The OET examination is the only global English language assessment test specifically made for healthcare professionals. All qualified candidates who wish to pursue a medical profession in English-speaking countries should prove their language abilities. The Occupation English Test is a way to assess whether the candidate has sufficient English proficiency to communicate effectively in the healthcare setting. Understanding the latest OET test format is essential to prepare well and excel in the upcoming exams. In this post, we will discuss the key facts about the OET exam pattern, duration, and preparation tips for upcoming tests.
OET Exam Pattern -An overview
The OET test assesses a candidate’s professional English language skills in Listening, writing, reading, and speaking. The test is conducted by Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment Trust and held at various test centers worldwide. You can attend the exam either offline or online at a test center/ home. The entire test will take around three hours. The precise time duration for each of the four subtests is given below.
| Subtest | Duration |
| Listening | 40 minutes |
| Reading | 60 minutes |
| Writing | 45 minutes |
| Speaking | 20 minutes |
OET Subtest Format In Detail
As mentioned above, the OET exam is divided into 4 subtests. The topics covered in the listening and reading subtests will be related to generic healthcare. Hence, these two subtests will be similar for all healthcare professions covered under OET. (The 12 healthcare professions covered are Dentistry, Pharmacy, Dietetics, Physiotherapy, Medicine, Podiatry, Nursing, Radiography, Occupational Therapy, Speech Pathology, Optometry, and Veterinary Science). The OET writing and speaking subtests will be specific to your profession. That is, writing and speaking tasks for the OET nursing exam will not be the same as that of doctors. The OET exam pattern and details of each subtest are given below for your reference.
1. OET Listening Subtest
The listening subtest consists of three parts and is 40 minutes long. Test task contents will be generic healthcare topics that can be addressed by all healthcare professionals. The following are the three parts included in this subtest.
- Part A
Consultation Extracts: Candidates will be given two recorded health professional-patient consultations to listen to. You will have to complete health professional’s notes from the information you gather from those recordings. Each recording will be of five minutes.
- Part B
Short Workplace Extracts: In this part, you will be given 6 recorded extracts that can be handovers, team briefings, or dialogues between a health professional and patient. After listening you will have to answer one multiple-choice question related to each extract.
- Part C
Presentation or Interview Extracts: Here, you need to listen to 2 extracts and answer 6 multiple-choice questions following each.
2. OET Reading Subtest
OET Reading subtest also has 3 parts- Part A, B, and C. The first part is 15 minutes duration while Part B and C together take 45 minutes.
- Part A
Expeditious Reading Task: You will be given 4 short texts related to a healthcare topic and 20 questions related to the same. There will be three types of questions- sentence completion, short answer type, and matching type.
- Part B
Short Workplace Extracts: Workplace extracts can be hospital guidelines, policy documents, manuals, emails, or memos. You will be given a total of 6 extracts and one multiple-choice question for each.
3. Writing
Writing tasks are profession-specific. Depending on your profession, you may be asked to write a discharge letter, a referral letter, a letter to advise a patient, a transfer letter, or a letter responding to a complaint. The initial five minutes can be used for reading and understanding the case notes and the next 40 minutes for completing the writing task.
4. Speaking
The OET speaking test contains two role-play tasks. The role-plays will be based on your specific professional workplace situation. There will be an interlocutor to engage in your task. The interlocutor often plays the role of a caregiver, a patient, or his relative and you will have to play the role of a nurse, doctor, etc. based on your profession. You will have to engage in active conversation as in a real-life situation for up to five minutes. Three minutes will be given to read the role-play card.
Preparation tips for OET
A clear knowledge of the OET test format will help you confidently attempt the upcoming OET exam. Give equal importance to each subtest and prepare accordingly. Regularly practice OET sample question papers throughout your preparation to identify weak areas and work on them. Previous question papers and free OET study materials are available on the internet. You can also find sample test papers with answer keys on the official OET website. Use all such resources effectively for the best scores. Candidates who need personal guidance with structured classes can join online or offline OET training courses.
OET Test on Paper Exam Dates 2024
Tests are held in the above-mentioned OET exam pattern 24 times a year across all popular cities in India. You need to book 24 days before the OET test date to attend the paper-based test and 7 days before, to attend the online test. The pre-declared OET Exam dates for 2024 are given below.
| OET Exam Date | Professions Covered |
| 03 Aug 2024 | Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry, Dietetics, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Radiography, Speech Pathology, Veterinary Science |
| 17 Aug 2024 | Nursing, Medicine |
| 31 Aug 2024 | Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Radiography |
| 14 Sep 2024 | Nursing, Medicine |
| 28 Sep 2024 | Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry, Dietetics, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Radiography, Speech Pathology, Veterinary Science |
| 12 Oct 2024 | Nursing, Medicine |
| 26 Oct 2024 | Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Radiography |
| 09 Nov 2024 | Nursing, Medicine |
| 23 Nov 2024 | Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry, Dietetics, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Radiography, Speech Pathology, Veterinary Science |
| 07 Dec 2024 | Nursing, Medicine |
Any changes to the above will be updated on the official OET website. You can go through the dates and book an OET test for your profession at your convenience. Prepare for the test based on the current OET exam pattern. Develop time management skills to excel in each subtest. OET coaching centers in Kerala are well-equipped to assist students in OET preparation. Experienced trainers will help you prepare and practice all subsections thoroughly and assist you with test booking too. Breffni Academy is a trusted name in OET training. Join now for excellent results.
