When discussing ‘today’s visit’, you are reporting on a completed past event.

However,
you may not necessarily report all details from the visit using the past tense.
While this may sound confusing there are some tips you can follow to help. Here are
some that can help you decide which tense is the right one:
1. Past tense
For details such as test results or vital signs, which were accurate at the time of the visit,
the past tense is appropriate.
Example:
 On examination, the abdomen was tender on palpation.
2. Present tense
For details such as lifestyle choices, the present tense is appropriate
Example:
 Despite previous advice, Mr Hoskings is still smoking 20 cigarettes a day.
3. Present perfect
For details which describe unresolved situations such as improvement or deterioration in
the patient’s condition, the present perfect tense is appropriate.
Example:
 Since her last visit, Mrs Baxter’s pain levels have reduced from an 8 to a 4.
It is fine to use more than one tense within the paragraph describing the visit. But always
make sure you use the correct tense for the meaning you intend so as not to confuse the
reader.

Connectors are an important tool for writing proficiently in English. Their purpose is to
join information together within a sentence.
Using connectors correctly will help ensure the meaning of your sentences are clear for
readers to understand.
When to use connectors?
One way to think about connectors is that they connect sentences, helping the reader
follow the meaning of the sentence.
Connectors are sometimes used to start a sentence, while at other times they can be
placed in the middle position of a sentence.
 Simple connectors (called conjunctions): and, but, or.
 Complex connectors: however, therefore, although, unless, subsequently.
Connectors should offer additional information to the reader. They can do this by
emphasising contrasting meanings, adding reason or cause and showing succession.
What connectors should I avoid?
Some connectors are not suitable for letter writing. These include:
 Academic connectors: furthermore, moreover
 Informal connectors: besides, meanwhile, so.
Additionally, you should be wary of using unnecessary connectors in your sentences.
If you can remove the connector and the sentence still makes sense, then you are using a
connector when one isn’t needed. Avoid this in OET when it is important to write
efficiently without words the reader does not need.
For example:
 Furthermore, Mrs Jones will need to attend a follow-up appointment in 3 days’ time.
Instead, you could simply write:
 Mrs Jones will need to attend a follow-up appointment in 3 days’ time.

Relationship statuses: single, engaged, married, separated, divorced, widowed are

described with the present simple.
It is a fact of a person’s current state even if the event such as the marriage or divorce
happened some time in the past.
Many students make the mistake of using the past simple such as in the example
sentence above.
While the mistake is understandable, it identifies the writer as a non-native speaker and
is an easy one to correct.
I am single.
Mrs Singh is divorced.
Mr Sofia is married.
If it is important to say how long this has been their state, then use the present perfect to
show that the state started in the past and is still in progress:
I have been single since 2010.
Mrs Singh has been married for 40 years.

Some nouns don’t need an article.

This includes all types of therapy:
 physiotherapy (in the example above)
 occupational therapy
 chemotherapy
 cognitive behavioural therapy
Medications are also written without an article e.g.
Mr Khan is prescribed Mylanta and Warfarin.
The only exception to this rule for medication is when a patient is making a specific
request for one dose of something, usually a painkiller e.g.
Can I have a Panadol?

Articles are something which cause lots of non-native

speakers problems.
For many students this is simply because articles don’t exist in their language, which
makes understanding their use difficult.
Lots of medical nouns follow rules for articles. In this example, operation is a type of
procedure. Procedures are countable and so require an article.
Here are some more examples of procedures which require articles:
 blood test
 stool sample
 ultrasound
 exam
 investigation
 CT scan
 biopsy

Don’t use articles with medical conditions, as in the example

above.
All of these conditions do not take an article:
 cancer
 hypertension
 Parkinson’s disease
 dementia
 Chron’s disease
 diabetes
 jaundice
 eczema
As an aside, if the condition has been named after the person who first diagnosed it,
then this person’s name is capitalised.

Always use articles with job roles:

 nurse
 doctor
 physiotherapist
 social worker
Nouns which describe the patient in some way also need articles:
Mr James is a single father of 3 small children.
Here are more examples of nouns which describe patients:
 woman
 man
 smoker
 vegetarian
 grandmother
There are two choices of article which could be used with either
of these groups:
a/an – when referring to one of many as in the main example in the image
the – when referring to one specific person [see examples below]:
An appointment with the hospital dietitian has been arranged.
Mr James is the father of Tom, who was admitted yesterday

Mrs Miles presented with her daughter who is concerned she may have dementia.
Can you identify the problem in this sentence?
There are two women in the sentence: Mrs Miles and ‘her daughter’. Using the female
pronoun, ‘she’ is therefore confusing. Is the daughter concerned she has dementia or her
mother has dementia?
It’s important to pay close attention to this when using pronouns to make sure they
don’t end up causing confusion to the reader. They are a grammar device to avoid
repetition and add clarity but, in the example, above create the opposite effect.

Each time you start a study session for OET, do you start on a fresh topic? Perhaps for
your next study session, try something a little different.
Use your memory better
Instead of starting with something new, spend 5-10 minutes remembering what you
studied in the previous session. The benefit of this is that you are starting the process to
embed the content into your long-term memory.
Apparently, humans need to read something 5 times before they will retain the
information. If you only look at a grammar point once, then you are unlikely to be able
to apply this learning the next time you need to use it.
Start with a quick recall
One way to start your session is with a blank piece of paper or blank document on a
screen. Simply note down what you can recall from the last session. It could be facts you
studied about part of the test or a strategy you learnt to improve your performance.
You can then move into studying something different. Each day, this simple act of
remembering should make each study session have more impact on your overall
improvement and progress towards the test.

When writing your letter, it’s important to know how to end it. While there is a wide
range of informal endings, such as Sincerely, Thank you and Regards, there are only two
suitable options:
 Yours sincerely
 Yours faithfully.
Knowing when you should use Yours sincerely and when should it be Yours faithfully is
not always straightforward.
Getting it right
‘Yours sincerely ‘is the more common option. It is used to end a letter when you know
the last name of the person you are writing to.
If we start the letter with ‘Dear Dr Mensez’ or ‘Dear Ms Brooks’, then we end the letter
with ‘Yours sincerely’.
If you do not know the name of the person we are writing to but instead have their job
title or simply Sir/Madam, then use ‘Yours faithfully’.
For example, if we start the letter ‘Dear Dentist’ or ‘Dear Nursing Manager’, then we end
the letter with ‘Yours faithfully’.

Adverbs can be used to modify sentences to give a general feeling about the
information within it. Take a look at this example:
 “Interestingly, adverbs are not something many candidates feel confident about.”
The use of ‘interestingly’ at the start of the sentence tells us how the writer or speaker
feels. Alternatively, if the writer or speaker found something to feel regret over, they
would have used regrettably or if they felt frustrated with adverbs they would have used
‘frustratingly’.
Adverbs are super useful when speaking to patients as they give them an understanding
about what is coming next. They can prepare them for good news, bad news etc.
Take the quiz!
Can you complete these sentences with the correct sentence adverbs? Choose from:
unfortunately, hopefully, happily, generally, honestly.

1. ____________, I can give you a quick diagnosis by completing a urine dipstick test.
2. ____________, I think it’s unlikely that the consultant will be able to see you next week, but
I can check if she has a cancellation.
3. ____________, I’ve noticed a mole on the back of your leg. I’d like to book you in for a
biopsy.
4. ____________, most patients don’t experience any negative side effects from this
medication.
5. ____________, the itching will reduce in the next 24-48 hours which will give you some
relief but if not, please come back.

We know many OET candidates are preparing for the test while also working full-time.
Understandably, this can be stressful.
We also know that stress can spell bad news for successful study. Balancing work with
study is important to reaching your ideal grade. Putting too much emphasis on one of
the other is not a healthy approach.
To help you, we have put together 4 top tips to help you reduce stress and increase your
chances of success.
1. Make study work for you
When putting time away for study, make sure you select time that fit your schedule. Find
a time for study that works for you.
This could be your lunch break or during your trip to and from work. However, we
understand that most candidates find it easier to focus on OET preparation away from
work.
Plan your study time into your weekly diary and stick to it. Make sure the time you have
set aside is realistic i.e. you won’t be disturbed to pick your children up from somewhere.
 2. Consider taking some time off
If you have some annual leave owing to you, it could be a good option to take some
time away for work to focus on your study.
Additionally, you could also swap some shifts with a fellow co-worker to make sure you
have some space in calendar for continuous study.
Having quiet, uninterrupted time to study can give you the best chance of improving
your skills.
3. Look after yourself
With the stress of balancing work and study, some candidates forget to look after
themselves. While bad habits like eating junk food and staying up late are tempting, they
won’t help you.
Eating healthily, finding a bit of time to exercise or meditate and getting enough sleep
will have a more positive impact on both your work and study.
4. Keep your goal in mind
OET opens doors not just to a new career but also to a new country. Maintain motivation
by putting up inspirational pictures of the country where you want to be in your study
space or as a screensaver to your phone.
Looking at these will remind you of your goal and inspire you to keep working towards
it.

earning correct spelling is hugely important to mastering the English language. It also
plays a role in effective healthcare communication, such as reducing the risk of
medication errors.
This is reflected in OET. But not all parts of OET put the same emphasis on correct
spelling.
So before you sit OET, it’s important to understand that different parts of OET have
different requirements when it comes to spelling.
Make sure you’re clear on these by following these 3 tips:
Listening Part A
Provided the assessor can work out the word you are attempting to spell, and this is the
correct answer, you will get the mark.
Examples:
1. The correct answer is pneumonia. These answers, among other possibilities, are
acceptable: newmonia, neumonea, pnemonia
2. The correct answer is injection. These answers, among other possibilities, are
acceptable: injecktion, injecsion. This answer is not acceptable: infection. The assessor
cannot guess whether you were attempting to write injection and made a typo or
thought the answer was infection.
Tip: If you’re unfamiliar with the spelling of the answer, spell it phonetically (as it
sounds).
Reading Part A
Questions 8-20 may require you to complete a gap or to write a short answer to a
question. Your spelling must be 100% accurate for all your answers.
1. For gap-fill questions, if you have found the correct answer, you will not need to make
any changes to the words in the text. For example, you will not need to change the
 adjective in the text to a noun to make it fit the gap. The correct answer can be lifted as
it is from the text.
2. For short answers to questions, you only need to write the answer, perhaps less than 3
words. You do not need to write a complete sentence.
Tip: Copy the word or words exactly from the text.
Writing sub-test
The accuracy of your spelling is assessed in the Writing sub-test. To achieve a B grade,
you do not have to have perfect spelling but it’s always good to aim for perfection.
1. Some misspelled words will stand out more than others for example: misspelling
writting in the phrase: I am writing to… Or, misspelling sincerly in the closing phrase:
Yours sincerely. Make a good impression and make sure you avoid such simple
mistakes.
2. While both American and British spelling conventions are accepted, you need to be
consistent with your spelling of the same word throughout the letter. For example, if
you use the American spelling of tumor then all other occurrences of this word should
use American spelling rather than the British spelling: tumour.
Tip: Write a list of words you find difficult to spell on a piece of paper or card about the
size of a credit card. Keep it in your purse or wallet then, whenever you have a few
minutes, you can take out the list and revise your spellings.

To many, mirrors are simply common household items. But did you know, they can also be
used to help you better study?
Not only can it can help you build confidence for presentations and practice conversing, it
can also help you visualise pronunciation.
To help we’ve put together three mirror study tricks that will help you improve your
English.
1. Visualise pronunciation
The shape of your mouth plays an important part in the words you speak. Using a mirror
can help you practise sounds or words you find difficult to pronounce.
You can watch the shape of your mouth and try to shape it the same way you have observed
native speakers do.
2. Practise roleplaying
While speaking to yourself can seem strange, but not everybody has the benefit of someone
to speak English with. So, using a mirror to reproduce what a conversation feels like can be
beneficial.
Role-play conversations in front of the mirror if you haven’t got a speaking partner to
practise with. Somehow, having your mirror image to look at while you speak, can give you
the idea you’re having a conversation.
Talking aloud even to the mirror will help both fluency and pronunciation.
3. Build confidence
Tell yourself motivational phrases in front of the mirror. Performance experts rate telling
yourself phrases in the mirror like ‘I can do this’, ‘I am going to achieve my dream’ or ‘I’m
ready’ can improve confidence and mood.
Try these top tips today, perhaps just let others in the house know what you’re up to so they
don’t worry that you’re talking to yourself!
Sitting a high-stakes English test like the Occupational English Test (OET) can be nerve-
racking. All the work you’ve put into learning English and all the new skills you’ve learnt
is for Test Day.
To make sure your day runs as smoothly as possible, it’s essential to understand what
you can and cannot take into the test room. To calm your nerves, we’ve put together the
Ultimate Guide to OET Test Day.
Below you will find information about:
 What to pack
 What you need to do when you arrive
 Special arrangements
 Test Length
Take a look through the first part of our ultimate guide to OET Test Day below.
Checking your venue details
The logistical preparation for Test Day starts long before you arrive at the venue. One of
the first actions you need to take is to check the timetable that was emailed to you.
In this, you will find the time of each sub-test as well as the location of your test venue.
Double-check all of this to make sure you don’t turn up at the wrong time or the wrong
place.
What should I bring?
You need to prepare several items before you arrive at the OET Test Venue.

Don’t forget to bring the ID you used to apply for OET.

1. Valid ID
The most important item you need to bring with you is your valid ID document. You
need to make sure the one you bring is the same one you used to apply for OET.
If you bring the wrong ID, or the ID doesn’t match the document you used during the
application stage, you won’t be allowed to take the test.
2. Stationery
Along with your ID, you can also bring a selected assortment of stationery into the test
room. These are:
 Non-mechanical pens and pencils
 Erasers
 Pencil sharpener
 Clear, plastic water bottle.
Just like when you fly on a commercial plane, OET requires you to place all your
stationery in a clear stationery holder like a pencil case or carry bag. A clear, zip-lock
bag that you use to carry small fluids when you fly is a good example.
Additionally, you will need to ensure you have several sharpened 2B pencils for the
Reading and Listening sub-tests because they are computer marked.
The OET Test Regulations also set out several items you’re not allowed to bring into the
test room. These include:
 Mechanical pens and pencils
 Highlighters
 Correction fluid or tape
 Bags, notes or study materials
 Dictionaries or thesauruses
 Electronic items such as phones, MP3 players, cameras, watches.
You should also bring a bag with you so you can deposit your phone and other
restricted items. For a full list of restricted items, check out the OET Test Regulations.
A good tip is to study with the stationery you will use during the test. This will help you
get comfortable with your chosen pen or pencil as well as the 2B pencil. It will also stop
you using any stationery that is not allowed in the test room.

3. What do I need to do when I arrive?

With all your items packed, it’s time to make your way to the test venue. All candidates
receive a confirmation email once they apply for OET, detailing the date and time of their
sub-tests. Makes sure you read through this thoroughly to ensure you know when and
where you’re sitting the test.
When you arrive, you will be greeted by a member of the venue staff outside the test
room, who will direct you to the cloakroom. Turn off your mobile and take off your
watch, place them in your bag and deposit it along with your coat or jacket. Make sure
you keep hold of your clear plastic stationery holder.
4. ID Check
After dropping off your phone and other restricted items, you will work your way
through the OET Registration process. Firstly, you will need to present your ID Document
(the same one you used to apply for the test).
You will then have your photo taken by a member of the test venue staff.
It is important to remember that if there are any discrepancies between your ID
Document, you won’t be allowed to take the test.
Once the ID check is complete and you have had your photo taken, you will be directed
to a waiting room where you will await the start of the test. This is a good time to go to
the toilet as you cannot leave the room during the Listening test.

In part one, we walked through all steps up until the ID check. These included:
 Checking your venue details
 What you need to bring to the test
 When you should arrive
 The ID check process.
In part two, we will walk through the final steps of the OET Test Day process. You’ll find
information about sitting each sub-test as well as when you can leave the venue.
Take a look at each step below and get prepared for Test Day.
1. What to do when you enter the test room
Following the ID check, you will be asked to enter the test room at the appropriate
time. You will be allocated a desk, so quickly find it and take a seat.
Once everyone is sitting, the invigilator will then read out a set of instructions. Pay
attention as it contains critical information that will help you on Test Day. It also contains
test rules and regulations that you must follow.
For each sub-test, venue staff will hand out personalised test papers. You will need to
make sure your personal information is printed on the papers, before reading and
signing the Candidate Declaration on the front page of your paper, if everything is
correct.

Make sure you check your timetable to guide you on OET Test Day.
If your personal details are wrong, you have the wrong question paper or the question
paper is incomplete or badly printed, you will need to tell the invigilator.
If you’re confused about any of the information that was read out to you, simply raise
your hand and ask them for assistance. However, invigilators are not there to help you
answer test questions.
What order will the sub-tests come in?
You will start with the Listening sub-test followed by Reading, Writing and Speaking,
with a short break between the final two.
However, sometimes the schedule will be different. If you’re taking OET in the Americas,
for instance, your timetable will look a little different.
So, it’s important to check the timetable in the email you received when you applied for
OET.
2. Sitting the Listening sub-test
Once everyone signs the Candidate Declaration, the Venue staff will conduct a
soundcheck. If you cannot hear the words in the soundcheck clearly, tell staff and they
will increase the volume and try again.
The Listening sub-test will start following the completion of a successful soundcheck.
The OET Listening sub-test is comprised of three parts and a total of 42 question items
based on general healthcare topics, which means they are accessible to all 12
professions.
Running for 50 minutes, it includes time to listen to the recorded conversations and
answer the questions.
You can complete Listening Part A with either a pen or pencil. However, for Listening
Part B and C, you will need to use the 2B pencil you brought with you.

If you make a mistake or are unsure how to undertake this part, there are instructions on
the front of the booklet. It’s very important that you follow the instructions carefully, you
may lose marks if you have not entered your answers correctly.
At the end of Part C, you have two minutes to check your answers to all parts of the sub-
test including making changes to your answers.
Once the allocated time is over, you will be asked to put your pens and pencils down,
while the invigilators collect all the papers.
3. Sitting the Reading sub-test
Before the start of the Reading sub-test, Venue staff will read out a new set of
instructions. Once again, listen carefully as it contains key information about the sub-
test.
You will have 60 minutes to complete the Reading sub-test, which consists of three parts
and has a total of 42 question items. The 60 minutes is split into 15 minutes for Part A
and 45 minutes for Parts B and C.
 The Reading sub-test is one of four on OET Test Day.

You will not be able to leave the room during Part A or in the first and last 10 minutes of
Reading Parts B and C. If you need to go to the bathroom during Parts B and C, put up
your hand and you will be escorted there and back by an invigilator.
The sub-test will begin when all the Reading Part A papers are handed out.
It’s important to remember that Reading Part A papers will be taken away before Part B
and C are handed out. This means you won’t be able to go back to Part A once B and C
begin.
Like the Listening sub-test before it, you can use either a pen or a pencil for Part A but
for B and C, you will need to use your 2B pencil.
4. Sitting the Writing sub-test
The Writing sub-test takes 45 minutes and is specific to your profession. Each of the 12
professions will have a unique writing task based on a typical workplace situation.
The papers will be given out by profession, while invigilators remind you that you cannot
write anything during the first five minutes of the test.
Once the Writing sub-test is underway, invigilators will also warn you when there are
only 10 minutes left until the end and again when there are five minutes left.
When the Writing sub-test ends, you will leave the test room. If your Speaking timeslot is
later in the day, you will be able to collect your bag from the cloakroom and leave the
test venue.
This can be beneficial as it allows you to get a bite to eat, go to the toilet or just get
some fresh air to clear your mind.
However, if you do this you will have to undertake the ID check again before you can
enter the waiting room. So, make sure you leave enough time for this process.
5. Time to take the Speaking sub-test
When your Speaking timeslot arrives, you will be asked to enter the room. The
interlocutor will greet you and start the recording device before they check your identity.
You will be asked a few questions to help you relax, but don’t worry, these are not
assessed.
The Speaking sub-test is delivered individually, takes around 20 minutes and consists of
two role plays. Each profession will have specifically designed materials that draw on real
healthcare scenarios.

At the start of each role play, you will be given a roleplayer card. You will also be given
three minutes to read through the card, make notes and ask the interlocutor to clarify
anything you don’t understand. This includes the definition or pronunciation about
words on the card but not about how you should complete the task. Each role play is five
minutes long.
You will not be able to see the time during the Speaking sub-test so keep talking until
the interlocutor tells you to stop. Repeat the process for the second roleplayer card.
It’s important to remember that the interlocutor does not assess you during the
Speaking sub-test. Instead, a recording of your test is sent to an assessment team where
it is assessed later.
6. All over!
When the Speaking sub-test comes to an end, you can collect your belongings from the
cloakroom, and you may leave. You cannot take any of the papers out with you when
you leave.
Make sure you don’t speak to any candidates who are still waiting to complete their
speaking sub-test.
Well done, you’ve finished! Now that the hardest part is over, it’s time to relax before
you receive your results.
If you would like more information about what to expect on Test Day, check out the OET
Test Regulations on our website.

For each recording in Listening Part C, you have 6 multiple-choice questions to answer.
You will not be able to guess the correct answer before the recording time starts. The
recordings are chosen to be accessible to all healthcare professionals and to ensure
everyone has the same chance of success regardless of their experience or expertise. This
means that all the answer options could be right for this situation.
You should use the reading time to understand the key differences between the 3
options, which will help you identify the correct one when the listening starts.
Simplifying Listening Part C answers
39. Because Ted seemed uninterested in treatment, Anna initially decided to focus on:
What he could achieve most easily.
Allowing him to try and help himself.
Making him come to terms with his injuries.
The highlighted section shows what is the most important part of the question. One way
to approach this is to put the section into your own words as you read (i.e. Anna started
with).
If you look at the three answer options, we can see that A and B are different to C.
Specifically, A and B focus on things Ted can do while C focuses on a psychological
aspect of Ted’s recovery process. Again, it may be helpful to simplify C to something
like helping Ted accept his injuries.
Looking at answers A and B, A’s key word is easily while B’s is help himself. If we simplify
these options, we can say that A is easy improvements while B is encouraging
independence.
Putting this all together we now have this simplified question and answer options:
Anna started with:
1. Easy improvements
2. Encouraging independence
3. Helping Ted accept his injuries
Getting the gist of Listening Part C
If we look at the script for this section of the recording:
Ted showed little interest in receiving treatment. Some colleagues at the hospital took the
view that if he stubbornly refused to help himself, there was little they could do, it was his
right, they said. But I didn’t agree. Since Ted couldn’t use his legs or right arm, I made sure
we concentrated on what he could do with his left hand. For example, I worked on
strategies to help him dress himself, and things like that. We even worked on fine motor
skills, like writing with his left hand. I wanted to make sure that even if he didn’t ever
regain use of his right arm, I could at least get him to function by whatever other means
were open to him.
We can see that there is no mention of encouraging independence or working with Ted
to accept his injuries. Instead the gist of this section is on improving the range of
activities Ted can do by himself:
“we concentrated on what he could do with his left hand; help him dress himself, writing
with his left hand; get him to function.”
The OET sample tests available on the our website and those in the profession-specific
Practice Books available for purchase from the OET shop are real examples of tests.
Because they were test papers from previous years, they provide an accurate example of
the test format.
Read them through, thoroughly
The sample tests contain the same instructions you will see on your test day. Before you
take the sample test, it’s important to spend some time reading them carefully. This will
help familiarise you with the process of each part of the test and the way you should
complete the test paper.
The instructions for Listening and Reading Parts B and C includes showing you an
example of how to mark your answers for the multiple-choice questions. While it may
seem easy, people have and do make mistakes filling out the multiple-choice sections.
Remember, it is your responsibility to follow these instructions on test day. As a
computer marks these parts of the test, you may lose marks if you do not follow the
instructions carefully.
Simulate a real test
We recommend taking 1-2 sample tests under test conditions. What this means is
replicating the rules and requirements you will find on test day.
Give yourself reading time, before starting the timer that will run for the allocated time.
Answer the questions in the way set out in the instructions. Do all of this for each part of
the test.
Reading through the test instructions and simulating live test conditions will help you
better manage when the you sit for real on test day,

Writing clear and effective lists

When the information you are writing into a list is simple, you can use commas to
separate individual items.
For example: “he takes metformin, lisinopril and atorvastatin”.
This sentence is clear because the information conveyed is simple, with commas
separating the three different medications.
However, as the information you need communicate becomes more complex, simple
comma base list can become unclear. You might need to provide the reader with extra
detail, such as the dosage and frequency of the medication.
For example: “he takes metformin, 1000mg with his evening meal, lisinopril, 10 mg and
atorvastatin, 20 mg both once a day”.
This sentence loses clarity because of all the commas, 4 in total, which means the
individual medications no longer stand out as they do in the first sentence.
Swap commas for semi-colons
The simple solution to this in the second sentence is to use a semi-colon at the end of
the description of each individual medication. The commas separating the name of the
medication from its dosage can remain as they retain their useful function. The second
sentence will then read:
He takes metformin, 1000mg with his evening meal; lisinopril, 10 mg and atorvastatin,
20mg both once a day.

t is very tempting when trying to achieve something to look for the quick fix, the trick to
make the result you want easy to reach. Just like shortcuts and quick fixes don’t often
work in healthcare, they don’t work when studying for English.
Slow and steady wins the race
Imagine this healthcare situation: a patient needs to make some lifestyle changes to
reduce their blood pressure. They promise to follow all the dietary advice you give them
from tomorrow but only for 1 month. Or they promise to work on their diet making small
regular changes to improve their diet over the next 6 months. Which would you be
happier with?
Although the first promise might have the most significant impact it will not last and will
ultimately be worse from their health than taking the slow and steady changes. The
difference with the slow and steady changes is that they are allowing the patient to make
lasting change.
The same is true for improving your language. Like making lifestyle changes, there are
no quick fixes, it is something which needs work to have any significant and lasting
impact.
Improving your OET score will take work
If you are trying to improve your OET score, then you need to work at it slowly and
steadily. It will come – you have the motivation and the goal to make this happen – but
not through tricks and quick fixes.
Make sure to use of all the study resources available to you from the official Preparation
Portal and avoid websites and individuals offering you the quick fix – they are unlikely to
be able to substantiate their claims.

When you speak to patients, they might be anxious, distressed or even in pain. At such
times, they are unlikely to be able to speak as clearly and fluently as they would in other
situations.
Patients may present you with information and details in a jumbled order or be unable
to answer the questions you have.
As healthcare professionals, it is always important to get the correct information from
your patients. Without this, you might struggle diagnosing or providing the correct care
to them.
Clarifying patient information
Reflecting real scenarios, the Speaking test’s clinical communication criteria requires you
to clarify information the patient tells you.
You might not have understood something, perhaps because of the way the patient was
speaking. Or, you might need to check your understanding of what they have said is
correct.
Try these clarifying expressions
There are several useful expressions that can help you clarify what the patient has said.
We have provided some examples below to get you started.
 Sorry, please can you explain what you mean by _____.
 You’re doing really well to explain what has happened but I don’t understand ______.
 Can you tell me more about _____.
If you want to check you have understood the patient correctly, you could say:
 To recap what you have told me, _______
 Thank you. I just want to check I have understood you correctly. To summarise ______.

We asked our OET Experts for some common mistakes made in the Writing sub-test. Are
you guilty of these top three?
1. Using ‘rule out’ to mean ‘confirm’
Rule out means to eliminate or exclude something which is impossible. However,
sometimes people make the mistake of switching the meaning around.
Example
 The case notes say: pneumonia – ruled out (X-ray).
 The letter written by the student reports: The patient has pneumonia.
In the example above, the X-ray reveals the patient does not have pneumonia i.e. the
exact opposite of what the student wrote.
2. Using ‘complaint’ instead of ‘compliant’
This mistake might be because of a typo as the spelling of the two words is very similar.
Example
 The case notes say: medication – taking regularly as per instructions.
 The letter written by the student reports: the patient is complaint with their
medication.
This sentence gives the suggestion that the patient is unhappy with their medication
because of the misspelling. With the correct spelling, the sentence would explain that the
patient is taking their medication correctly.
3. Using ‘advice’ instead of ‘advise’
This mistake could also be because of a typo but more commonly because the student is
not familiar that one is a noun and the other a verb
Example
 The case notes say: smoking – methods to quit discussed.
 The letter written by the student reports: The patient was adviced to quit smoking.
Here, it should be a verb ‘was advised’ to be grammatically accurate.

Are you aware that changing the prepositions you use in a sentence can change its
whole meaning?
Prepositions are words that show the connection between a noun (or pronoun) and
some other element in the sentence.
Take this example of a result (for example blood test) and a normal range for this
patient:
 The result is above the normal range
 The result is under the normal range
 The result is within the normal range
We’ve put together a quick quiz to help you understand how the use of prepositions
with common medical verbs also changes the meaning of their sentence.
Take the quiz below
Match up the correct parts of the phrase, left and right.
examined by Tuesday
examined under a dermatologist
examined for the pathology lab
examined in abnormalities
examined on anaesthetic
Once you’ve checked your answer, take a look at some of our other Language Quizzes on
the OET Preparation Portal.

Skimming, scanning and identifying meaning

Reading Parts A, B and C require different skills.
In Part A you need to use skimming and scanning skills while managing time pressure. In
Part B you need to read for the gist and main points of each short text, while Part C
requires you to read longer texts to understand the opinions and ideas provided.
It’s important you remember the need for different skills and avoid using the same ones
in the next part. To be successful, you need to purposefully change the skill you’re using.
You will also need to slow down or risk losing marks.
Choosing the right speed and changing your speed
Part A is separate from Parts B and C. There is a short gap while the invigilators collect in
Part A and give out Parts B and C. During this time, consciously try to slow your brain
down.
By the time you reach the end of Part A, you will be racing because it has been scanning
texts to quickly find specific information. If you start Part B in top gear, there’s a high
chance you will make a mistake on the first question as you will be reading it too quickly.
Take a few deep breaths and remind yourself silently to slow down. Remember, Parts B
and C are not a speed test. You have 45 minutes to complete the questions, so take your
time and focus on reading more carefully.

OET’s Listening Part B uses both incomplete and complete questions to assess
your understanding of the recording. It’s important to be able to read and understand
both types.
We’ve got a tip that can help you accomplish this, if you’re having trouble.
Exploring Listening Part B
Listening Part B has 6 multiple-choice questions. Some are complete questions such as:
 What does she warn her colleague about?
 What is the plan for the patient today?
Other questions are incomplete: sentence-completion questions. You need to match the
beginning of the sentence with the best ending from the three options. For example:
 He says that errors in dispensing medication to patients usually result from __.
 The trainee feels the cause of the problem was __.
Some candidates find the sentence completion questions harder. An easy solution to this
is to turn them into a complete question during the reading time.
Completing incomplete questions
Let’s look at an example.
 If the incomplete question is: The trainee feels the cause of the problem was __.
 The complete questions would be: What does the trainee think was the cause of the
problem?
Notice that “feel” was changed to “think”. While it doesn’t have any impact on the
accuracy of the question, it is a clearer word when listening to the recording. If a person
‘feels something is a problem’ saying they ‘think something is a problem’ has the same
meaning.
Can you turn this example incomplete sentence into a complete question?
He says that errors in dispensing medication to patients usually result from __.

Studying for OET is highly important. Failure to prepare properly can mean you won’t
attain your preferred score. However, you also need to be realistic about how you pace
yourself or risk burning out.
Know when to stop
While it’s important to take study seriously, an important skill is setting limits to your
study routine. It can be tempting when preparing for an important step to overdo things.
You risk wearing yourself out before test day and losing confidence in yourself or even
making yourself unwell. Stress can affect your immune system, leading to viral infections
that can impact your chances of success.
Studying effectively
The best way to study effectively and to avoid stressful situations is to draw up a study
plan. This is an organised schedule that breaks up your tasks into manageable times and
goals.
Use a calendar to identify how many weeks you have left before your test date (you can
do this on a device or use a paper calendar). Follow the tips below.
1. Add in other commitments
Study is important but you also need to consider work and other commitments you may
have to family. Add these into your study calendar to make sure you manage it all
effectively.
2. Be realistic
Look at what’s left in your week. Try to find at least one hour a day to study but make
sure you are being realistic. You need to allow time for commuting, relaxing, eating and
sleep. If you don’t give yourself enough time for these 4 things, you will increase your
stress levels and make yourself unwell.
3. Make time for relaxing and sleep
I know, this is a repeat from above but it’s important. You will learn best if your brain
gets a chance to relax and process your study. Plus, you can still practise English while
you relax: watch a movie in English, speak to friends or family in English etc.
4. Feel good before the test
The night before test day, make sure you take some time for yourself, have a bath, do
some yoga, get an early night. Do whatever feels good for you to make sure you wake
up ready to go do your best in the test.

Use every minute you might have to do little bits of study.

 If you regularly travel by public transport then use this time to read. Read something
that interests you in the news, in a journal, in a novel.
 If you travel by car or foot then this is great time to listen to podcasts. Listen to
something informative or something amusing. Both will have positive effects on your
listening skills.
 While you’re standing in the queue at the supermarket or in other shops listen to the
conversations people are having with each other. If the conversation is in English, listen
out for new phrases you might be able to use. If the conversation is in your language,
think how you would say the same thing in English.
What is the best way to prepare for OET?
1. Start early.
Of course it depends on your current level of English but even candidates whose
language level is test ready still need to take time to prepare properly. OET is a high-
stakes English test. This means that your results are used by organisations who require
the highest levels of security and validity from them. After all, successful candidates will
be responsible for the health and safety of patients.
Perhaps it’s helpful to think of it like your driving test. Do you remember the feeling of
learning to drive? Somewhere between excitement and fear? You wouldn’t have
considered booking your driving test until you felt confident that you could perform all
the required manoeuvres, start and stop the car safely and drive in a variety of weather
conditions.
OET is the same. You need to give yourself time to prepare for the different parts of the
test. Even though you will find the context of the test familiar, you shouldn’t assume you
can apply for the test and ace it the first time around if you haven’t taken the time to
prepare. To return to the car analogy, imagine you are taking a second driving test in a
car with the controls on the other side to those you are used to. The country where you
are taking the second test drives on the other side of the road. Although you are a good
driver in your own country, you would still want to take time to prepare and familiarise
yourself with how the car operates from the other side and the road rules of the second
country. It makes sense.
2. Be realistic with yourself.
This relates to the previous point. We know OET is life-changing. Achieving successful
OET grades has the potential to take you and your family to a new country changing the
way you live and work. We want to help you get there as soon as possible BUT you need
to be realistic about how long this will take.
Take one of the sample tests available on our website and mark your answers for
Listening and Reading using the answer key. If you have access to an English teacher or a
friend with native-standard English, ask for feedback on your Writing and Speaking.
Stop.
What were the results? How close are they to where they need to be?
3. Know your weaknesses
Don’t just focus on how many questions you got right or what you did well in Speaking
and Writing. It’s good to know your strengths but it’s much more important to know
your weaknesses.
As you look again at your wrong answers or mistakes, ask yourself these questions:
 Why did I make this mistake? Was it from not reading the question carefully, rushing,
lack of knowledge about grammar, vocabulary etc.
 How can I avoid making this mistake next time? The answer to this question is likely to
relate to your answer to the previous question.
4. Understand the assessment criteria
As well as understanding why you made mistakes, you also need to be clear with what
the assessor is expecting you to demonstrate in the test.
For each part of the test there is information about assessment. For Writing and
Speaking particularly there are level descriptors of each criterion which help you
understand the way OET assessors grade you.
Writing
Speaking
Listening
Reading
5. Improve your skills
Now you have a clear understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, spend time
working to improve them.
This doesn’t mean taking practice test after practice test. All this will do is make you very
familiar with the test format. You won’t come across the same topics and questions on
test day so rather than focusing on the format, focus on your language skills.
Watch the OET Masterclasses. Even if you’ve already watched them once, watch them
again. With your new knowledge of what you need to improve, you will have a clearer
understanding about how to apply the strategies they include.
Join a Facebook Live Q+A session. These are held twice a month and are an opportunity
for you to ask an OET expert your preparation questions.
Enrol in a Preparation Course. It’s not easy studying alone. Our Premium Preparation
course providers offer courses which will make a significant difference to your language
level and give you a better chance of success on test day. If there isn’t one local to you,
choose one of the providers offering online courses.
Self-study. Use the materials available to you on the OET website and @OfficialOET
Facebook page. We update these regularly with tips, language articles, blog posts etc.
Also consider purchasing preparation material from the shop including practice test
books, coursebooks etc.
6. Apply when you are ready.
Don’t rush into applying until you feel confident you have the language skills you need
for the grade you want. I know you are planning your new life already but you’ll get
there a lot quicker if you go cautiously now. With the right preparation, you can take the
test and get the results you want without the need for resits or repeated study. It will pay
off in the long run.

In a general or academic English test, the examiner controls the test by asking questions
for the candidate to answer. But OET is different.
Reflecting real-life interactions
As a healthcare professional, you control the conversations you have with your patients
because you know which information needs to be provided or requested from your
patient. It also helps you to ensure the consultation time is managed efficiently.
As the OET Speaking test replicates real professional-to-patient interactions, you should
take control of the role-play as you would in real-life.
Taking control during OET
You need to start the role-play and move the conversation forward to cover as many of
the tasks as you can in the 5 minutes.
Listening and responding appropriately to the patient is part of managing the
conversation. You should balance the amount of time you talk and the amount of time
you listen.
Knowing that OET is like real-life patient-professional communication is one of the
reasons many candidates pick OET. Not only does it test you in ways you are familiar
with but by preparing for OET, you’re also preparing for work.

OET uses healthcare scenarios to assess your English language skills. It is not a test of
your medical knowledge. Instead, it uses healthcare scenarios to test your English
language skills.
Understanding the difference will help you perform better when you take OET.
Focus on English skills, not your medical knowledge
In the writing test, you do not have to interpret the case notes provided to you in the
task. You shouldn’t justify any of the case notes or add details which are not part of the
case notes. You are not required, and you shouldn’t, make a diagnosis.
Your task is to understand the case notes using your professional knowledge of patients
and communicate this information in letter format using accurate English.
If you do add information or provide justification/ a diagnosis, you may alter what the
Writing task is asking you to do and this may affect your score.
How should I approach the Writing task?
Use the 5 minutes’ reading time you are allocated to go through the case notes. Think
about which information the patient will need to know so they can take the action you
want.
Once the Writing time starts, spend a few minutes planning your letter. This might
include listing the information you will add to each paragraph. Make a final check to
ensure you have included all the important details in your plan before you start writing
your letter.

A common problem for students of English is when to use ‘a’ or ‘an’ and when to use
‘the’.
In the example above, ‘the’ should replace ‘a’. This is because there are many kinds of
diet: low-fat, high-protein, pureed, etc. If the recommendation is for one particular diet,
we write ‘a low-fat diet’.
The use of articles can be confusing, even for native English speakers.
We write ‘the’ when there is only one of something e.g. the Emergency Department or
when the writer and the reader are clear which one is being discussed e.g. the local
council will provide a home-care nurse.

In Listening Part A, you can write the exact word or words that you hear on the
recording.
Your spelling and grammar do not need to be accurate. If the assessor can understand
the word you meant to write and it is the correct answer, they will give you the mark.
Example A
The answer is ‘pneumonia’ but you can’t remember how to spell it. You write
‘newmoanea’. You will receive the mark because:
1. You have written the word phonetically, the assessor can understand you.
2. This answer is correct.
Example B
The answer is ‘headaches’ but you write ‘headache’. The assessor will score you correct
because:
1. Although the plural ‘s’ is missing, it is clear you have heard the right word.
2. This answer is correct.

appy Valentine’s Day! ‘The English-at-home’ partner

Today’s OET study skill is a reminder to make the most of your significant other as a
study resource. Whether this is your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife, your partner
can be a great asset to have around when you’re studying.
There are several ways they can help you. Take a look at how they can help below.
‘The English-at-home’ partner
You can both agree to speak only English at home.
While this doesn’t specifically relate to OET, making English part of your everyday will
help increase how comfortable, confident and fluent you are speaking it.
The ‘role-play’ partner
Your partner can take the role of the patient/ carer when you want to practise role-play
tasks.
It’s helpful if they speak to you just like a real patient would.
If the role card says the patient is frustrated or nervous then you want your partner to
behave this way. If they don’t understand something you have told them, they should
ask you to clarify.
This will help you get experience of what it will be like on test day.
The ‘listen and inspire’ partner
Talk to your partner about your study and what you feel are your strengths and your
weaknesses. They may not be able to help you with them, but they can listen and
encourage you.
Having someone around to talk with can help you figure out where you need to focus
and even inspire you to work harder.
For those still looking for a Valentine, call up your friends. They can do all of the above
too.

We understand this might be common practice where you work or in your healthcare
system. As OET is a language test, one of its criteria is ‘appropriateness of language’
which assesses your ability to write appropriately about the situation.
In English, it is polite to refer to patients by their name rather than as ‘the patient’.
You could think about it in another way too.
The person you are writing to is responsible for hundreds of patients. It is clearer for
them if you use the specific patient’s name about whom you are writing in your letter.
This helps them identify which of their patients you are writing about and understand
the contents of your letter more quickly.
The importance of opinions
Part of the testing focus in Listening Part C is to check your understanding of opinions. In
your work day you will hear many different opinions from both colleagues and patients.
Often the presentation of one opinion will lead to a response with a second opinion
which may agree or disagree with the original opinion. To interact confidently in the
English-speaking healthcare environment, you will therefore need to be able to identify
when an opinion is being given and what the opinion is.
There are clues in the questions which require you to focus on an opinion. These can be
quite obvious clues such as:
In Dr Gibbens’ opinion,…
Or, the clues can be slightly less obvious e.g.:
How does Dr Gibbens feel about…?
Other words used in questions which give clues that an opinion is the focus are:
believe, think, view, impressed
When listening for the answer to the question, listening out for the person’s name can
be useful although the answer may not be said right after the name. Additionally, if it’s a
presentation and the opinion you are listening for is provided by the main speaker, then
they won’t say their name at all. You will also need to listen for synonyms of other
important words in the question and answer options.
Example question
Dr Robson thinks the short-term priority in the fight against
Chagas is to
A increase efforts to eliminate the insects which carry the
parasite.
B produce medication in a form that is suitable for children.
C design and manufacture a viable vaccine.
Here is the script for this question:
Plenty. Researchers are working on improved drugs to treat it,
and a vaccine, none currently exists, but it takes at least ten
years to supply a new drug. Another idea is to develop the
existing drugs in tablets of different sizes. That could and
should be done almost overnight. What’s currently available is
designed for adults, even though infants often have the
disease. There are also some very important programmes
using insecticides and other methods to wipe out the bugs
that transfer Chagas to humans, but initiatives like those take
decades rather than years.
Short-term is a really important word in the question. In the text we can see ‘at least ten
years’ ‘almost overnight’ and ‘decades rather than years’. Only one of these ‘almost
overnight’ is a good synonym for short-term.
The three different ideas (answer options) are:
working on improved drugs and a vaccine – takes at least 10 years [this is answer option
C];
develop existing drugs in different size tablets – almost overnight; [see below]
wipe out the bugs that transfer Chagas to humans – take decades [this is answer option
A].
Answer B is correct and we can hear this by listening before and after the words relating
to short-term, the part mentioned above but also – what’s currently available is designed
for adults, even though infants often have the disease.

Here’s how to read for success in Reading Part C

The topics of the 2 Reading Part C texts are of general healthcare interest aimed at
intelligent professionals. They are the types of text you might read in your free time to
keep your understanding current of how medicine and medical practices are changing.
Alternatively, they are the type of text which might have been recommended to you by
your manager for professional development.
How do you read these texts in your first language? Do you:
A – skim through the contents focusing on specific facts and dates which are presented?
B – read quickly to understand the message the writer is trying to communicate in the
text?
C – read slowly and carefully to understand every word?
You need to understand the writer’s opinion
You my have answered A, B or C but for the types of texts in Part C, answer B is the
strategy which will work best for you. The texts are opinionated. They may include the
writer’s opinions but also the opinions of others who have also completed research on
the same topic. The opinions may agree or disagree with each other. Opinions can be
explicit e.g. Crowther disagrees. Or they can be more implied e.g. the beauty of the idea,
in my opinion, is its simplicity.
Several of the questions in Part C require you to demonstrate your comprehension of the
writer’s opinions and line of argument. You can only understand this by focusing on the
overall meaning of what they are communicating. The facts and the details may provide
evidence for the opinion but are not your main priority.
Candidates who struggle with Reading Part C are often reading the text looking to match
key words from the question or answer options. Instead, you need to read the text in
English exactly as you would read it in your first language: to understand the meaning
behind what the writer is saying.
Use quotation marks to report the patient’s words.
Sometimes, it can be useful to directly quote the patient’s words or expressions in a
formal letter. Rather than trying to paraphrase the words, it can be clearest to simply use
the patient’s own words to convey their meaning.
To show the word or phrase is a quote, they should be within quotation marks.
Mrs Holbrook stated that losing weight was “not of interest at
the moment”.

Use the context statement in Listening Part B

The audios in Listening Part B can be a monologue (one person speaking) or a dialogue
(two people speaking).
A context statement is above each question and the 3 answer options. It gives clues
about how many people will speak in the recording. It also provides useful information
about the healthcare professions of the people speaking. These clues will help you start
to imagine the conversation and the kind of contents they might discuss before the
recording starts.
For example:
You hear a dietitian talking to a patient.
The use of talking to (rather than a verb like discussing) suggests the dietitian will do
most of if not all the talking. You can imagine the dietitian will explain to or inform the
patient about an aspect of their diet.
Here’s another example:
You hear members of a hospital committee discussing
problems in the X-ray department.
Although members can mean any number more than 2, you will only ever hear a
maximum of 2 people speaking in OET. ‘Discussing problems’ suggest they are problem-
solving together.
Listen to the context sentence as it is read aloud to you before your 15 seconds to read
the question and answer options. Picture the situation in your mind. This will help you
access the recording more easily.

Time management is crucial in the Reading test

The timing for Reading Parts B and C is combined. You have 45 minutes to complete
both parts. It’s very important that you manage your time carefully in Part B to leave
yourself enough time for Part C. Different candidates will do this differently as there’s no
rule about how long you should spend on Part B so don’t be distracted by what another
candidate is doing.
If you think about it logically, there are 6 questions for Part B and 16 questions for Part C
which works out at 2 minutes per question. You could allow yourself 12 minutes to
complete Part B with this reasoning.
However, Part B questions have only 3 answer options to choose from while Part C
questions have 4 answer options. Part C questions are more involved and require deeper
understanding of the text compared to Part B.
With this in mind, perhaps allowing 90 seconds per Part B question, 9 minutes in total is
more realistic. To keep things simple, you could round this up to 10 minutes to allow you
a few more seconds on any question which you are not sure about. After 10 minutes you
can then move on knowing you have 35 minutes left for Part C.
It’s up to you. No-one in the test room will tell you what to do. You can spend less than
10 minutes. You can spend more than 10 minutes. As long as you keep one eye on the
time, you can make the decision on the day.

The patient holds the answers in Listening Part A

Imagine you are speaking to a patient. You ask them to tell you about their recent
history, symptoms and concerns. While you listen, you take notes of what they are
saying to you. You don’t write down everything you hear. Instead you include the most
important points which will help you to decide the best treatment route for them. Some
of what they say you simplify into medical language because this is what is most familiar
to you.
This is essentially a Listening Part A task. What you are reading are the healthcare
professional’s notes. What you are listening to is the patient answering the professional’s
questions and providing their own information. There will be a lot of words that are the
same but occasionally, they will express something in words familiar to them which are
written differently in the notes.
Understanding this can help you follow the notes provided so you can keep track of the
recording during each Listening Part A consultation. It can also avoid confusion when the
patient uses slightly different language to the professional’s notes.

Reading Part A
In Reading Part A there are 3 types of questions:
 Matching
 Gap fill
 Short answer
Questions 1-7 will always be matching. Matching given information to the correct text (A,
B, C, D). Questions 8-20 will be in 2-3 sections of either gap-fill or short answer
questions. The best way to answer these questions will be to use scanning techniques.
Scanning skills
Scanning is when you look quickly for a particular detail in a small amount of text. Before
you start scanning, you will already have a good idea what detail it is you are looking for.
This will help you move your eyes quickly over the page to find what you want to know.
In Reading Part A, you will find this information from the question.
In a gap-fill task, the words around the gap will help you identify what type of word you
are looking for. They also act as key words to scan for in the text to narrow down what
you need to read to maybe 1 or 2 sentences.
Here’s an example:
Make sure the patient isn’t wearing
any (17) _______________________ on the part of the body where
the plaster backslab is going to be placed.
In this sentence, the words before the gap ‘wearing any’ and the words after the gap ‘on
the part of the body’ tell us that the missing word is going to be a plural noun. It could
be an adjective + a noun. The verb ‘wearing’ also helps to narrow the category of the
noun to words for clothes or other items worn on the body.
The words ‘plaster backslab’ are key words to scan the text for to help you find the exact
noun (+ adjective) which will complete this gap. Answering questions 1-7 will have given
you a good idea of how the contexts of 4 texts are different. This will help you start with
the 1 text you think is most likely to contain the key words.
More information about Matching strategies.

Skimming will help you answer Questions 1-7 in Reading Part

A
In Reading Part A there are 3 types of questions:
 Matching
 Gap fill
 Short answer
Questions 1-7 will always be matching. Matching given information to the correct text (A,
B, C, D). The best way to answer these questions is to use skimming reading techniques.
Skimming is when you move your eyes quickly over the page
using headings and visual features like bullet points or lists to
find the information you are looking for.
To skim effectively, you don’t need to start at the beginning of each text or read every
word. Instead pick out what specific information it is you are looking for in the question
and then move your eyes quickly over the text until you find it.
In the first minute of the Reading Part A test, it’s a good idea to quickly read the
headings and sub-heading of each of the 4 texts A-D to get a general understanding of
each text and how it is different. This will then help you to go to the most likely text to
contain the answer when you start skimming for the answer to the first question.

I’m worried about the patient’s name in the role-play. Do I

need to ask the interlocutor for a name?
This is a common question asked during our Facebook Q+A Live events and also
through messages sent to Facebook and our helpdesk team.
The answer is: No, you don’t.
Instead, what you can do is one of 3 things:
1. Use the interlocutor’s name which they tell you when you meet them in the Speaking
test room.
2. During the preparation time before the role-play, ask the interlocutor which name they
would like you to use.
3. Choose a name for the patient and use it at the start of the role-play. The interlocutor
will accept this and respond to it.
Of course, you can ask the patient their name during the role-play but remember you
have a time limit. OET recommends not spending time on this minor detail but rather to
give as much time as you can to completing the tasks.
Give the assessor proof of your ability
The communication criterion for Speaking, relationship building, requires you to
demonstrate that you can initiate the conversation appropriately. This means showing
your ability to start the conversation in a way which is suitable for the setting and your
familiarity with the patient. It shows good variety to the assessor if you can start each
role-play in a different way e.g.
 You are speaking to a patient who underwent a colonoscopy last week and has
returned for the results
[This situation is likely to be non-urgent and suggests you have met the patient before]

Hi Dawn, thanks for coming back for your results today. How
have you been this last week?
 You are speaking to the parent of a 3-year-old admitted an hour ago with breathing
difficulties.
[This situation is likely to have caused anxiety for the mother and you are unlikely to
have met him/her before]

Hello Steph, my name’s Greeta, I’m one of the nurses who’s

been caring for your daughter. I’ve come to give you an
update but also to find out some more background
information from you. Is that OK?

The skill of answering multiple-choice questions

Listening and Reading Parts B and C are multiple-choice question tasks. This means that
you need to work on improving these skills to help you feel calm and confident about
them on test day.
Listening Parts B and C are three-option multiple choice questions meaning that for each
question there are 3 possible answers: A, B, C. Reading Part B is also three-option but
Reading Part C is four-option meaning that there are 4 possible answers for each
question: A, B, C, D.
Of course, the beauty of multiple-choice questions is that the answer is on the page.
Compared to other question types where you have to pick out the answer from what you
hear or read, with multiple-choice questions you don’t; it’s given to you.
The downside to this is that some test takers take quite a simple approach to multiple-
choice questions believing it will be easy to spot the correct answer from the incorrect
ones. With skill and strategies such as the ones below, it can be possible to consistently
select the correct answer BUT it takes practice. After all, a pass grade at OET is providing
proof to regulators and employers that you have proficient English skills in Reading and
Listening.
Strategy 1 – understand the question
The question contains a lot of essential information to help you choose the correct
answer option but you have to read it carefully. There are two types of question used by
OET:
1. A short answer question e.g. What is being described in this section of the guidelines?
2. A sentence completion question e.g. If vaccines have been stored incorrectly,
Some students find the second type of question more difficult to understand because it
is not phrased as a question. The idea is that you read the start of the sentence with each
of the options to decide which is the best way to complete it.
It may be helpful to turn the incomplete sentence into a question so you feel clearer
about its meaning e.g.
If vaccines have been stored incorrectly… → What is the result
of incorrect storage of vaccines?
Strategy 2 – understand the options
In Part B answer options, read the verb in the question and focus on both what this verb
means but also how it is different to the verbs in the other options e.g
 reported
 disposed
 sent back
Put the verbs into your own words as this makes sure you really understand them. It is
also likely that you will hear or read synonyms rather than the exact same words which
are written:
 tell someone else, perhaps a manager
 throw in the bin
 return to where it came from

Strategy 3 – keep concentrating

I don’t know about you but when I take an OET practice test, I’m always surprised by
how quickly I lose concentration. This is particularly true when I’m listening. I think I’m
focusing on the question and answer options but then, suddenly, I realise I’ve been
thinking about dinner and I’ve missed most of the recording for that answer. It’s easily
done even when you’re a native speaker. You will have to be vigilant on your
concentration. Do not let your mind wander. For this reason, we recommend you don’t
practise using headphones as most test venues don’t provide these on test day. If you
are only familiar with listening through headphones, you are likely to find yourself
distracted by the noises of what’s going on around you. This is how it’ll be in real life
when you’re listening to patients and colleagues so it’s best to stop using headphones
now to prepare for both the test and the workplace now.
Strategy 4 – move on
All of the multiple-choice questions are independent. This means they don’t require you
to get the previous question correct to be able to get the next question correct. If you
find you have missed an answer in Listening or you can’t easily answer a question in
Reading, move on. If it’s Listening, make a guess based on your understanding of what
you heard. For Reading, also make a guess so you have the answer on the paper within
the time limit but perhaps come back to it if you have time at the end for a second
check.
We’ll keep suggesting tips and strategies for the test but the best place to start is
our Masterclasses which you can download for free and present a lot of important
information very concisely.

Do your best on test day

Each month, in the days leading up to the test, OET posts a message on Facebook saying
‘it’s your time to shine’. What we mean by this is that it’s now the time to show the
assessors the best of your English communication skills. Having done as much
preparation as you can: watching the Masterclasses, taking some sample tests, using the
Start for Success pack etc. you can only do your best.
In September, OET launched the first version of the updated test. Leading up to this, we
had offered updated practice materials, run candidate roadshows and Facebook Live
Q+A sessions. We wanted to make sure that candidates understood the new test format
and would feel comfortable taking the test. The feedback that we received from
September candidates was completely positive. Candidates told us they could see the
relevance of the new test tasks. They said the tasks linked to the work they would do as
healthcare professionals once they were registered to work in an English-speaking
environment. They said they liked the changes to the format as they felt it made it more
accessible to them.
If you are taking the test today, you may have been feeling concerned about the new
test format and even waiting to see what the feedback from candidates was. This is
completely understandable because no-one likes change. The good news is our
candidates have voted and reported that they like the updated test.
Follow the instructions to complete your answers
There was just one problem in September which we really want to help candidates taking
the test in October and beyond to avoid. The problem resulted from candidates not
following the instructions clearly printed on the front of the Reading and Listening
question booklets. These instructions, which you can see below, explain how answers for
Reading and Listening Parts B and C must be recorded:
These parts of OET are computer marked, so it is essential you follow the instructions
exactly. For each question you need to fill in the circle of the letter you believe is the
correct answer in pencil. This is the only answer the computer will accept. The computer
doesn’t recognise lines, ticks, crosses or circling the answer. You will receive zero for any
answers recorded like this.
In our official practice books and the sample tests available on the OET website, you will
find similar instructions to complete your answers to these parts of the test. Unofficial
materials may not have these instructions but they are inaccurate and should not be
trusted.
On test day
If you are unclear what to do before the test starts or during the test, put up your hand
and an invigilator will help you. Make sure you have a 2B pencil and an eraser in your
test-day stationery kit. The eraser will allow you to erase any answer you later decide is
incorrect and enter a new answer.

Use the interviewer in Listening Part C to assist you with the

questions
Listening Part C is the third and final section of the OET Listening sub-test.
Part A assesses your ability to identify specific information during a consultation, while
Part B tests your ability to identify the detail, gist, opinion or purpose of short extracts
from a healthcare workplace.
Part C, on the other hand, asks you to follow a recorded presentation or interview based
on accessible healthcare topics. You will answer six multiple-choice questions for each
extract.
During Part C, it’s really important to answer the questions confidently and keep track of
when each question starts and ends. Fortunately, we have a handy strategy for this
below.
The interviewer in Listening Part C
In Listening Part C, one of the audios you will hear will likely be an interview with a
healthcare professional.
This interview could be about their work or research they have been involved in
recently. The interviewer will ask the professional questions to find out more details
about their work or research and their opinions on it.
The interview will be based on an accessible topic for all healthcare professionals who
can sit OET.
Use the audio to keep track of your progress
Before the audio starts, there are 90 seconds for you to read the 6 multiple-choice
questions. You will notice, that the interviewer’s questions indicate a new question for
you to answer.
This is extremely helpful as it keeps your place in the recording. You will know precisely
when one question has finished and the next starts.
Even if you find one question difficult to answer, you know when the interviewer asks
their next question, it’s time to choose an answer and move on, with the recording, to
the next question.
It’s really important to keep track of where you are in the sub-test. It not only ensures
you stay within the time-limit but it can also help you get ready for the next question.
For more helpful tips like these, make sure you check out the OET Blog on our
Preparation Portal.

Reference words are extremely common

In Reading Part C, 1 of the questions about each text will be a reference question. These
questions test your understanding of how words such as ‘this’ or ‘it’ are used in specific
sentences. Once you understand how these words are used in texts, they can be quite
straight forward questions to answer.
Here’s an example:
OET is the English test for healthcare professionals. It has
been around for over 30 years.
Here, ‘it’ is used to avoid repeating the main noun in the previous sentence: OET. To be
confident you have chosen the correct answer option, try replacing your answer with the
underlined word in the question. If the sentence still makes sense then you are likely to
be correct.
Here’s an example using this:
Many patients dislike the idea of hospitals. Results of a survey
on this topic showed a significant proportion said it was
because of the smell.
Here ‘this’ is more hidden in the second sentence and it replaces a noun phrase ‘the idea
of hospitals’ rather than a single noun. It’s important to remember that reference words
refer back to the main idea even if other nouns are mentioned.
When you start looking for them, words like ‘it’, ‘this’ and ‘that’ can be seen everywhere
in texts making it easy for you to practice identifying the main noun they are replacing.

Use the 15 seconds in between each of the audio

recordings to help you find the correct answer
Listening Part B consists of six short recordings that will be played to you. Before you
hear each audio, you will have 15 seconds to read both the question and possible
answers.
During this time, don’t forget to spend a few seconds reading the context sentence next
to the question number. This sentence contains useful information, such as:
 The speaker’s profession
 The speaker’s audience e.g. colleagues, a patient etc.
Spend the rest of your allocated time reading the question carefully and noticing the
important differences between the 3 answer options.
“Narrowing down” your choices
As you are listening to the recordings, you can cross out any information from the
answer options that is not get mentioned. By doing this, you will help yourself identify
which is the best answer.
By applying a process of elimination to the listening phase of the recording, you can
give yourself a better chance of choosing the right answer.
You can also make notes about what you hear! But make sure you don’t get distracted
and stop listening carefully to the audio.
At the end of the audio, you have 5 seconds to shade in your answer on your booklet.
This format is the same for all 6 recordings. If you use the most of every second of the
timing, you shouldn’t feel pressured.
You can practice this strategy by downloading one of our samples tests and timing
yourself on each audio question.
Head over to the Official OET Preparation Portal to download sample tests or access any
of the other great learning resources we have available.

How text type information can help you find the answer
For each Reading Part B question, the type of text you read to decide your answer is
provided. The types of texts in Reading Part B are those you will commonly read in your
workplace. As each text in Part B is short (around 150 words) you may not be given the
whole text but a section of it.
Examples of the texts you might read are:
 memos
 guidelines
 manuals
 emails
It’s good to take notice of the text type as you read the question because it helps your
brain to recall other examples of the same text type you have read. For example, emails
follow a standard format which your brain remembers: reason for writing, detail, request/
follow up. Knowing the format can make finding information or understanding the main
idea in the text easier.

How much preparation do I need?

Have you heard of the expression ‘how long is a piece of string’? It’s a popular British
expression meaning the topic in question can’t be given an exact measurement.
Deciding how much preparation you need before you’re ready for OET is not an exact
measurement. However, there are three key elements that will roughly determine how
long you will need to study to reach the OET score you want.
The length of preparation you need will depend on the following:
 Your current level of English
 How much time you have available for regular study
 Your previous test-taking experiences (and how long ago these were)
Let’s take a look at each one of these elements and how you can determine the length of
time you will need to prepare for.
1. Your current level of English
If you have taken another English test within the last 2 years, your results will provide a
good indicator of your current level of English. They will also identify your strengths and
weaknesses in the 4 skills of Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.
If it’s been more than 2 years since you took an English test or studied English, you can
take a placement test through one of our Premium Preparation course providers. This will
help to determine your current level of English and how much time you will need to
improve your skills to achieve the grade you want.
If your recent test or placement test results show your current level of English is close to
a B grade already, you may only need a few weeks to familiarise yourself with the OET
format. On the other hand, if the results show you are a C+ or C grade at the moment,
then you will need more time to improve.
There are no shortcuts to passing a high-stakes English test. You have to put the time
and effort in to get the result you want.
2. How much time you have available for regular study
As healthcare professionals, we know many OET candidates are already working within
the healthcare field. In addition, many candidates have busy family lives. Finding time for
regular study can be hard.
While you are no doubt enthusiastic about getting stuck into your preparation, you need
to be realistic about how much time you have to prepare for OET. If you are only going
to be able to allocate a few hours a week then you will need to prepare for longer.
Alternatively, if you have the option to commit to a period of full-time intensive study,
then the preparation time can be reduced.
3. Your previous test-taking experiences
A big part of success on test day is confidence. Confidence that you have prepared to
the best of your ability but also confidence that comes from success in previous test-
taking experiences.
If you have been unsuccessful in past test experiences, this will have an impact on how
you feel on an OET test day. It may mean that you want to spend longer preparing for
OET to build up your confidence again and make sure you feel ready for the test.
The reward of good preparation
Another English expression, admittedly not so frequently used as the first one, is ‘don’t
put the cart before the horses’. It means don’t do things in the wrong order. Or in other
words, don’t apply for or sit for the test until you have prepared thoroughly.
If you do things in the proper order for as long as it takes you to be personally ready for
the test, then the results you receive will reward you.

Once you finish your OET, your papers are sent back to Australia and then graded by
trained OET Assessors! Your answer booklets are assigned to the assessors at random to
avoid any conflict of interest, while Parts B and C of Reading and Listening are computer
scanned and scored automatically.
We believe that fairness and reliability are essential to the assessment of your OET
performance, which is why we take extra precautions. For instance, we:
 Do not provide your background or demographic information to assessors to avoid
conflicts of interest.
 Double mark your answers to make sure your final scores are accurate
 Grade your tests in a single location to prevent regional variation.
Our assessors also use a marking guide for the Writing and Speaking sub-tests that help
them score your answers accurately. What you might not know is that you can also use
them to help you study!
Have you read the Writing and Speaking assessment
criteria?
To grade your Writing and Speaking papers, OET assessors use a series of marking
criteria. Reading and understanding what the assessor is looking for will really help you
to practise this as you prepare AND produce this on test day.
There are six assessment criteria for Writing:
 Purpose: Whether the reason for the letter is apparent from the start and developed
throughout the course of the letter
 Content: Whether the required information is included in the letter and is accurate for
the reader
 Conciseness and Clarity: Whether the letter omits relevant information and is an
effective summary for the reader
 Genre and Style: Whether the register, tone and use of abbreviations are appropriate
for the reader
 Organisation and Layout: Whether the letter is organised and well laid out for the
reader
 Language: Whether the accuracy of the grammar, vocabulary, spelling and
punctuation communicates the necessary information to the reader
For the Speaking sub-test, there are two types of assessment criteria: Linguistic criteria
and Clinical Communicative criteria.
Linguistic Criteria includes:
 Intelligibility: The impact of your pronunciation, intonation and accent on how clearly
your listener can hear and understand you
 Fluency: The impact of the speed and smoothness of your speech on your listener’s
understanding
 Appropriateness: The impact of your language, tone and professionalism on your
listener’s understanding and comfort
 Resources of Grammar and Expression: The impact of your level of grammatical
accuracy and vocabulary choices on your listener’s understanding.
Clinical Communicative Criteria includes:
 Relationship-building: The impact of your choice of opening to the conversation and
demonstration of empathy and respect on your listener’s comfort
 Understanding and incorporating the patient’s perspective: The impact of how
fully you involve the patient in the conversation on your listener’s understanding and
comfort
 Providing structure: The impact of how you organise the information you provide
and introduce new topics for discussion on your listener’s understanding
 Information-gathering: The impact of the type of questions you ask and how you
listen to the responses on your listener’s understanding
 Information-giving: The impact of how you provide information and check this
information is being understood on your listener’s comfort and understanding
Assessors do not count how many mistakes you make. Instead, they assess your Writing
and Speaking against how closely they match these criteria. The Linguistic criteria
contribute more to your final grade than the Clinical Communicative criteria.
You can download and view both the Writing and Speaking criteria from our website:
 Writing criteria
 Speaking criteria.

Accents of English
Millions of people around the world speak English but they don’t all sound the same.
Even the main English-speaking countries such as the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand
and South Africa can have a wide variety within the same country.
The Listening test includes many different voices.
 Listening Part A includes 4 speakers.
 Listening Part B includes up to 12 speakers.
 Listening Part C includes up to 4 speakers.
You will hear a variety of accents so it is good to practise listening to a wide range as you
prepare for the test. All the speakers will speak clearly and be understood by you but if
you are more familiar with one accent than another, without practise, you might feel less
confident if a different accent is used.
A good way to listen to different accents is radio programmes from the different
countries including:
Australia
The UK
The US

Use English all the time

You may already be living and working in an English speaking environment. If you are
not, committing to using English everyday may feel harder but it’s the only way to really
improve your skills before the test.
Don’t see using English as something you do only when practising for the test in
particular parts of your day. From the moment you wake up to the moment you go to
sleep try to use English, even inside your head! You may need to explain your decision to
family and friends so they are able to help you with your goal.
If you have decided a career move to an English-speaking environment is one you want
to make, then putting 110% into your preparation will be worth it. Of course, once you
are successful, you are going to be using English more frequently anyway so it’s good to
start getting used to it now.

Get your test day stationery kit decided now.

The OET test day regulations include information about stationery that is and isn’t
allowed on test day. You can use any of the following:
 non-mechanical pens
 non-mechanical pencils
 erasers
 pencil sharpeners
Your choice should be about what you feel most comfortable using and how you prefer
to deal with mistakes you make. Do you prefer to cross out mistakes clearly in pen and
carry on? Do you prefer to erase pencil mistakes and write the correction over the top?
For Reading and Listening Parts B and C, you will need both a pencil and an eraser as
this part of the test is computer-marked and specifically requires you to use a pencil.
You can take your stationery into the test in a clear plastic bag, similar to those used at
airports for gels and liquids less than 100ml.
Start using your test day stationery now so it feels comfortable and familiar on test day

Use practice tests wisely.

It can be tempting to believe that you will improve your score by doing more and more
practice tests. One thing you will improve is your familiarity with the test format. This is
important and will help you to feel comfortable on test day.
What practice tests can’t improve is your language level. Whenever you take a practice
test you should do the following afterwards:
 1. Check your answers for Listening and Reading. Don’t just focus on how many you got
correct. Instead, focus on why you got questions wrong. Try to understand the reason
for your error: not being careful enough, misunderstanding the question, not writing
enough detail etc.
2. If possible, get some feedback on your Speaking and Writing. If you are enrolled in an
OET preparation course, your teachers will be able to do this. You need to understand
how well you communicated in English. This is more than just accuracy of your English.
It includes how appropriate the content you included was and how clearly you
presented this.
3. Do some work to improve your weaknesses. Study grammar and vocabulary, practise
the skills in non-test situations.
Once you have done these 3 things, then it’s time to give another practice test a try. If
you use the tests in this way then you won’t need to complete so many of them as it will
be a case of quality over quantity.

Your reader is the most important consideration in the

writing test
Follow this handy strategy to keep the reader in the front of your mind:
R is for relevance – make sure you select information which is relevant to the current
situation. Anything which is not relevant can be omitted.
E is for explain – make sure you explain the details of the situation logically. Using time
expressions can help the reader understand the order of events.
A is for accuracy – to make your letter as clear as possible you need to demonstrate
good grammatical accuracy in a range of tenses.
D is for division – make sure you divide your letter into clear paragraphs. Order the
paragraphs in terms of how important the information is to the reader.
E is for ending – make sure your reader has a clear understanding at the end of the letter
of what action you require from them.
R is for reason – make sure you include the reason for writing at the start (usually
provided in the Writing Task). This helps the reader understand the purpose of your
letter.

How are you practising and improving your listening skills?

Are you one of those people who are always plugged into their headphones? It’s not
something I’m very keen on but I do have friends who pass their commuting hours
listening to a wide variety of content.
To improve your skills you need to ensure you practise them little and often. Listening
while you travel to work, walk to the shops or cook dinner are all good examples of
times when you can get some listening practice in.
What should you listen to?
A good place to start is with things you already listen to and/ or enjoy – as long as it’s in
English! This could be as simple as listening to music with English lyrics. Try to focus on
the words the singer is singing. It can be quite hard to pick out some individual words
because of how they are pronounced in the song. Even if you can’t pick out every word,
can you understand the main point? This is a really good listening skill to develop for
OET as, in the test, there are likely to be words and phrases you don’t understand. You
will need to develop confidence to make a guess at the meaning of these words or
ignore them so you do not miss the audio that is continuing while you worry about
them.
Podcasts have become really popular in the last few years and there are podcasts for
almost every topic now. Some are available for free and some require a subscription.
Many are available on the topic of health and these will provide very good practice
material for Listening Part C.
Some examples of these are:
https://www.ted.com/topics/health
http://abcradio.com/podcasts/motivated/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p002vsyw/episodes/downloads [Health Check]
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/healthreport/
While you listen to podcasts, don’t just listen for the meaning of the words the speaker
uses but the point and opinion the presenter or speaker is giving you. You can ask
yourself these questions:
 How does the speaker feel about the topic they are presenting? Are they for or against?
 Do you agree with the speaker’s opinion?
 How is the general public likely to respond to this opinion?
OET Listening skills
Of course, for OET, there are a couple of other skills for you to practise. Part A requires
you to listen to a consultation and Par B to conversations between professionals or a
professional and a patient. The best way to practise this, if you have access to native
speakers, is to take off your headphones and listen in to other people’s conversations.
You want to hear the way English speakers maintain a conversation: how they respond to
each other, how they change topic, how they agree or disagree with each other’s views.
You also want to listen to the expressions lay people use: the idioms and phrases they
use to discuss sensitive subjects for example. These will all provide you with good
practice for the content of Part A.
Finally, you need to build up your ability to write as you listen. Doing the two skills at
once will take practice. It is especially important that you don’t stop listening as you
write so you don’t miss key details that are part of the answer. This will be practice you
need to do when you are not moving around and you can access pen and paper.
Listen often for the best results
In summary, listening often, listening to a variety of audio and listening in a variety of
ways is going to be the best way to ensure success on test day.
Sources of information worth checking out
The Speaking test is profession specific but your profession is broad. There is a good
chance that the topic you role-play will not be one you would talk about everyday in
your work. Although your medical knowledge is not being assessed, you will feel more
confident about what you are saying if you feel you know something about the topic.
It’s a good idea to look through the notes and textbooks you will have used when you
were first training for your profession. This training will likely have covered a lot of
general topics before it became more specialist towards the end.
Another source of information are health websites. The World Health Organisation has a
lot of useful factsheets about many health topics. You can also refer to sites aimed at the
general public which will explain topics in clear English.
http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/
https://www.nhs.uk/pages/home.aspx

To be successful in Reading Part A, follow the 6 easy steps of this strategy.

When you start Reading Part A practice, read the titles of each text. These provide
important information about the contents of each text and clue words which will be used
in the summary paragraph.
1. Read the first sentence containing a gap. Read the whole sentence not just the words
next to the gap.
2. Make a prediction about the type of word or phrase which is missing to complete the
gap. You should be able to use your knowledge of English to decide if the gap should be
a noun, verb, adjective etc.
3. Look for clue words within the sentence which direct you to the correct text where you
will find the answer. Clue words could be the text type, names of people or places,
numbers or words which contain rare letters in English e.g. x, z, j, q.
4. Go to the text where you think the answer is and scan for the clue words. DO NOT
start at the beginning of the text and read quickly until you find a clue word. This is not
scanning. Start anywhere in the text and scan your eyes quickly up and down, left and
right until you spot a clue word.
5. Identify the word or phrase you need to complete the gap. Does the word type match
your prediction in step 2? If no, you will need to change the word form of the words in
the text to fit the gap.
6. Read the sentence again including the words you have selected. Does it make
grammatical sense?
Repeat.
DO NOT miss out step 6. This is a major reason why students lose marks in Reading Part
A. They forget to check that the words they think fit the gap make grammatical sense
because they are rushing. It’s better to spend a few more seconds ensuring your answer
is correct than waste the time you spent finding those works for zero reward.
Listening is the first test on test day.
You are likely to feel your most nervous before the Listening test starts. It’s really
important you are aware of this and take steps to reduce this. You don’t want your
nerves affecting your performance.
These tips will help you relax as much as possible and be ready to
listen.
Before you listen
1. Have everything you need on your table in front of you. Take more than one pen or
pencil so you can easily swap what you are writing with, if you need to, during the test.
Don’t waste time sharpening pencils, take a bunch of them, ready-sharpened.
2. When the audio starts, the voice will read out the instructions printed on the front of
answer booklet. Read this information as it is said. It is a really effective way to focus
your concentration on what you’re about to do. Plus, this information includes the
context to the audio which will also help you to focus on what you are about to hear.
3. During the 1 minute you have to read the questions for the first extract, skim quickly
through all of the contents to get a general overview of the consultation. Then, return to
the top and read the first few notes containing gaps. You can underline key words if
you wish but, most importantly, you should read the information you are given
carefully so you know what to expect.
4. Repeat for Parts B and C. In the reading time, focus mostly on the question and what
information it is asking you to listen for. As you listen, you might like to cross off the
different answer options as you hear them that are incorrect to leave you feeling
confident that the remaining answer is the correct one.
As you listen and at the end of the Listening test
1. Make sure you shade the answers for Parts B and C correctly. These parts are computer
marked and only shaded answers (like the example provided on the front of your
question booklet) are accepted.
2. At the end of Part C, during the 2 minutes you have to check your answers, check both
all parts. Don’t take this as an opportunity to have a break and a drink of water. Keep
checking until told to stop. Look for incomplete answers, messy answers which you can
make clearer to the assessor and any blank spaces. A guess is better than nothing, so
always try to write something down or shade an option for each question.
Following these tips should help you perform your best on test day.

How to learn vocabulary

When getting ready for the test, you will be spending hours studying. In these hours, you
are likely to record lots of new vocabulary.
If you really want to learn this vocabulary you need to follow these 3 important tips:
1. Organise the way you write down vocabulary. One idea is to buy a small, cheap A-Z
address book. You can then add new vocabulary to the relevant page. Soon you will
have created your very own dictionary!
2. Regularly revise vocabulary. Studies suggest you need to see/ use a word between 10-
17 times before you can consider that you ‘know’ it. Take your list or book with you
and look at it frequently: as you commute, while in a queue, while washing up etc.
And, most importantly
3. Include new vocabulary in your communication straight away. To really learn a word,
nothing beats using it. Start including new vocabulary in your spoken and written
communication. You might make mistakes and someone may correct you but this is
helpful correction. It will make the process of learning it even quicker as nobody likes
making the same mistake twice!

Abbreviations and symbols are a useful way of helping you to

write down relevant information while you listen.
They are also something you will use in the workplace.
While there isn’t a standard list of abbreviations and symbols which OET assessors
accept, they are trained to be flexible. The best place to look for commonly used
abbreviations in English is on the Internet. You can compare the most popular results
and check that the abbreviations appear in more than one list.
Examples of abbreviations include:
BP blood pressure
N+V nausea and vomiting
info. information
gen. generally, in general
Examples of symbols include:
↑ increase, high, up
↓ decrease, low, down
→ led to, result, consequence
< less than
It takes practice to be able to use abbreviations and symbols effectively, so you should
start including them as part of your preparation now. Once you are familiar with their
meaning and use, you should notice that they will increase your speed at writing while
you listen.

There are three types of answers which can fill in the gaps in
Reading Part A.
Your answer must always be a maximum of 3 words but can be:
1. copied directly from one of the texts.
2. changed slightly to fit the gap grammatically.
3. supplied yourself.
Options 1 and 2 are the most common answers you will need. Option 3 is much less
common and is not in every practice test task.
There are two different instances when you will need option 3.
 The first is to provide analysis of some statistics or data in one of the texts e.g.
If there was a gap which read:
The percentage of men who had had a vasectomy in 2002 was
_________ for the period between 2001 to 2008.
The answer for this gap would be: the lowest or the smallest.
Words like higher/lower, increase/decrease, rose/fell, the most/the least are common
words you might need to use in gaps such as this.
 The second instance requires you to paraphrase words in the text to 1-3 words of the
same meaning which will grammatically fit the gap. For example if a sentence in a text
read:
The advice to men is: once a year, feel your testicles for lumps.
but the gapped sentence in the summary read:
Men are encouraged to complete ____________ self-check of their
testicles.
The answer would have to be: an annual [a paraphrase of once a year, which wouldn’t fit
grammatically].

Stamina is really important for test day.

The test day format is:
 Listening 50 minutes
 Reading 1 hour
 Writing 45 minutes
There are only breaks between each individual test to collect in completed papers and
give out the next papers. You cannot leave the test room at this time.
This is a long time to concentrate in English and, if you are not
used to it, will be a struggle to remain focused the whole time.
It’s good to practise each sub-test individually and try to improve your skills intensively.
It’s also important to practise each sub-test one after each other at least once a week.
Think of yourself as a long distance runner rather than a sprinter. You need to be able to
keep going at the same performance level for the whole time. You don’t want to reduce
in performance because you are running out of energy and concentration.
Don’t take your stamina for granted, start preparing for long-distance and success right
away!

Remember OET is a test of your English not your healthcare

knowledge.
Candidates often get anxious about how familiar they will be with the topic of their
roleplays. The speaking test is profession specific but can cover any part of your
profession ‘from cradle to grave’. This means the topic of the roleplay may not be
something you commonly discuss in your work.
There are a couple of things you can do to have more confidence
on test day:
1. Do some general research on areas of your profession you are not so familiar with. For
example, if you are a cardiac nurse or doctor, spend some time researching cancer,
diabetes etc. What will be most useful in your research is familiarising yourself with
some of the key words associated with these other departments of healthcare e.g.
palliative care, insulin injection etc. A good resource which covers many topics in lay
language is Patient Education by Dr John Murtagh. It includes something for everyone,
no matter your profession.
2. In the test, you can invent details about the roleplay situation or treatment without
penalty. For example, if you are discussing treatment for conjunctivitis with the parent
of a child with the condition and one of the tasks is:
 explain how the parent can avoid the infection spreading.
You could mention: preventing the child touching the eye area, washing hands before
and after bathing the eye/ applying ointment. However, you could also tell the parent
that the child should wear swimming goggles to prevent the infection spreading to the
other eye. Ludicrous? Yes, it might be from a healthcare point of view, but if it’s said in
perfect English it will be good for your score.
The key is to remember that you are trying to demonstrate your communication skills in
English. Good preparation is always recommended but once you are in the test, focus on
communication rather than healthcare accuracy.

Before they sit the test, candidates often ask questions about
the role of the interlocutor in the Speaking test.
The interlocutor will take the role of the patient, carer or family member of the patient in
the role play. Interlocutors are not healthcare professionals. This means they will respond
authentically to you during the role play in a similar way to the patients, carers and
family members you will communicate with in real life.
Here are some other key facts about the role of the interlocutor:
 You can ask them questions during the preparation time. For example, if there is
anything you do not understand on your role card, you can ask for a definition.
 They will tell you when to start and stop the role play.
 If the interlocutor does not understand something you have told them about their
treatment, they will ask you for clarification.
 They may not be a native speaker but will have excellent English and a clear voice that
you will find easy to understand.
 The interlocutor will tell you their name when they welcome you into the test room.
You can use this name when starting the role play, you can ask them to repeat their
name during the preparation time or, you can ask them their name once the role play
has started.
 They will record the role plays. The recordings are then sent to Melbourne for marking
by highly trained assessors. The interlocutor cannot give you any indication of your
grade at the end of the Speaking test as they are not trained to do this.

Make sure you leave some time to proofread your work in the
writing test.
You have 40 minutes to write your answer but you should include time to check what
you have written within this time. The invigilators in the test room will tell you when you
have 5 minutes left and this is a good reminder to stop and proofread.
There are a number of things you should check for when you
proofread.
The best idea is not to try to read the letter as yourself or even the assessor but the
person you are writing it. You will then be able to answer these questions:
• Do I understand why I am receiving this letter?
• Is it clear what the patient’s current situation is?
• Do I know what I am expected to do for this patient?
• Do I have all the information I need to provide this?
• Is the letter clear and easy for me to follow without needing to refer to the case notes?
Of course, you should also check for grammar and spelling mistakes. It’s good to know
what you’re particular weaknesses are with these areas. Then, you can particularly check
for these things which is quicker than checking everything.