OET

OET is an international English language test that assesses the language communication skills of healthcare professionals who seek to register and practise in an English-speaking environment.



OET is trusted by regulators, hospitals & universities in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai and Singapore as proof of ability to communicate effectively.



Healthcare professionals choose OET because it helps them prove they have the right level of English for work or study, while also learning the kind of language they will need every day at work.



Who recognizes OET

Below is a list of organisations that recognise OET results as proof of English language proficiency. Please check with the organisation you are applying to regarding the OET grade(s) they will accept.



Australia

Government



Department of Home Affairs

The Department of Home Affairs recognises OET for various visa categories including skilled migration and student visas.

Immigration SA, Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment



Healthcare Boards & Councils

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)

National agency responsible for the registration and accreditation of 14 health professions in Australia

Visit www.ahpra.gov.au for more information

.

The following AHPRA Boards recognise OET:

Chinese Medicine Board of Australia

Dental Board of Australia

Medical Board of Australia

Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia

Occupational Therapy Board of Australia

Optometry Board of Australia

Pharmacy Board of Australia

Physiotherapy Board of Australia

Podiatry Board of Australia

Other Boards and Councils

Australasian Veterinary Boards Council

Australian and New Zealand Podiatry Accreditation Council

Australian Dental Council

Australian Institute of Radiography

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council

Australian Pharmacy Council

Australian Physiotherapy Council

Dieticians Association of Australia

Health Advisory Council

Occupational Therapy Council (Australia and NZ)

Sino-Australia Association of Physical Rehabilitation Medicine

South Australian Medical Education and Training

Speech Pathology Australia

Universities and Education

ALACC Health College, Australia

Australian Catholic University

Australian College of Nursing

Box Hill Institute

Chisholm Institute

Curtin University

CQ University

Deakin⦁ University

Edith Cowan University

EQUALS International (⦁ Aust⦁ ) Pty Ltd

Federation University

Gordon Institute of TAFE

Homesglen⦁ Institute

James Cook University

LaTrobe⦁ University

Lawson College Australia

Lonsdale Institute

Macquarie University

Murdoch University

Perth Institute of Business and Technology

Rhodes College

Southern Cross University

TAFE International WA

TAFE NSW

TAFE Queensland

TAFE SA

University of Canberra

UOW College Australia

University of Newcastle

University of Notre Dame Australia

University of Queensland

University of South Australia

University of Tasmania

University of the Sunshine Coast

University of Wollongong

Western Sydney University

Dubai

Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA)

Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA)

Ireland

Medical Council

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland

Dental Council of Ireland

CORU - A multi-profession health regulator for dieticians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, radiographers and radiation therapists, speech therapists and optometrists.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland

Namibia

Health Professions Councils of Namibia

New Zealand

Government



Immigration New Zealand

Immigration New Zealand recognises OET for most visa categories. Candidates can find more information by visiting www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas



Healthcare Boards & Councils

Australian and New Zealand Podiatry Accreditation Council

Dental Council of New Zealand

Dietitians⦁ Board of New Zealand

Medical Council of New Zealand

Midwifery Council of New Zealand

New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA)

Nursing Council of New Zealand

Occupational Therapy Board of New Zealand

Occupational Therapy Council (Australia and NZ)

Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Board of New Zealand

Pharmacy Council of New Zealand

Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand

Podiatrists Board of New Zealand

Veterinary Council of New Zealand

Universities and Education

AGI Education Ltd

Ara⦁ Institute of Canterbury

EDENZ College

Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology

NorthTec

Otago⦁ Polytechnic

Southern Institute of Technology

Unitec⦁ Institute of Technology

University of Auckland

Universal College of Learning

University of ⦁ Otago⦁ Language Centre

WINTEC

Whitireia⦁ New Zealand

Singapore

Singapore Dental Council

Singapore Medical Council

Singapore Pharmacy Council

Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC ) -The Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC) is a professional board which governs and regulates registered allied health professionals in Singapore.

AHPC – Occupational Therapy

AHPC – Physiotherapy

AHPC – Speech-language Therapy

⦁ AHPC – ⦁ Diagnostic Radiography and ⦁ Radiation Therapy

UK

General Medical Council

Nursing and Midwifery Council

Royal College of Emergency Medicine

Royal College of ⦁ Opthalmologists

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

Ukraine

Ukrainian Council of Nursing and Midwifery

Ukrainian Medical Council

Ukrainian Professional Council of Public Health Services

Assessment Structure

OET covers all four language skills with an emphasis on communication in a healthcare environment.

LISTENING



approx. 45 minutes

Same content for all healthcare professions

Follow and understand a range of health-related spoken materials such as patient consultations and lectures.



About the Listening sub-test

The Listening sub-test consists of three parts, and a total of 42 question items. 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.



The Listening sub-test structure



Part A – consultation extracts (about 5 minutes each)

Part A assesses your ability to identify specific information during a consultation. You will listen to two recorded health professional-patient consultations and you will complete the health professional’s notes using the information you hear. Note: the health professionals may be any one of the 12 professions who can take OET.



Part B – short workplace extracts (about 1 minute each)

Part B assesses your ability to identify the detail, gist, opinion or purpose of short extracts from the healthcare workplace. You will listen to six recorded extracts (e.g. team briefings, handovers, or health professional-patient dialogues) and you will answer one multiple-choice question for each extract.



Part C – presentation extracts (about 5 minutes each)

Part C assesses your ability to follow a recorded presentation or interview on a range of accessible healthcare topics. You will listen to two different extracts and you will answer six multiple-choice questions for each extract.



How is listening ability assessed in OET?

The Listening sub-test is designed to assess a range of listening skills, such as identifying specific information, detail, gist, opinion or the speaker’s purpose. These skills are assessed through note-completion tasks and multiple-choice questions.

Assessors who mark the Listening sub-test are qualified and highly trained. Candidate responses are assessed against an established marking guide. During the marking session, problematic or unforeseen answers are referred to a sub-group of senior assessors for guidance and all papers are double-marked to ensure fairness and consistency.



Learning Resources

ABC – All in the Mind

ABC – Health Minutes

ABC – Health Report

ABC – Life Matters

BBC – Health

BBC – Health Check

BBC – Inside Health

BBC – Science in Action

How is the listening test scored?

Your answers for Part A are double-marked by trained OET assessors.

These answers are randomly assigned to assessors to avoid any conflict of interest.

Your answers for Part B and Part C are computer scanned and automatically scored.

For Part A, Listening assessors use a detailed marking guide which sets out which answers receive marks. Assessors use this guide to decide whether you have provided enough correct information to be given the mark. Assessors are monitored for accuracy and consistency.



READING



60 minutes

Same content for all healthcare professions

Read and understand different types of text on health-related subjects



About 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.



The Reading sub-test structure

Part A – expeditious reading task (15 minutes)

Part A assesses your ability to locate specific information from four short texts in a quick and efficient manner. The four short texts relate to a single healthcare topic, and you must answer 20 questions in the allocated time period. The 20 questions consist of matching, sentence completion and short answer questions.

Part B and Part C – careful reading tasks (45 minutes)

Part B assesses your ability to identify the detail, gist or main point of six short texts sourced from the healthcare workplace (100-150 words each). The texts might consist of extracts from policy documents, hospital guidelines, manuals or internal communications, such as emails or memos. For each text, there is one three-option multiple-choice question.

Part C assesses your ability to identify detailed meaning and opinion in two texts on topics of interest to healthcare professionals (800 words each). For each text, you must answer eight four-option multiple choice questions.



Learning Resources

ABC health newsletter

New England Journal of Medicine

Science Magazine for the American Association for the Advancement of Science

British Medical Journal

Journal of the American Medical Association

Medical Journal of Australia

Free Medical Journals

OMICS International



How is reading ability assessed in OET?

Reading Part A (the expeditious reading task) tests your ability to skim and scan quickly across different texts on a given topic in order to locate specific information. For that purpose, Part A is strictly timed and you must complete all 20 question items within the allocated 15 minutes. To complete the task successfully, you will also need to understand the conventions of different medical text types and understand the presentation of numerical and textual information.



Reading Part B tests your ability to understand the detail, gist or main point of complex texts commonly found in the healthcare workplace. To complete the task successfully, you will need to identify specific ideas at sentence level.



Reading Part C tests your ability to understand the explicit or implied meaning as well as the attitude or opinion presented in a longer text. To complete the task successfully, you will need to identify the relationship between ideas at sentence and paragraph level. Part C also tests your ability to accurately understand lexical references and complex phrases within the text.



Assessors who mark the Reading sub-test are qualified and highly trained. Candidate responses are assessed against an established marking guide. During the marking session, problematic or unforeseen answers are referred to a sub-group of senior assessors for guidance.



WRITING



45 minutes

Specific to profession, based on typical workplace situations.

The task is to write a letter, usually a referral letter. Sometimes, especially for some professions, a different type of letter is required: e.g. a letter of transfer or discharge, or a letter to advise or inform a patient, carer, or group.



About the Writing sub-test

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.



The Writing sub-test structure

⦁ The task is to write a letter, usually a referral letter. Sometimes a different type of letter is required: e.g. a letter of transfer or discharge, or a letter to advise or inform a patient, carer, or group.

⦁ 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.



How is writing ability assessed in OET?

Your performance on the Writing sub-test is marked independently by a minimum of two trained Assessors. Neither Assessor knows what scores the other has given you, or what scores you have achieved on any of the other sub-tests.



Your performance is scored against five criteria and receives a band score for each criterion:

Overall Task Fulfillment

Appropriateness of Language

Comprehension of Stimulus

Linguistic Features (grammar and cohesion)

Presentation Features (spelling, punctuation, layout)



SPEAKING



approx 20 minutes

Specific to profession, based on typical workplace situations.

In a private room you will take part in two role-plays. You take your professional role (as a healthcare professional) while the interlocutor plays a patient or client, or sometimes a relative or carer.

