What is OET?
OET is an international English language test that assesses the language communication skills of healthcare professionals who seek to register and practice in an English-speaking environment.
History
OET was designed in the late 1980s by Professor Tim McNamara, under the guidance of the Australian National Office for Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR), which administered the test at that time. The test has been researched and developed continuously since then to ensure that it has kept up with current theory and practice in language assessment. This work has been done by the University of Melbourne’s Language Testing Research Centre and by Cambridge Assessment English.
Since March 2013 the test has been owned by Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment Trust (CBLA), a venture between Cambridge Assessment English and Box Hill Institute
Modes Exam Delivery
OET is available in three different delivery modes: OET on Paper at a Test Venue, OET on Computer at a Test Venue and OET at Home. The test tasks, format and level of difficulty remain the same for all the OET tests regardless of the mode of exam delivery.
OET on Paper at a Test Venue
The OET paper test is the exam delivery mode for OET students for over 30 years. OET tests, in general, has 4 components (Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening).
OET on Computer at a Test Venue
OET test on the Computer (at test venues) has the same exam format. The test will be evaluated by the highly-trained examiners who mark paper-based OET.
OET at Home
OET at Home is for candidates to attend the exam from their own home. OET at home will have the same format, timing and difficulty as a test in the OET test venue. A reliable desktop/laptop with a good internet connection is the basic requirement.
OET Exam Pattern
OET provides a valid and reliable assessment of all four language skills – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking – with an emphasis on communication in medical and health professional settings.
OET comprises four sub-tests:
- Listening (approximately 45 minutes)
- Reading (60 minutes)
- Writing (45 minutes)
- Speaking (approximately 20 minutes).
Listening
Candidates are required to demonstrate that they can follow and understand a range of health-related spoken materials such as patient consultations and lectures.
Part A – consultation extracts (about 5 minutes each)
Part A assesses candidates’ ability to identify specific information during a consultation. They are required to listen to two recorded health professional-patient consultations and complete the health professional’s notes using the information they hear.
Part B – short workplace extracts (about 1 minute each)
Part B assesses candidates’ ability to identify the detail, gist, opinion or purpose of short extracts from the healthcare workplace. They are required to listen to six recorded extracts (e.g. team briefings, handovers, or health professional-patient dialogues) and answer one multiple-choice question for each extract.
Part C – presentation extracts (about 5 minutes each)
Part C assesses candidates’ ability to follow a recorded presentation or interview on a range of accessible healthcare topics. They are required to listen to two different extracts and answer six multiple-choice questions for each extract
Reading
Candidates are required to demonstrate that they can read and understand different types of text on health-related subjects.
Part A – expeditious reading task (15 minutes)
Part A assesses candidates’ ability to locate specific information from four short texts in a quick and efficient manner. The four short texts relate to a single healthcare topic, and they must answer 20 questions in the allocated time period. The 20 questions consist of matching, sentence completion and short answer questions.
Part B and Part C – careful reading tasks (45 minutes)
Part B assesses candidates’ ability to identify the detail, gist or main point of six short texts sourced from the healthcare workplace (100-150 words each). The texts might consist of extracts from policy documents, hospital guidelines, manuals or internal communications, such as emails or memos. For each text, there is one three-option multiple-choice question.
Part C assesses candidates’ ability to identify detailed meaning and opinion in two texts on topics of interest to healthcare professionals (800 words each). For each text, candidates must answer eight four-option multiple choice questions.
Writing
The task is to write a letter, usually a referral letter. Sometimes, especially for some professions, a different type of letter is required: e.g. a letter of transfer or discharge, or a letter to advise or inform a patient, carer, or group.
Speaking
The Speaking sub-test is delivered individually and the candidate takes part in two role-plays. In each role-play, the candidate takes his or her professional role (for example, as a nurse or as a pharmacist) while the interlocutor plays a patient, a client, or a patient’s relative or carer. For veterinary science, the interlocutor is the owner or carer of the animal.
Scoring
For each of the four sub-tests that make up OET, candidates receive a numerical score from 0-500 in 10-point increments e.g. 350,360, 370. The numeric score is mapped to a separate letter grade, ranging from A (highest) to E (lowest). There is no overall grade for OET.
