OET: An overview

PREPARED BY
AMELIA CHRISTMAS DAVID
What is OET?

 International English Language Test

 Assess the language fluency of health care professionals
seeking to work/study in English-speaking countries.

 Owned by Cambridge Boxhill language assessment ( a

venture between Cambridge English and Box Hill Institute)
Contd..

 Reliable and validated assessment of 4 skills

 Listening, Reading, Writing and speaking

 Are you able to understand and answer question related to health
care consultations and presentation

 Are you able to write professional letters required in a health care

setting?

 Are you able to communicate effectively with patients in various

health care situation?
Who can take OET?

 12 health professionals
 Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Occupational Therapy,
Physiotherapy, Pharmacy,Optometry, Dietetics, Podiatry,
Radiography, Speech Pathology and Veterinary Science.

 If you don’t fall in one of the above categories, find out from your
regulatory body if they accept OET before registering for the test.
Why choose OET?

 Uses real health care scenarios so you’ll feel more confident

on test day

 Widely recognised as proof of English proficiency

 Helps you develop language skills for success in your career

 Access to preparation material

Why health care organisations choose OET?

 Patient safety and quality care: Limited language ability is an obstacle to

effective communication.
 Success at OET is a good indicator of workplace readiness in terms of language
proficiency
 Comprehensive, valid, reliable and highly relevant to day-to-day practice test.
 Test material informed by research.
 Highly secure and trustworthy: robust malpractice checks
 Availability in 40 in countries
Where is OET accepted?

 UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Ukraine, Dubai,

Singapore or Namibia

 For more on Boards and Councils that recognise OET

check:
https://www.occupationalenglishtest.org/test-
information/who-recognises-oet/
How to apply for OET in India?

 Venues: Ahmedabad, Amristar, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai,

Kolkata, New Delhi, Coimbatore, Kochi, Kottayam, Mumbai
Trivanthaapuram, Chandigarh

 14 test dates per year

 Registration is only open for the next 3 test dates at any time of the
year

 Ensure you are well-prepared before you register for the exam.
What is format of the exam?

 Total test time: Approx. 2 hours and 45 minutes

Sub test Time Tasks

Listening 40 minutes Listen and answer 42 questions

Reading 60 minutes Read and answer 42 questions

Writing 45 minutes 1 professional letter

Speaking 20 minutes Speak in 2 roleplays

Timing of the test

 Every section of the test is timed. You cannot take more time
than allotted.

 You will told about the time you are given in Listening test.
However, you need to time yourself in the other sub tests

 Practice timed test so you will able to do well in the final test
 Scoring of the test

 There is no overall score

 Each subtest is scored from 0-500 and each score is assigned an alphabet from
A to E with A meaning the individual is fluent
 Most boards and councils require a minimum score of 350 in each sub-test or a
minimum of B
 If you didn’t get adequate score in one sub-test, check with your regulatory
authority if the scores of 2 test can be combined so you can focus on one
subtest.
 Check with individual boards and council that you are interested in, as to how
long each test result is VALID for . You may have to take the test again if the
time period is crossed.
Scoring contd..

 Remarking option is available for those who think they have done better
than what the score shows.
 You may get different scores across subtest. Each test requires you to
demonstrate skills that may or may not be required in the other
 A Statistic from OET shows that Indians and Nurses often scored a ‘B’ in
Listening and Speaking but a ‘C’ in Reading and Writing.
 For more statistics from past OET test takers: https://prod-wp-
content.occupationalenglishtest.org/resources/uploads/2019/08/0814213
3/Candidate-performance-2018.pdf
Why prepare for OET?

 Some may be fluent in English but may not be have accurate grammar
 Familiarise yourself with the Test format and if you have the skills to pass
the test
 Pronunciation may be different in English speaking countries. Learn
correct pronunciation for speaking test
 Get familiar with various accents that you may come across in the
Listening test.
 Learn various strategies to take the timed test
 To practice skills that meet assessment criteria
How are results issued?

 Approx. 16 days after you have given the test.

 From your online profile in the OET website
 Official copies of statement of results may be
downloaded from the OET website
 Boards and councils can access your results from the
OET website after registering for secure access.
References

 More information about OET @

www.occupationalenglishtest.org
 Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment (OET). OET
Nursing: Official Practice Book 1: For tests from 31
August 2019 (p. iv). Cambridge Boxhill Language
Assessment (OET). Kindle Edition.
 The official guide to OET; Kaplan Test Prep