OET Coaching

Occupational English Test (OET) Overview

The Occupational English Test (OET) is a specialized English language assessment tailored for healthcare professionals who aim to work or practice in English-speaking countries.

This test evaluates the English proficiency of candidates in a way that reflects their professional environment and tasks.

The OET is administered by Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment (CBLA), a collaboration between Cambridge English and Boxhill Institute, ensuring a high standard of evaluation suited to the healthcare sector.

Why Choose OET?

OET is the only English language test specifically designed for healthcare professionals and is recognized globally. This test provides a clear measure of a candidate’s English language ability in a professional context.

It is widely accepted by government bodies, organizations, and educational institutions in numerous countries, including Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Singapore, Dubai, Ukraine, and Namibia.

By taking the OET, healthcare professionals can demonstrate their English proficiency, meeting the language requirements necessary for practicing in these regions.

Who Should Take the OET?

The OET is intended for professionals in 12 healthcare fields. These include:

• Medicine
• Nursing
• Dietetics
• Dentistry
• Pharmacy
• Physiotherapy
• Radiography
• Podiatry
• Optometry
• Occupational Therapy
• Veterinary Science
• Speech Pathology

Healthcare professionals from these disciplines can take the OET to prove their English language skills are up to the standard required for their specific field.

OET Exam Details

The OET is offered 14 times a year at over 120 locations across 46 countries. In India, the test is available in Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Thiruvananthapuram.

While test dates are available every month, candidates can only register for up to three upcoming test dates at a time. The OET scores are valid for two years from the date of the exam, providing a significant period during which candidates can use their results for employment or registration purposes.

OET Exam Syllabus

Listening Section (45 minutes, 42 questions)

The Listening section assesses the ability to understand spoken English in a healthcare context. It is divided into three parts:

Part A: Consultation Extracts – Candidates listen to two recorded consultations between a healthcare professional and a patient. They must identify specific information and complete health professional notes based on what they hear.

Part B: Short Workplace Extracts – This part involves listening to a range of short workplace recordings such as team briefings and patient dialogues. Candidates answer multiple-choice questions related to these extracts, focusing on identifying detailed information.

Part C: Presentation Extracts – Candidates listen to recordings of presentations or interviews on healthcare topics and answer multiple-choice questions. This part tests the ability to understand detailed information from various healthcare-related presentations.

Reading Section (60 minutes, 42 questions)

The Reading section measures the ability to understand and interpret written English related to healthcare. It consists of three parts:

Part A: Expeditious Reading – Candidates read four short essays on general healthcare topics and locate specific information. The questions might include matching information, completing sentences, or providing short answers.

Part B: Careful Reading – This part includes multiple short texts on general healthcare topics. Candidates must identify key points and answer multiple-choice questions. The texts may include policy guidelines, hospital manuals, emails, and internal communications.

Part C: Careful Reading – Candidates read longer texts and answer detailed questions about their content. This part tests the ability to understand and interpret complex information.

Writing Section (45 minutes)

In the Writing section, candidates are required to write a letter that reflects their professional role. Typically, this involves composing a reference letter or similar document relevant to their field of specialty. Candidates receive background information which they may or may not incorporate into their letter. The writing task is profession-specific, meaning that a nurse would write a letter related to nursing, while a dentist would write about dentistry.

Speaking Section (20 minutes)

The Speaking section evaluates the ability to communicate effectively in a professional healthcare setting. It involves roleplays where candidates enact real-life scenarios. In the first part, candidates perform their professional role while the panelist plays the patient.

In the second part, the roles are reversed. Candidates have 3 minutes to prepare for each roleplay scenario. The roleplays are designed to reflect typical workplace situations and are based on realistic healthcare scenarios. Candidates are given sufficient background information to prepare adequately for these roleplays.

Overall, the OET is designed to ensure that healthcare professionals have the necessary English language skills to perform effectively in English-speaking healthcare environments.

By focusing on real-world scenarios and profession-specific tasks, the OET provides a relevant and practical assessment of English language proficiency for those in the healthcare sector.