About OET
OET is an international English language test that assesses the language proficiency of healthcare professionals seeking to register and practice in an English-speaking environment. It provides a validated, reliable assessment of all four language skills – listening, reading, writing, and speaking – with an emphasis on communication in healthcare professional settings.
OET tests candidates from the following 12 health professions: Dentistry, Dietetics, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Radiography, Speech Pathology, and Veterinary Science.
Candidates are encouraged to prepare thoroughly for their OET test.
About the test
OET assesses listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
There is a separate sub-test for each skill area. The Listening and Reading sub-tests are designed to assess the ability to understand spoken and written English in contexts related to general health and medicine. The sub-tests for Listening and Reading are common to all professions. The Writing and Speaking sub-tests are specific to each profession and are designed to assess the ability to use English appropriately in the relevant professional context.
Sub-test (duration)
Listening
(45 minutes)
3 tasks
Common to all 12 professions
follow and understand a range of health-related spoken
materials such as patient consultations and lectures.
Reading
(60 minutes)
3 tasks
Common to all 12 professions
read and understand different types of text on health-related subjects.
Writing
(45 minutes)
1 task
Specific to each profession
Write a letter in a clear and accurate way that is relevant for
the reader.
Speaking
(20 minutes)
2 tasks
Specific to each profession
effectively communicate in a real-life context through the use of
role-plays.
Listening subtest
The Listening sub-test consists of three parts, and a total of 42 question items. You will hear each recording once and are expected to write your answers while listening. All three parts take 45 minutes to complete. The Listening sub-test has the following structure:
Part A – consultation extracts
Part A assesses your ability to identify specific information during a consultation. You will listen to two five-minute health professional-patient consultations and you will complete the health professional’s notes using the information you hear.
Part B – short workplace extracts
Part B assesses your ability to identify the detail, gist, opinion or purpose
of short extracts from the healthcare workplace. You will listen to six one minute
Extracts (e.g. team briefings, handovers, or health professional-patient
Dialogues) and you will answer one multiple-choice question for each extract.
Part C – presentation extracts
Part C assesses your ability to follow a recorded presentation or interview on a range of accessible
Healthcare topics. You will listen to two different five-minute extracts and you will answer six multiple-choice questions for each extract.
Reading subtest
The Reading sub-test consists of three parts, with a total of 42 question items. You are given 60 minutes to complete all three parts (15 minutes for Part A and 45 minutes for Part B and Part C). The Reading sub-test has the following structure:
Part A – expeditious reading task
Part A assesses your ability to locate specific information from four short texts in a quick and efficient manner. The four short texts relate to a single healthcare topic, and you must answer 20 questions in the allocated time period. The 20 questions consist of matching, sentence completion, and short answer questions.
Part B and Part C – careful reading tasks
Part B assesses your ability to identify the detail, gist, or purpose of six short texts sourced from the healthcare workplace (100-150 words each). The texts might consist of extracts from policy documents, hospital guidelines, manuals, or internal communications, such as emails or memos. For each
text, there is one three-option multiple-choice question.
Part C assesses your ability to identify detailed meaning and opinion in two texts on a topic of interest
to healthcare professionals (800 words each). For each test, you must answer eight four-option multiple-choice questions.
Writing subtest
The Writing sub-test consists of one profession-specific task based on an atypical workplace situation. The writing test takes 45 minutes to complete- 40 minutes to write your letter and 5 minutes at the start to read the case notes on which to base your writing. The Writing sub-test has the following structure:
The task is to write a letter, usually a referral letter but sometimes a different type of letters such as a letter of transfer or discharge, or a letter to advise or inform a patient, career, or group. Along with the task instructions, you will receive stimulus material (case notes and/or other related documentation) which includes information to use in your response
Speaking subtest
The Speaking sub-test consists of two profession-specific role-plays and is delivered individually. It takes around 20 minutes to complete. In each role-play, you take your professional role (for example, as a nurse or as a pharmacist) while the interlocutor plays a patient, a client, or a patient’s relative or care
The Speaking sub-test has the following structure: In each Speaking test, your identity and profession are checked by the interlocutor and there is a short warm-up conversation about your professional background. Then the role-plays are introduced one by one and you have 3 minutes to prepare for each. The role-plays take about five minutes each. You receive information for each role-play on a card that you keep while you do the role-play.
The card explains the situation and what you are required to do. You may write notes on the card if you want. If you have any questions about the content of the role-play or how a role-play works, you can ask them during the preparation time. The role-plays are based on typical workplace situations and reflect the demands made on a health professional in those situations. The interlocutor follows a script so that the Speaking test structure is similar for each candidate. The interlocutor also has detailed information to use in each role-play. Different role-plays are used for different candidates at the same test administration.
Test takers guide to OET
Listening
Part A
Remember, in Part A you listen to a recording of 2 consultations between a health professional and a patient
(dialogue). You take notes while you listen. This part of the test usually lasts around 15 minutes. Before you
attempt the Practice Test, consider some important tips below.
Do
»» Use the sub-headings to guide you.
»» Give specific rather than general information from the recording.
Don’t
»» Jump ahead or back: the gaps follow the sequence of the recording.
»» Write full sentences: a word or short phrase is sufficient.
»» Don’t waste valuable time using an eraser to correct a mistake if you make one. Simply cross out any words
you don’t want the person marking your paper to accept; this takes a lot less time and you will not be penalised.
Part B
Remember, in Part B you listen to six recorded extracts from the healthcare workplace. You answer one multiple-choice question for each extract. This part of the test usually lasts around 10 minutes.
Do
»» Read the contextual information for each extract to understand the interaction you will hear.
»» Read through each question carefully.
»» Mark your answers on this Question Paper by filling in the circle using a 2B pencil.
Don’t
»» Select your answer until you have heard the whole extract.
»» Fill in more than one circle on the Question Paper as the scanner will not be able to recognise your answer and you will not receive any marks for that question.
Part C
Remember, in Part C you listen to 2 recordings of a recorded presentation or interview on a health-related issue. You will answer six multiple-choice questions for each recording while you listen. This part of the test usually lasts around 15 minutes. Before you attempt the Practice Test, consider some important tips below.
Do
»» Read through each question carefully.
»» Mark your answers on this Question Paper by filling in the circle using a 2B pencil.
Don’t
»» Wait for keywords in the question or answer options to be said in the recording. The speaker(s) will often use synonyms of the words you read.
»» Fill in more than one circle on the Question Paper as the scanner will not be able to recognise your answer and you will not receive any marks for that question.
General
»» Have a spare pen or pencil ready just in case.
»» Stay relaxed and receptive – ready to listen.
»» Focus on listening and understanding then recording your answer.
»» Demonstrate that you have understood the recording (as well as heard it).
»» Take a sample test under test conditions beforehand so you know what it feels like.
»» Don’t be distracted by what is going on around you (e.g., sneezing, a nervous candidate at the next desk)
»» When the recording starts, use the time allowed to look through the questions carefully, scanning the headings and questions so you know what to listen out for.
»» Use common abbreviations and symbols.
»» Write clearly; don’t make it difficult for the assessor to read your responses as you may not get all the marks you could.
»» Don’t lose your place during the test; remain focused on each question.
Checking at the end
»» Think twice about going back to change something – it may be better to leave what you wrote the first time if you are not sure.
»» Don’t leave any blanks; have a guess at the answer.
Developing your listening skills
»» You should practice listening to English delivered at natural speed in a variety of voices and contexts. Learners who do this regularly are more confident at extracting key information and gist meaning, even when they are not able to decode every single word or phrase. Make sure you are exposed to speakers of different ages and backgrounds, and to the language of different contexts (e.g., informal discussions, formal lectures, etc.).
»» Although it is useful to practice exam techniques by using exam materials and course books, you should also use real-life sources to develop your listening skills. You can find a variety of authentic sources for free on the internet, particularly in the form of training videos and professional development talks.
»» Practice dealing with listening texts in a variety of ways. For example, you can listen to a text once for the»» Although it is useful to practice exam techniques by using exam materials and course books, you should also use real-life sources to develop your listening skills
»» Practice; dealing with listening texts in a variety of ways. For example, you can listen to a text once for the gist, and produce a summary of the main ideas or attitudes expressed by the speakers. You can then listen to the same text a second time in order to retrieve specific information or to focus on useful language.
»» At a high level in OET Listening, it is not enough to be able to pick out particular words or specific details. You need to be able to understand the overall meaning of what the speakers are saying. It is important to practice following a speaker’s line of argument and identifying his/her opinion or attitude.
What to expect in the test
»» The instructions for each task are given on the question paper, and you will also hear them on the
recording. They give you information about the topic and the speakers and tell you about the type of task you have to do.
»» There is a pause before each section to give you time to read through and think about the questions. Use the time to familiarise yourself with the task and start to predict what you are likely to hear.
»» Use the task on the paper to guide you through the recording as you answer the questions.
