About the test
Full form of OET
Occupational English Test
The four sub-tests that make up the OET are reported on a scale from __ to ___ in ___-_____ increments. _____ in each of the four sub-tests is considered a 'pass' grade for most candidates.
0 to 500, ten-point, 350
How many pieces of writing do candidates need to produce?
How long is the speaking sub-test?
20 minutes
What happens in the listening sub-test?
There are 3 parts and 42 questions. The topics are of generic healthcare interest and accessible to candidates across all professions. The total length of the Listening audio is about 40 minutes, including recorded speech and pauses to allow you time to write your answers. You will hear each recording once and are expected to write your answers while listening.
2 areas that must be covered in a successful OET preparation course
language skills and test-taking skills
The numerical score will be mapped to a separate letter grade for each sub-test ranging from __ (highest) to __ (lowest).
A, E
How long is the writing sub-test?
45 minutes
How are role plays designed in the speaking sub-test?
In a number of role-plays, the candidate takes on a 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 carer.
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.
What happens in the reading sub-test?
The Reading sub-test consists of three parts and a total of 42 question items. All three parts take a total of 60 minutes to complete. The topics are of generic healthcare interest and are therefore accessible to candidates across all professions.
What is the CBLA?
Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment (CBLA) is the entity that now owns and manages OET. It is a venture between Cambridge English Language Assessment (CELA) and Box Hill Institute.
True or false? There is no overall grade for OET.
True
Yes
How much preparation time do you have for each role play? How long does each role play last?
The role-plays are introduced one by one and you have three 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.
What are the differences between parts of the listening sub-test?
Part A - Text: 2 patient-led dialogues Question type: gap fills Skills: understand, interpret and record detailed content, extract relevant information
Part B - Text: 6 dialogues or monologues Question type: 3-option MCQs Skills: Listening for gist, detail and course of action
Part C - Text: 2 long presentations/interviews with healthcare professional Question type: 3-option MCQs Skills: listening to identify gist, attitude and opinion
Which sub-tests of the OET are profession-specific?
The OET Listening and Reading sub-tests are therefore not profession specific. They are common to all candidates and focus on a variety of issues of general medical and health interest. While some topics may include content that is familiar to one particular health practitioner’s area of experience and expertise, the language tasks and questions associated with the texts are designed to test language knowledge and ability, over and above the candidate’s knowledge of that field.
The OET Writing and Speaking sub-tests are profession specific in the sense that a candidate’s profession determines which test materials they are given. The reason for this is that the communicative skills of writing and speaking provide opportunities for candidates to draw on their professional role in order to demonstrate their level of ability to communicate in common workplace situations.
a) How soon after test day do candidates get the Statement of Result?
b) Do candidates need to send this to the concerned regulatory body?
a) You can see an overview of your latest test scores via your online profile on the OET website, approximately 16 business days after each test day.
b) Official copies of Statements of Results can be downloaded from your online profile.
Boards and councils can access OET results via the OET website. Registration authorities are advised to register for secure access to the site to check individual results.
What is the piece of writing candidates must produce?
The task is to write a letter, usually a referral letter. Some alternative letter types are a letter of transfer and a letter of discharge. A letter to advise or inform a patient, carer or group is sometimes used in Pharmacy, Veterinary Science and occasionally for Speech Pathology and Occupational Therapy.
Another task variation, with a different focus, is a written response to a complaint (for Radiography). 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.
What are the 4 linguistic assessment criteria?
Intelligibility, fluency, appropriateness of language, resources of grammar and expression
What are the differences between parts of the reading sub-test?
Part A expeditious reading task (15 minutes) Skill: assesses your ability to locate specific information in a quick and efficient manner. Text: The 4 short texts relate to a single healthcare topic Question type: 20 questions - matching, sentence completion and short answer questions.
Part B and C - Careful reading tasks (45 minutes) Skills: Part B assesses your ability to identify the detail, gist or main point Text: 6 short texts sourced from the healthcare workplace (100-150 words each) Question type: 3-option MCQ
Part C - Skill: assesses your ability to identify detailed meaning and opinion Text: 2 texts on topics of interest to healthcare professionals (800 words each). Question type: 4-option
The 12 healthcare professions for which OET has been specifically developed
Dentistry, Dietetics, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Radiography, Speech Pathology and Veterinary Science
For how long are the OET results valid?
The length of time the results are recognised as valid is decided by the authorities that recognise OET (e.g. boards and councils, government departments). Always check your authority’s website for details to make sure you know their requirements.
What are the 6 assessment criteria for writing?
Purpose, content, conciseness and clarity, genre & style, organisation & layout, language
What are the 5 communication criteria?
Relationship-building, understanding and incorporating the patient's perspective, providing structure, information-gathering, information giving
How are the listening/reading sub-tests marked?
Listening: Total - 42 marks, Part A - 24 marks, Part B - 6 marks, Part C - 12 marks. In the Listening sub-test, you will not be penalised for misspelling, provided the meaning is clear to other healthcare professionals. Any reasonable attempt at spelling the correct answer has a good chance of being accepted.
Reading: Total - 42 marks, Part A - 20 marks, Part B - 6 marks, Part C - 16 marks. Responses that are not spelled correctly will not receive any marks.