The OET (Occupational English Test) is an English language proficiency test specifically designed for healthcare professionals who want to work or study in an English-speaking environment. OET Exam preparation guide
🩺 What is the OET Exam For?
🎯 Purpose:
- To assess English language skills in a medical/clinical context.
- Accepted by:
- Healthcare boards and councils in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Singapore, UAE, and more.
- Used for registration, visa, and education purposes for healthcare workers.
👩⚕️ Who Can Take It?
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Dentists
- Pharmacists
- Physiotherapists
- Radiographers
- Occupational Therapists
- Veterinarians, and more
📘 OET Exam Format and Syllabus
| Section | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | ~45 minutes | 3 parts with recordings from healthcare settings (consultations, lectures) |
| Reading | 60 minutes | 3 parts, texts based on general and professional healthcare topics |
| Writing | 45 minutes | Write a letter (e.g. referral, discharge, or transfer letter) based on a case note |
| Speaking | ~20 minutes | Role-plays with an interlocutor in a healthcare scenario (specific to your profession) |
- Total Duration: ~3 hours
🧪 OET Test Structure Details
🔹 Listening (3 Parts)
- Part A: Note-taking from consultation extracts
- Part B: Short workplace conversations
- Part C: Presentations or interviews
🔹 Reading (3 Parts)
- Part A: Skimming and scanning 4 short texts (15 min)
- Part B: 6 short texts from workplace (e.g. policies, manuals)
- Part C: 2 longer texts on healthcare topics
🔹 Writing
- Profession-specific task (e.g. referral letter for a nurse or discharge letter for a doctor)
🔹 Speaking
- Two role-plays based on real-life healthcare scenarios
- You play the professional, the interlocutor plays the patient or caregiver
📍 Scoring
- Each section scored on a scale of 0–500
- A score of 350+ (Grade B) is typically accepted by regulatory bodies (equivalent to IELTS Band 7) OET Exam preparation guide
✅ Why Choose OET over IELTS?
- Uses healthcare-specific scenarios, making it more relevant for medical professionals
- Easier to relate to if you have a healthcare background
- Preferred by employers and registration boards in healthcare fields