Nurses are the major share of OET exam attendees from Kerala. However, the numbers in other professions are also on a rise. Among the 4 OET tests, OET listening and OET reading is common for all professionals.
In this blog, we will limit the discussion to forming strategies of the OET listening test for nurses and other healthcare professionals. The OET listening requires a separate set of strategies from other subsets. As it involves listening to voice records of native speakers and answering based on that, you need to make use of the free OET listening tests to set strategies.
Before diving into the strategies part, we will have a look at the basic structure of the OET listening test. This is important as the OET listening test is further divided into subtests.
Table of Contents
OET Listening Test Structure
There are 3 OET listening subtests. This classification is based on the setting in which the recordings are set up. For a maximum score of 42,
OET Listening Section A Details
In Section A, you will get 2 voice extracts from a consultation setting where, in each, you listen to conversation involving a patient and a medical professional. Each recording will only be played once and you need to answer while the recording plays. The answers should be in the form of a word or a phrase according to the requirement. For the 2 recordings, you will get 5 minutes each to answer 12 questions from each. The maximum score you can get for the OET listening test section A is 24.
OET Listening Section B Details
In Section B, you will get 6 voice extracts of 1 minute each where, in each, you listen to short discussions from a medical workplace. This can be a handover discussion, a medical briefing among a team or even a conversation involving 2 or 3 people in a medical related setting. You can select the right answers from 3-choice questions. For the 6 recordings, you will get 1 minute each to answer 1 question for each. The maximum score you can get for the OET listening test section B is 6.
OET Listening Section C Details
In section C, you will get 2 voice extracts of f minutes each where, in each, you listen to presentations related to medical procedures. This can be part of a lecture or an interview for each extract. You can select the right answers from 3-choice questions. For the 2 recordings, you will get 5 minutes each to answer 6 questions for each. The maximum score you can get for the OET listening test section C is 12.
Common Challenges of OET Listening Exam
Considering the complexity of the exam, you may run into some common challenges in the OET listening test. The major ones are discussed below. The other challenges may be included under either of these major ones.
Variations of English
When listening to the voice extracts, the most challenging part for a non-English native is the variations, especially in dialogue and discussions. Even in presentation extracts, the candidate can come across an unfamiliar accent as it can vary all the way from British accent to South African accent.
Speed
The next big problem is the speed of speech, especially in the case of explaining a medical condition in distress. Additionally, some English accents themselves are faster than the others.
Missing the Context
Another fatal challenge you may fall into is missing the context. This can be either due to not reading the instructions properly or due to the fact that you are listening to the voice extract only once. Another problem related to this is being not able to correctly predict the answers.
6 Strategies Using Free OET Listening Practice Tests
You need to develop strategies at different levels to tackle these challenges and the ones we didn’t discuss. The following are the 6 OET strategies you can work on using the free OET listening practice tests.
- Improving vocabulary
- Improving active listening
- Predicting answers
- Identifying keywords
- Managing time
- Experiencing the test environment
Improve Your Medical Vocabulary for OET Tests
On observing the pattern of OET listening for nurses and other professionals from the last few years, we can say that the importance of medical vocabulary is high. Improving your medical vocabulary is a great strategy to start with.
Even though the OET exam listening part is not department specific, general medical vocabulary should be strong to smoothly answer the questions. The free practice tests available online are a great tool for improving your vocabulary.
Improve Your Active Listening
Active listening is another area where you need to excel for any listening based test. From the presentation or conversation, you need to comprehend what the speaker/speakers are trying to tell. Practising with sample OET listening tests can improve your active listening skills.
Helps in Answer Predictions
Firstly, it’s not about just guessing the answers. You must know the context. With a good medical knowledge, you can even predict the possible responses. Indeed, it largely depends upon the experience and expertise of the particular candidate. However, when you practise well with authorised OET study materials from a reputed OET training centre nearby, you can excel in the art of predicting answers. Remember this skill is to give you a headstart when answering, not to assume answer and mess up the test.
Improve Keyword Identification
Identifying the key information is vital in listening tests, especially in the OET test format of listening section B. Since the recordings are short and may have more than one information conveying, you need to identify which one will help you in answering correctly. Practising more with free tests will help you tackle this scenario.
Improve Time Management
Read the given questions before listening to the audio. This method is important for better time management. Also, it helps in two of the above discussed strategies; predicting answers and identifying the key information.
Experience Realistic Test Environment
The major benefit of the practice tests is experiencing the OET test environment. With certain arrangements and precautions, you can recreate the OET environment of tests and thereby get used to the actual setup. Make this a strategy while attempting each practice test so that you can avoid mistakes that can arise due to unfamiliar exam format.
Free OET Listening Practice Tests and Other OET Resources
Free practice tests are a great tool to improve your score in any language based exam. Be it OET or IELTS, free practice alone won’t give you a great score. You should get coaching and resources, possibly from one of the best IELTS and OET coaching centres in Kerala.,to tackle the test and score high.
Breffni, being the best IELTS and OET centre in Kerala, provides you the best in coaching, resources and strategies for the OET exam. To know more about the OET listening test and free counselling, contact us now.
