Occupational English Test  (OET)

OET Test Format

Let’s explore and understand more about each of the skills on the OET

OET Listening

What happens in the OET Listening Section?

The listening section consists of three parts and includes recordings of healthcare conversations, discussions, talks, and interviews covering a variety of healthcare-related topics and situations. The audio will be played only once, and as you listen, you need to mark your answers.

• Part A primarily features a healthcare consultant speaking to a patient, and you are expected to complete notes with short words or phrases. This section emphasises your ability to listen for detail, comprehend, interpret, and accurately capture information.
• Part B involves conversations in a workplace environment. Six audio files will be played from different healthcare situations, typically with one or two speakers, one of whom will always be a healthcare professional. The questions are multiple choice, and you will have 15 seconds to read each question and 5 seconds to select an answer.
• Part C involves listening to an interview or a presentation, always featuring a healthcare professional. Scenarios may include workplace presentations, case studies, projects, or discussions. There will be six questions with three multiple-choice options to choose from. You will have 90 seconds to read all the questions before listening to the audio and marking your answers.

OET Reading

What happens in the OET Reading section?

The OET reading section consists of three parts that need to be completed.

• Part A involves an expeditious reading task where time and accuracy play a key role. In this part, you will be tested on your ability to find relevant information quickly, putting you under time pressure. The text includes medication tables, dosages, instructions, treatments, symptoms, and diagnostic tools, among others. There are 20 questions divided into three types: Matching, short answer, and sentence completion.
  You have to complete all 20 questions within 15 minutes.
• Part B involves careful reading tasks where you need to read a range of texts. This part assesses your ability to identify main ideas, purpose, and detail. Part B comprises six short extracts, each ranging from 100 to 400 words in length. Each extract is followed by a multiple-choice question with three options.
• Part C involves reading about research and development in healthcare. You will read two texts written on topics of interest to a broad range of healthcare professionals. Each text is around 800 words, similar to articles in journals or review articles. There are eight questions for each text, with four multiple-choice options to choose from. These questions follow the order of the text.

Parts B and C must be completed in 45 minutes.

OET Writing

In the OET writing section, you are expected to write a letter within a medical context, comprising approximately three to five paragraphs with a word limit of about 200 words. You will need to spend around five minutes understanding the provided case notes and identifying how to draft the letter. It is important to comprehend who the reader is, what the writer wants the reader to do, and what information the reader needs to infer. The letter can take one of three specific forms: Referral, Discharge, or Transfer. You can choose to write in either lowercase or uppercase. However, you should not mix lowercase and uppercase letters within the same letter.

Spelling, grammar, and language proficiency are key evaluation criteria. Any spelling mistakes will have a negative impact on the overall evaluation.

Reading the case notes helps plan the letter’s structure and ensures that important and necessary information is communicated to the reader. The five minutes of reading time are primarily allocated for this purpose. The case notes should serve as reference points as you write the letter.

OET Speaking

What happens in the OET speaking section?

You will have to complete two role-plays with an interlocutor. You will assume the role of the healthcare professional, while the interlocutor will play the role of the patient or carer. You will be given a role card containing all the necessary information and three minutes to prepare.

Scoring on the OET speaking section

The role-plays are recorded and then assessed by two trained OET assessors. Speaking is rated based on defined linguistic and clinical communication criteria.

The linguistic criteria assessed are:

• Intelligibility: Speaking clearly, pronouncing medical terms correctly, using the right tone, rhythm, and stressing important words.
• Fluency: Speaking smoothly and with the right pacing.
• Appropriateness of language: Using the right tone and words based on the situation, ensuring the use of language understandable even to non-medical individuals, and knowing how to use simple everyday language.
• Resources of grammar and expression: Using a wide range of vocabulary and grammar correctly.

The clinical communication criteria assessed are:

• Relationship building: Engaging in friendly, respectful conversation, understanding the patient’s feelings, and listening carefully.
• Understanding and incorporating the patient’s perspective: Recognising patient behavior or hints, asking about concerns and expectations, and responding appropriately to resolve and address concerns.
• Providing structure: Organising the conversation logically for clear and organised explanation.
• Information gathering: Listening carefully, asking open and specific questions without confusing or leading the patient, and summarising information for understanding.
• Information giving: Assessing what the patient already knows, encouraging the patient to share feelings or reactions, and determining additional information needs.