OET

WHAT IS OET?

OET- Occupational English Language Test is evidence of English language proficiency which can be used for study,
visa, registration, and healthcare-related jobs.

OET is approved by many places such as Australia, Dubai, Ireland, Namibia, New Zealand, Singapore, Ukraine, and the UK.
The test is conducted by the Cambridge Boxhill language assessment trust (CBLA).
OET is conducted 14 times in a year.

OET is accepted for 12 medical professionals:
1. Dentistry
2. Dietetics
3. Nursing
4. Occupational therapy
5. Optometry
6. Pharmacy
7. Physiotherapy
8. Podiatry
9. Radiography
10. Speech pathology
11. Veterinary science

Structure of OET

OET makes an assessment for all 4 language skills – Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.

All these four skills are considered as a critical and essential part of the language for an individual to communicate in a medical and
health professional environment.

Listening (approximately 45 minutes, a total of 42 questions)

The audios in the listening session will be some communications in the health care settings. Such as patient consultation and some lectures.
The audios will be played one after the other with some necessary pauses.

PART A (each session about 5 minutes)
=> Identification of specific information during the consultation is assessed in this session
=> Two recordings related to health care professional-patient consultation
=> The task is to complete the health professional notes.

PART B (each session about 1 minute)
=> It assesses the candidate’s capacity to identify the detail, the core of the content, opinion, or purpose of the extract related to the health care
environment.
=> Six recorded extracts.
=> EG: team briefings, hand over, professional-patient communication.
=> The candidate needs to answer multiple-choice questions for every extract.

PART C (each session about 5 minutes)
=> Assesses the candidate’s ability to follow a recorded presentation or interview related to a health-related topic.
=> 2 extracts.
=> 6 multiple choice questions from each extract.

READING (60 MINUTES, total of 42 questions)

It consists of three parts. Reading test assesses the candidates’ knowledge to read and understand some texts related to health care interest.

PART A (expeditious reading task) (15 minutes)

=> Assesses the candidate’s capability to locate some of the specific information from given short texts in a speedy and efficient method.
=> Total of 4 texts related to a health care topic.
=> Need to answer 20 questions in the given time.
=> Question types are matching, sentence completion, short answer.

PART B & PART C (Careful reading tasks) (45 minutes)

PART B

=> Assesses the ability to find the details, essence, or main point in a quick and efficient manner.
=> 6 short texts from the health care workplace(100- 150 words).
=> Text might be related to policy documents, hospital guidelines, manuals, or internal communications.
=> 1 multiple choice question from each text.

PART C

=> Assesses the ability to understand the detailed meaning and option in the text which is related to a topic of health care
interest (800 words).
=> 2 texts each consist of 8 multiple-choice questions.

WRITING (45 MINUTES)

=> Task is to write a letter
=> Letter types are referral letter, transfer letter or discharge letter, a letter to advise or inform patient care to a carer or a group.

SPEAKING (Approximately 20 minutes)

=> One to one session.
=> Candidate takes part in two role plays.
=> Candidate plays the professional role while the examiner plays the role of a patient, patient’s relative or carer.

Scoring for OET

OET scores range from 0-500 points, and its grades ranging from A (highest) to E (lowest).
OET focus on individual scores and grades so, there is no system of overall grades. Results will be published 16 working
days after the exam. Official result copy will be delivered through post following the release of the online test results.

OET SCORING SYSTEM