Test overview
Our test assesses the English skills of healthcare professionals who seek to
register and practise in an English-speaking environment
MODULES
Sub-test
Listening
About
The Listening sub-test is approximately 40 minutes long.
There are three parts and a total of 42 question items.
The topics are of generic healthcare interest and accessible to all
candidates across all professions.
Structure
Part A – Consultation extracts (about 5 minutes each): Listen to two
recorded health professional-patient consultations and complete the
health professional’s notes using the information you hear.
Part B – short workplace extracts (about 1 minute each): Listen to six
recorded extracts (e.g. team briefings, handovers, or health professional-
patient dialogues) and answer one multiple-choice question for each
extract.
Part C – Presentation or interview extracts (about 5 minutes each): Listen
to two different extracts and answer six multiple-choice questions for
each extract.
Assessment
This sub-test is designed to evaluate a range of skills, such as identifying
specific information, detail, gist, opinion or the speaker’s purpose, which
are assessed through note-completion tasks and multiple-choice
questions.
Answers for OET Listening Part A are double marked by qualified
assessors, against an established marking guide. Answers for Part B
and Part C are computer scanned and automatically scored.
Sub-test
Reading
About
The Reading sub-test consists of three parts, with 42 questions in total.
This sub-test takes 60 minutes to complete.
The topics are of generic healthcare interest and accessible to
candidates across all professions.
Structure
Part A – expeditious reading task (15 minutes): Read four short texts related
to a single healthcare topic, and answer 20 matching, sentence completion
and short answer questions.
Part B – short workplace extracts: Read six extracts (e.g., policy documents,
hospital guidelines, manuals or internal communications, such as emails or
memos) and answer one multiple-choice question for each extract
Part C – longer articles: read two articles typical of the types of texts
healthcare professionals read for professional development and answer
eight multiple-choice questions for each text.
Timing for Parts B and C is combined and is 45 minutes
Assessment
This sub-test is designed to evaluate a range of skills, such as skimming
and scanning, identifying the detail, gist, main point explicit or implied
meaning as well as the attitude or opinion of texts which are assessed
through matching, sentence completion, short answer or multiple-choice
questions.
Answers for OET Reading Part A are double-marked by qualified
assessors, against an established marking guide. Answers for Part B
and Part C are computer scanned and automatically scored.
Sub-test
Writing
About
The writing sub-test takes 45 minutes and is profession-specific
There is one task set for each profession based on a typical workplace
situation and the demands of the profession – a nurse does the task for
nursing, a dentist does the task for dentistry, and so on
Structure
The task is to write a letter, usually a referral letter. Some alternative
letter types, and depending on profession, are a letter of transfer, a
discharge letter, a letter to advise or inform a patient, carer or group, or a
letter responding to a complaint.
Five minutes reading time to read case notes and/or other related
documentation, and 40 minutes writing time to complete the letter.
Assessment
The Writing sub-test is designed to evaluate six criteria, which you can
learn about here.
Answers for the Writing sub-test are double-marked by qualified
assessors using the assessment criteria.
Sub-test
Speaking
About
The Speaking sub-test takes around 20 minutes and is profession-
specific
There are two role-play tasks for each profession based on typical
workplace situations. In each role play, the candidate takes the role of
the professional (for example, as a nurse or as a pharmacist), while the
interlocutor takes the role of a patient, a client, or a patient’s relative or
carer. For Veterinary Science, the interlocutor takes the role of the
animal’s owner or carer
Structure
The task is two role plays. Before beginning the assessment, there is a
short warm up conversation with the interlocutor. For each role play,
there are three minutes to read the role-play card and five minutes to
role-play the task points
The candidate and interlocutor role cards contain the same background
information about the role-play scenario and prompts to maintain the
conversation for five minutes
Assessment
The Speaking sub-test is and designed to evaluate 4 linguistic criteria
and 5 clinical communication criteria, which you can learn about here.
Role plays are recorded by the interlocutor and these recordings are
double-marked by qualified assessors using the assessment criteria.
The interlocutor plays no role in assessment.
EXAM DELIVERY MODES
OET Test on Paper
OET Test on Paper can be booked on Fridays (Americas) or Saturdays
(worldwide).
All four OET Test sub-tests must be taken the first time you sit OET to be
able to receive your test results.
You may book one or more additional OET Test sub-tests at venues
outside the USA after completing your initial OET Test however, you
should first check with the Recognising Organisation that you are
applying with if they accept scores of single sub-tests.
Bookings are open until the published test closing date. Click here to see
the published test closing dates.
After you have successfully booked your OET Test, you will receive a
booking confirmation email and an email from the test venue one week
prior, including the venue address and a timetable.
OET Test on Computer
You must take the Listening, Reading and Writing together and the OET
Speaking sub-test online must also be completed within the same test
administration (usually 5 days before or after your Listening, Reading
and Writing test). Note the following:
the Listening sub-test start time will vary depending on the venue
the Speaking sub-test start time may be prior to or after the
Listening, Reading and Writing sub-tests; and
the Speaking sub-test must be taken in the same test
administration window (but not necessarily on the same day).
If you do not take the OET Speaking sub-test online within this timeframe
you will not have completed OET, and, you will be required to book for
another test administration.
OET Test on Computer is available six days a week and can be booked
on Mondays through to Saturdays, within a test administration window.
OET Test on Computer at a venue is currently only available for
Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Physiotherapy. We will introduce
OET Test on Computer at a venue for other professions once this test
type is accepted by the relevant healthcare boards and councils.
Bookings for each test administration close at 11.59PM GMT/UTC 7
days before the scheduled start time for the Listening, Reading and
Writing sub-tests. Click here to see the published test closing dates.
Once you have successfully booked the OET Test, you will receive a
confirmation email.
OET@Home®
Before considering OET@Home, please ensure you meet the system
requirements and the organisation you want to register with accepts this
test mode.
OET@Home is available six days a week and can be booked on
Mondays through to Saturdays, within a test administration window.
OET@Home is currently only available for Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy,
and Physiotheraphy. We will introduce OET@Home for other
professions once this test type is accepted by the relevant healthcare
boards and councils.
You must take the Listening, Reading and Writing sub-tests together.
The OET Speaking sub-test online must be completed within the same
test administration (usually five days before or after your Listening,
Reading and Writing test).
If you do not take the OET Speaking sub-test online within this timeframe
you will not have completed the OET Test and, you will be required to
Book for another test administration.
Bookings for each test administration close 11:59PM GMT/UTC 7 days
before the scheduled start time for the Listening, Reading and Writing
tests. Click here to see the published test closing dates.
Once you have successfully booked the OET Test, you will receive a
confirmation email.
Healthcare professions
The OET Test has versions for 12 healthcare professions:
Dentistry
Dietetics
Medicine
Nursing
Occupational Therapy
Optometry
Pharmacy
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Radiography
Speech Pathology
Veterinary Science
