Among various English tests in Australia, the OET test is a crucial one. OET Test is unique to IELTS and PTE as their content is more general, but for the OET tests, questions are fully profession-focused. Since many technical-skilled people are going abroad, they can avail of the OET test. 

With this blog, we intend to cover everything about the Occupational English Test. 

 

What is an OET Exam?

OET, which stands for (Occupational English Test), is an international English language test that assesses the language and communication skills of healthcare professionals who are willing to get registered as health professionals and practice in an English-speaking environment.

OET tests are available for 12 healthcare professions: dentistry, dietetics, medicine, occupational therapy, nursing, optometry, pharmacy, podiatry, physiotherapy, radiography, speech pathology, and veterinary science. 

Professor Tim McNamara created the Occupational English Test in 1980 with the assistance of the Australian National Office for Overseas Skills. Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment, a joint venture between Cambridge Assessment English and the Australian Institute of Language IELTS test centre – Box Hill Institute, has owned OET since 2013.

 A good grade on the OET test reflects that candidates meet the language competency standards to function in the profession in Australia.

 

Why is Occupational English Test Exam necessary?

OET is one privileged test that is specific to healthcare, and thus, it checks on your language qualification for both registration and immigration.

OET is a great test for health professionals who want a better future and a stronger career in a developed English-speaking country. With OET, healthcare professionals feel more confident.

To add more, Occupational English Test provides significant support to your dream of becoming an Australian health professional.

 

Who recognizes the OET in Australia?

The Occupational English Test (OET) is recognised by the Australian Institute of Medical Scientists (AIMS), which allows candidates to apply for Skills Assessment for migration.

Besides this, the Department of Home Affairs, South Australian Medical Education and Training, Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council, Australian Pharmacy Council, Australian Physiotherapy Council, Dieticians Association of Australia, and many more also recognised the Occupational English Test.

In addition, OET is available in over 120 venues in 40 countries and is proof of language proficiency for healthcare course admission and graduation.

 

Why is OET better than IELTS for nurses?

IELTS is usually preferable when migrating to an English-speaking nation since it provides a broader English language exam and does not include a workplace-specific language.

However, IELTS concentrates on subjects and languages that are irrelevant to healthcare workers. Nurses do better in the OET as questions on the OET test are profession-specific.

The IELTS exam is often taken by any professional and any student from any faculty; therefore, the subjects and information covered will be comparatively general, whereas the Occupational English Test is totally job-focused, making it more particular.

 

OET Exam Format

OET can be taken in 3 formats:

 

OET on Paper at a Test Venue

The test of choice is where most healthcare professionals select a viable venue for occupational English test.

 

OET on Computer at a Test Venue

OET is taken by professionals who find comfort with computers.

 

OET at Home

Here, An OET test is taken by health professionals who use their computers at home.

 

What are the OET Exam Modules? 

OET is a government-approved exam whose booking can be done online. Talking about the OET test module has: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing.

For Reading, listening, and speaking, you need to score B, but you can have either a B or C+ for writing.

Let’s get into the details of the module:

 

OET Reading

In the reading section, there are 3 sections- A, B, and C. Total questions are 42 questions, and you will be given a time of 60 minutes.

Digging deeper, Section A of Reading has 20 questions that should be solved in 15 minutes; answers in section A are one/two words.

Whereas for B and C sections, there are 22 questions that can be solved in 45 minutes. Sec B has a total of 6 paragraphs with 6 questions to be answered. In the section, two paragraphs with 16 questions are given. 

 

OET Listening

There are 42 questions with a 40-minute audio clip. It is also divided into A, B, and C sections. Section A has two audio clips with 24 questions presented.

Mostly the audio is a conversation between a health professional and a patient. In Section B, there are 6 audio clips with 6 questions.

Patient handover, briefing, or conversation between patient and health professional are found in Section B. Section C has 2 audio clips, each of 5 minutes with 12 questions.

 

OET Speaking

It is for 20 minutes, and you will be given 2 cue card roleplay of nursing. Three minutes are given for cue preparation and 5 mins for conversation. Here, an interviewer asks about how you satisfy your patient’s needs.

 

OET Writing

In OET writing, you are given 45 minutes, 5 minutes for case note reading, and the rest for letter writing. OET writing tasks include writing a referral or transfer letter.

In the referral letter, you will refer the patient to get help from other health professionals. In a transfer letter, you write a letter thinking of the scenario of transferring the client to other health professionals for health.

 

Tips for nurses to write well on OEM Writing/English tests?

OET writing can be tough for nurses, but with proper practice, you can master it. To do your writing on point, you must

• Clearly mention the purpose of the letter.
• Provide all the necessary information accurately. 
• Always stick to what exactly is to be delivered without getting carried away. 
• You must check on your language tone and use of abbreviations.
• Always double check on grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation communicates the necessary information to the reader)

 

How is OET Exam Scoring done?

OET Grade	Numerical Score
A	450 to 500
B	350 to 440
C	300 to 340
C+	200 to 290
D	100 to 190
E	0 to 90

 

You may get a different score for OET subsets and, for this, not being able to use a language effectively. In fact, it is not unusual for candidates to gain uneven profiles across the different component skills of Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. 

 

What are OET exam fees?

The Occupational English Test (OET) is administered fourteen times each year in various places. Students who want to enrol for their OET test must pay an OET fee of $587 AUD.

Though OET tests can be administered every month, students can only register for the next three test dates at a time.

 

OET and Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates pathways

A passing score on the OET is also required to fulfil the communication skills criterion for ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates) certification.

This criterion applies to all Pathways candidates, regardless of citizenship or native language. For the 2023 Pathways, ECFMG’s communication skills, candidates who take OET on or after April 1, 2022, must get a minimum score of 350 on the Listening, Reading, and Speaking sub-tests.

 

How can I find OET Exam Dates and Locations?

You can check for the exam date and venue on OET’s official website. You can find updated information here.

 

How can you Prepare for the OET?

• You must begin preparing one month or four weeks before the Occupational English Test date (OET)
• It is necessary to plan, schedule, and practice.
• You must keep up with dates and new developments.
• You may browse for free vocational English exam samples online and even take several mock tests.
• Examine your erroneous responses and errors.
• Try role-playing with a friend or family member who speaks English.

 

To earn better scores on OET Test, you can take online or offline classes or have one month or more time devoted to rigorous practice. We believe that agencies, teachers, experts, and marketers must have strong communication at.

 

Why Southern English College?

By far, you might know the glory of the OET test and its advantages and how you can prepare well. And you might have one question for sure, Which is the best institution to get OET classes? Well, for that, we at Southern English College are here!!

 Southern English College OET Course follows all the norms set by the OET guidelines in teaching the course. Our instructors ensure to help students make the best preparations and eventually score well in OET.

International students seeking OET preparation at  NSW or online can surely contact us. 

Let’s get connected to make your OET score high!!!