees are committed to creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are the world’s leading learning company, serving customers in nearly 200 countries with digital content, assessments, qualifications, and data. For us, learning isn’t just what we do. It’s who we are. Visit us pearsonplc.com. 

About PTE Academic 

PTE Academic is an English Language proficiency exam used for study and work visas and is accepted by the Australian, New Zealand, and UK governments and over 3,000 universities and colleges worldwide. It takes two hours to complete, and test takers typically receive results in less than 48 hours. 

Read more about HRSA

Read more about CGFNS

Ready to book?

Check availability and book your test today.

Book PTE Academic now

Related Content

  • Image- Asian student, 1080px
    PTE now available in all the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries
    By PTE Author
    Reading time: 3 minutes

    Editor’s note (November 2025): As of November 2025, PTE tests are no longer available in Myanmar due to changes affecting payment processing and test delivery.

    Pearson now delivers Secure English Language Test (SELT) exams for UK visas in all Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. 

    PTE Academic, PTE Academic UKVI, and PTE Home tests are available at 29 locations in total across the 10 ASEAN countries of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam as of December 2024.

    English is the working language of the 10 member ASEAN bloc, which is home to more than 650 million people and as many as 1,000 languages. 

    The ASEAN PTE centers are located at:

    • Brunei Darussalam: Bandar Seri Begawan 

    • Cambodia: Phnom Penh 

    • Indonesia: Jakarta, Surabaya, Pontianak 

    • Japan: Chiyoda-ku, Osaka shi, Shinjuku 

    • Korea, South: Busan, Seoul 

    • Lao People’s Democratic Republic: Vientiane 

    • Malaysia: Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Sabah, Selangor 

    • Philippines: Baguio City, Cebu, Davao, Makati, Makati City, Manila 

    • Singapore: Singapore 

    • Thailand: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri, Pathumthani 

    • Vietnam: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City 

    Book a PTE test today or view prices and your nearest test center.

    Last updated 05 November 2025.

  • Image- UCL,640px
    Pearson and UCL launch AI research partnership
    By PTE Author
    Reading time: 3 minute

    London, February 4, 2020: Pearson, the world’s learning company, and the UCL Institute of Education today launched a new three-year project collaboration looking at the role of AI in English Language assessment.

    The research will focus on test-takers end to end experience of taking PTE (Pearson’s leading high stakes test of English) for either study or migration purposes. This fully digital test is delivered through Pearson VUE, the computer-based testing business of Pearson. The latest AI technology is used for scoring; biometric data collection provides enhanced security measures and voice recognition software is applied for the speaking element of the test. These cutting-edge technologies ensure the provision of an impartial and highly accurate test of people’s English language proficiency.

    The purpose of the research will be to ensure that global test-taker responses are fed back into the ongoing development and use of AI in assessment and to ensure the fairness, accuracy, and validity of these tests.

    Commissioned by the PTE research team, the project will be led by UCL Associate Professors Dr. Mary Richardson and Dr. Sandra Leaton-Gray.

    Dr. Mary Richardson said: “If you take an English oral exam, for example, you want a system that gives you the marks you deserve, whether you learned English originating from America, Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, Malta, or Hong Kong. All those different, slightly subtle local variations in vocabulary and sentence structure need to be built into the assessment model, so you get a fair mark. This is where artificial intelligence can really help us.”

    Her views are echoed by Dr. Rose Clesham, Director of Academic Standards, Measurement, and Research for PTE: “Pearson has been working in the area of Artificial Intelligence in assessment for some time. There is a real potential to revolutionize the way people take low and high stakes tests, the way we mark them, and how we provide results and feedback. This new collaboration between PTE and the UCL Institute of Education will put our test takers right at the heart of the assessment process.”

    PTE Academic is one of the fastest-growing products in Pearson and is a strategic growth priority for the company, posting 17% growth in test volumes last year. The test is accepted by the UK, Australian, and New Zealand Governments for all visa applications. It is also accepted by 100% of Australian, New Zealand, and Irish Universities, 98% of UK universities, and more than 2,000 academic programs in the USA.

    Alongside this, we have recently launched PTE Home, a two-skills language test accepted by the UK Government for family, settlement, or citizenship applications. It tests speaking and listening skills.