What IELTS score do you need as a medical laboratory scientist in New Zealand?

You do not need a test if you graduated from a Council-accredited programme, or if English is your first language and your primary qualification is from an institution where English was the sole language of instruction and assessment in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK or the USA.

Another pathway is at least two years in the last five working continuously as a registered health practitioner in an accredited laboratory in one of those countries, in a comparable role, with two senior referees who speak English as their first language. The Council contacts them directly.

Tests must be taken in person: the Council does not accept the IELTS online test or OET@Home. Results must come from one sitting and be within two years before your application, and the Council verifies them.

A result older than two years may be accepted only if you have been continuously employed as a registered practitioner in a recognised country where English was the primary language of practice, and you apply within 12 months of finishing that employment.

Regulators change these rules, sometimes at short notice. Confirm the current scores on the Medical Sciences Council policy page before you book a test.