High-Yield Topics for the NMC CBT: The UK Facts Worth Knowing Cold

How to use this list

The NMC does not publish a list of high-yield facts. We chose these because they connect to the largest blueprint blocks, because they are numbers or rules that a four-option question can test cleanly, and because UK practice differs from habits in some other systems. They are a checklist, not a syllabus. If you cannot state a fact below without looking, it is a revision target.

Each item carries a note on how we verified it. "Checked" means we read the primary page in October 2026. "Confirm at source" means the fact is long-standing UK practice that we wrote from established knowledge and did not open on the primary page, so confirm it on the linked source before you rely on it in a high-stakes decision. Nothing here is taken from exam recalls.

The professional framework

1. The Code has four themes and 25 standards. The themes are prioritise people, practise effectively, preserve safety, and promote professionalism and trust. This is the spine of Platform 1 and appears in other platforms too. Checked on the NMC Code.
2. Records follow Code 10. Complete them at the time or as soon as possible afterwards. Entries are attributable, dated, timed, free of jargon and speculation, and never falsified. Checked.
3. Delegation and competence follow Codes 11 and 13. You remain accountable for the decision to delegate, and you work within the limits of your competence, referring in a timely way. Checked.
4. Duty of candour is Code 14. Act immediately to put things right, explain fully and promptly, apologise, document and escalate. Checked.
5. Emergencies and risk follow Codes 15 to 17. Always offer help in an emergency, act without delay if there is a risk to safety, and raise concerns immediately if a person is vulnerable or at risk. Checked.
6. Medicines follow Code 18. Administer within your training and competence, follow controlled drug guidelines and keep medicines securely stored. Checked.
7. Mental Capacity Act principles. Presume capacity, take all practicable steps to help, an unwise decision does not mean lack of capacity, act in best interests, and choose the least restrictive option. Checked on the Code of Practice.
8. The two-stage capacity test. First an impairment of the mind or brain; second, because of it, the person cannot understand, retain, use or weigh, or communicate the decision. It is decision-specific and time-specific. Checked.

Deterioration, oxygen and emergencies

9. NEWS2 aggregate responses. An aggregate of 0 means monitoring at least every 12 hours; 1 to 4 means every 4 to 6 hours with a registered nurse decision; any single parameter scoring 3 triggers urgent clinician review; 5 to 6 means urgent review with at least hourly monitoring; 7 or more means emergency assessment by a critical care team with continuous monitoring. Clinical concern overrides the score. Checked on the RCP summary.
10. NEWS2 respiratory rate and consciousness. A rate of 12 to 20 scores 0, 9 to 11 scores 1, 21 to 24 scores 2, and 8 or below or 25 or above scores 3. New confusion, or any response other than alert, scores 3. Bands checked; confirm point values on the RCP chart.
11. Oxygen targets. SpO2 of 94% to 98% for most acutely ill adults and 88% to 92% for those at risk of hypercapnic respiratory failure. The lower target is used only on a qualified clinician's instruction. Checked on RCP and Resuscitation Council UK documents; the parent source is the British Thoracic Society guideline.
12. Anaphylaxis adrenaline. Intramuscular adrenaline 1 mg/mL (1 in 1,000): 500 micrograms (0.5 mL) for an adult and a child over 12 years, 300 micrograms (0.3 mL) for 6 to 12 years, 150 micrograms (0.15 mL) for 6 months to 6 years. Repeat after 5 minutes if no improvement. Checked on the Resuscitation Council UK document.
13. Adult basic life support. Compressions at 100 to 120 per minute, depth of at least 5 cm but not more than 6 cm, 30 compressions to 2 breaths, call 999 for an unresponsive person and use an AED as soon as it is available. Checked on the 2025 Resuscitation Council UK guideline.
14. Sepsis. Suspected infection with NEWS2 of 5 or more means consider sepsis and arrange urgent assessment. Checked on RCP. The antibiotic timing bands under NICE NG253 are confirm-at-source items.

Long-term conditions and treatment

15. Hypertension thresholds. Clinic blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher, confirmed by ambulatory or home monitoring average of 135/85 or higher; severe at 180/120 or higher. Checked on NICE NG136.
16. Hypoglycaemia in diabetes. Capillary glucose below 4.0 mmol/L; give 15 to 20 g of fast-acting carbohydrate if conscious and able to swallow and recheck after 10 to 15 minutes; use glucagon or intravenous glucose if unconscious. Confirm at source.
17. The medicines check. Right patient, medicine, dose, route, time and documentation, plus allergy status and expiry. Confirm at source against the Royal Pharmaceutical Society guidance.
18. Controlled drugs. Schedule 2 drugs such as morphine need a register entry, locked storage and a second-person check in most settings. Confirm at source.

Infection prevention, procedures and numbers

19. C. difficile and hand hygiene. Use soap and water, because alcohol gel does not kill spores, and isolate in a side room with contact precautions. Know the WHO five moments for hand hygiene. Confirm at source on NHS England IPC pages.
20. Drug calculation foundations. 1 g is 1,000 mg, 1 mg is 1,000 micrograms, 1 microgram is 1,000 nanograms, 1 litre is 1,000 mL. Dose to give is prescribed dose divided by stock strength, multiplied by stock volume. Infusion rate in mL per hour is volume divided by hours. Drip rate in drops per minute is volume times drops per mL divided by minutes. Arithmetic conventions; always use the drop factor printed in the question.

Extra facts that sit just outside the top twenty

These appear in the same blueprint blocks and are worth a second pass once the list above is secure.

• Revalidation. Every three years: 450 practice hours, 35 hours of CPD of which 20 are participatory, five pieces of practice-related feedback, five written reflective accounts and a reflective discussion. Confirm at source on the NMC revalidation page.
• Mental Health Act 1983. Section 2 assessment up to 28 days; section 3 treatment up to 6 months; section 5(2) doctor's holding power 72 hours; section 5(4) nurse's holding power 6 hours; section 136 place of safety 24 hours, extendable by 12 hours. Confirm at source.
• Safeguarding adults. The Care Act 2014 principles are empowerment, prevention, proportionality, protection, partnership and accountability, and the local authority makes enquiries. Confirm at source.
• Stroke. FAST, urgent imaging and a swallow screen before oral intake. Confirm at source.
• Acute coronary syndrome. Aspirin 300 mg loading dose, urgent 12-lead ECG, oxygen only if SpO2 is below 94%. Confirm at source.
• Nasogastric tube position. Check pH of 5.5 or below, or use X-ray when pH is not available. Confirm at source.
• Blood transfusion. Bedside identity check with wristband and compatibility label; observations before, at 15 minutes and at least hourly; complete a unit within 4 hours of removal from controlled storage. Confirm at source.
• MUST. 0 low risk, 1 medium risk, 2 or more high risk. Confirm at source.
• Immunisation and screening. The UKHSA schedule from 1 September 2026 lists adult vaccines such as shingles for adults turning 65 and ages 70 to 79, pneumococcal at 65 and RSV at 75. Checked. Screening intervals are confirm-at-source items.

How the top-twenty list maps to the blueprint

Where these facts get tested badly

Memorising a number is the easy part. The mistakes happen when a question reframes it.

• The reframe. A question will not ask "what is the NEWS2 response for 5?" It will describe a patient, compute or imply a score, and ask what the nurse should do next. Practise by going from observations to score to action.
• The overriding principle. NEWS2 says clinical concern overrides the score. Capacity is presumed. The patient's best interests are not the same as their wishes. When two options both look safe, choose the one that follows the stated principle.
• The home-country trap. Some systems use different early warning scores, different adrenaline concentrations or different drug names. Use UK versions: NEWS2, adrenaline, paracetamol, salbutamol, micrograms written in full.
• The partial recall. Knowing 15 to 20 g of fast carbohydrate but not the recheck time, or the Code themes but not the numbered standards that carry the content, leaves you unable to pick between two near options.

Pair this list with the UK guidelines guide for the source documents, and with the study plan to schedule review.