Are you a healthcare professional interested in exploring career opportunities abroad? The OET was probably mentioned to you back then (Occupational English Test). It’s one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome before embarking on your dream career abroad.
This post will provide you with advice and tips on how to ace the OET test. Let’s start with a quick overview of what OET is and who recognises it.
What is the OET?
The Occupational English Test (OET) is a language proficiency test that assesses healthcare professionals’ English skills (Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking) in order for them to work in an English-speaking country. It is recognised and required in a number of countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, New Zealand, Dubai, Ireland, Namibia, Singapore, and others.
The content of the OET is applicable to a variety of healthcare professions, including medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, optometry, and physiotherapy. As the speaking and writing sections of the test are tailored to each profession, you must practise material specific to your specialisation while preparing for the test.
Now that you have a general understanding of the OET let’s look at some helpful hints for OET preparation and ace the exam with ease.
Top tips to achieve high OET score in Australia
Start Early
Even if you are fairly fluent in English, we strongly advise that you begin early and devote some time to proper preparation. Remember that the OET is a high-stakes exam, and the results are critical in determining your career options. Those who pass the OET will be responsible for the health and safety of patients. As a result, most organisations that hire healthcare professionals take your OET test performance very seriously.
Understand the Exam Format and the Assessment Criteria
Unlike the IELTS, which is open to all, the OET is specifically designed for twelve healthcare professions. The test assesses your English proficiency for workplace tasks that you will most likely encounter in your chosen profession.
You must understand the various sections of the test as well as how each slot section is graded. Here’s a quick rundown of the test’s various sections. The OET evaluates your English abilities in four areas:
Listening – 45 minutes
This section contains the same information for all healthcare professions. You must listen to, understand, and respond to a variety of health-related spoken texts such as medical lectures, patient consultations, and so on.
Reading – 60 minutes
The reading section contains the same material for all twelve healthcare professions. Your ability to read and comprehend various types of text on various health-related topics would be assessed.
Writing – 45 minutes
The OET writing section varies depending on your chosen profession and presents you with situations that you are likely to encounter at work. In most cases, you will be asked to write a letter similar to a referral letter. You may also be asked to write other letters, such as a letter for a patient’s discharge or transfer, a letter advising or informing the patient/carer, and so on.
You will be required to participate in a two-role play with the interlocutor in this section. You play the professional role (nurse, dentist, physiotherapist, etc.), while the evaluator plays the patient, client, caregiver, or relative. The speaking section is tailored to your chosen field.
Aside from understanding the format of the test, you must also understand what the assessors expect you to demonstrate. For each sub-test, you will be given a numerical score ranging from 0 to 500. You can contact us if you need further assistance understanding the assessment criteria.
Begin with a Sample Test
Begin your OET preparation by taking a sample test, which is available on the official OET website. This will give you a realistic idea of where you stand and how much preparation you will need before taking the test.
Understand Your Weaknesses
It’s common for test takers to focus solely on what they got right when evaluating the sample test. Aside from feeling good about your strengths, knowing your weaknesses is critical. You should ask the following questions for each incorrect answer:
- Why did I make this blunder? Is it because I’m unfamiliar with the subject, or because I didn’t have time to read and comprehend the question?
- What about my grammatical and vocabulary skills?
- And most importantly, how can I avoid repeating these errors?
It’s Time to Sharpen and Polish Your Skills
Now that you know what you’re doing correctly and what you’re doing incorrectly, it’s time to work on improving your skills. Begin by watching the OET Masterclass videos. Even if you’ve seen it before, watch it again. Now that you’re familiar with the test format, as well as your own strengths and weaknesses, you’ll have a better idea of the strategies you’ll need to employ.
It is difficult to prepare for the OET on your own. The stakes are high: good grades open up new career opportunities and can lead to relocation to a new country for you and your family. Join an OET preparation course to significantly improve your English skills while also learning the right strategies and techniques that will give you a better chance of success on test day.
Do some practise
You must use official guide to OET testing as a practise run for the actual thing after you have practised the OET strategies.
Taking multiple practise exams as part of your preparation is always a good idea. It will not only acquaint you with the OET, but it will also assist you in identifying your strong points and areas for improvement. After that, you can tailor your studies to address your areas of weakness.
TOP READING STRATEGIES FOR THE OET COURSE
Practice makes perfect
If we could only give one tip, this would be it! This advice is applicable to any English exam, any exam at all, and any skill in our lives. Practice test is essential for the updated OET reading test. The format and structure are different from previous OET materials. It is not as frightening as you may think once you get used to it, and you can learn strategies for approaching each section. You will become acquainted with this section of the test by practicing with sample materials. Anything is possible with the right preparation.
Read the instructions carefully
The instructions in the various sections of the reading test may appear a little confusing at first glance. Or perhaps you believe you already know them and do not need to read them again. It is always a good idea to read the instructions thoroughly. Even if you anticipate what they will say, they will provide your brain with the information it requires to prepare for the task at hand.
Concentrate on English comprehension
When reading texts in health-care settings as a medical professional, it is easy to become engrossed in the texts themselves, wasting time and brain energy! You may disagree with the viewpoints or facts presented in the texts and become engrossed in this, believing that you should answer the question using your own medical knowledge. It is critical to avoid this type of thinking because it can divert your attention away from the task at hand, resulting in confusion and the loss of valuable time. Concentrate on finding the information that the question requires, utilising your language and comprehension skills, as well as the strategies you learned while completing samples.
Explore comprehension
Have you ever read a paragraph or page of an article, newspaper, or book only to realise at the end that you haven’t retained any information? We all do it at times. In an exam situation, our minds may wander perhaps we are worried about the next section of the test or a mistake on the previous section, and we forget to focus on the text. This is especially true when we read in a language that is not our native tongue.
It may seem obvious, but when reading the passages, make sure you are gaining as much understanding as possible as you go. The last thing you want to do is reread the passage!
First, Read the question
It’s usually a good idea to read the question before the text so you know what’s being asked of you, what you’re looking for, and what keywords to look for. There may be times, such as when reading part A, when you read the questions while scanning the passages, but this is the correct order to approach the tasks.
Highlight and jot down
It doesn’t take much extra time while reading to underline or circle a keyword or phrase, or to jot down a piece of information to refer to later. These will stand out from the rest of the information, allowing you to focus on the important and relevant points. This trick works for both questions and texts. It is a tried-and-true strategy that has been used numerous times in reading comprehension tests of various types.
Top Essential OET Test Listening Tips
Learn about various areas of medicine or healthcare
You are very familiar with the medical topics that you deal with on a daily basis as a nurse, doctor, or mother type of healthcare professional. When it comes to other specialties, however, you may be rusty.
As a result, it is advised that you become acquainted with other medical occupations and what they do. Consider reading up on cardiology, oncology, and ophthalmology, as well as nursing, medicine, and other related topics.
Familiarise yourself with the exam format
In addition to learning more about other areas of medicine, you should familiarise yourself with the format of the OET exam. For example, after each section, you will have time to review your answers. If you are familiar with this set of instructions, you can really benefit from it during the OET listening test. Knowing the rules of the test will also help you focus on the day of the test.
Finally, becoming acquainted with the OET test regulations, which are rules pertaining to all aspects of the test, is advised, as they contain information on topics such as accepted identifications and special arrangements.
Before listening to the audio, read the questions
If you’ve taken sample tests or looked at OET listening test instructions, you’ve probably noticed that there is some time before each section to read through the questions. The amount of time is determined by the amount of text to be read. It is critical that you use this time to read the questions so that you can make predictions about what you will hear and be prepared to listen for keywords in the audio.
Speak up if you’re unable to hear
When you arrive at the test venue, a member of staff will perform an audio check if you are taking a paper-based test, or you will be required to perform an audio check if you are taking a computer-based test. If you are unable to hear the audio clearly, please notify the staff member or remote proctor as soon as possible. It is not recommended that you attempt to solve the problem on your own. If you have a documented hearing problem, you should make special arrangements. This must, however, be completed prior to the OET test date.
Continuing with Listening
The audio of the OET listening test follows the questions in the same order as other listening tests. That is, the first question about an audio will be answered early in the audio, and the last question will be answered near the end of the audio. It is critical that you understand this so that you can move from question to question while listening to the audio. If you get stuck on a question while listening and do not move on, you will most likely miss several questions in a row.
Understanding common abbreviations
Health care is a profession with many abbreviations, such as BP for blood pressure and A&E for accident and emergency department. It is critical that you are both familiar with these abbreviations and able to use them appropriately when you hear them used in everyday conversations between doctors and nurses. Part A of the OET listening test requires you to take notes about a patient and using abbreviations in those notes will help you avoid spelling mistakes while also reducing the number of letters you must write.
Choose the best format for you
Due to recent events, the OET is now available in a new format called OET at home. This means that there are now three ways to take the OET: paper-based and computer-based, both of which are administered at a test site, and the OET at home, which is administered at home and proctored remotely. While all formats of the exam cost the same and have the same tasks, the system that will be used to deliver the OET at home may have accessibility features that are beneficial to anyone with hearing difficulties.
The OET is still in the process of disseminating information about the OET in the United States. If you really want to practice OET on a computer, you can enrol in our OET course.
Listen to health podcasts or watch health videos
Listening to health podcasts or YouTube videos is an excellent way to improve your listening skills while also becoming more familiar with a variety of medical topics. The best part is that they are completely free. You can subscribe to a number of podcasts or channels on your phone and have them readily available whenever you have a few minutes to practise.
OET Preparation – Nursing Course Overview
The OET Nursing programme at Southern English College is a 12-week intensive programme designed to prepare international students to take the OET Nursing exam. The OET is an English occupational test used in the healthcare sector that has been approved by the Australian government as a means of measuring the language proficiency of people who want to study tertiary courses in Australia or immigrate to Australia.
The primary mode of delivery is face-to-face. Online materials and homework, on the other hand, will allow students to study outside of the classroom on their own time. This course covers the four macro-skills covered in the exam:
- Part 1: Listening 40 Mins
- Part 2: Reading 60 Mins
- Part 3: Writing 45 Mins
Course Details
The OET Preparation Nursing Class is a 12-week, 20-hour-per-week, four-hour-per-day (Monday-Friday) course in which students complete exercises and mock tests related to the four test skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The first three hours of the course are the most important, as students will use the assigned best book for oet preparation for nurses as well as supplementary online material.
The final hour of the shift will be dedicated to supporting skills such as Grammar, Conversation, Vocabulary Spelling, and Pronunciation. These classes are intended to supplement the core classes by covering material that is not covered in the core classes.
The last hour of the shift will be devoted to supporting skills like Grammar, Conversation, Vocabulary, Spelling, and Pronunciation. These classes are designed to supplement the core classes by covering material that the core classes do not cover.
Entry Requirements
Prospective students must have
- IELTS score of 6.0 or higher to be eligible for this level.
- PTE Academic 52 or an equivalent qualification.
- Pass the pre-entry test with an Upper-Intermediate level or successfully complete the General English Upper-Intermediate level.
