OET Exam Pattern 2023: Check Reading, Writing, Speaking Paper Pattern Here

OET exam pattern: Healthcare professionals who are looking to work in the healthcare sector in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Maldives, Malta, Namibia, New Zealand, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Spain, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and the United States of America are required to appear for the OET exam in order to establish their proficiency in the English Language in a healthcare environment.

Conducted by Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment (CBLA), the full form of OET is the Occupational English Test or more commonly referred to as OET and this English language test has been exclusively designed for health care professionals. In this article, we are going to talk about the OET exam pattern, OET Syllabus among other important topics related to the OET exam pattern. 

OET Exam Pattern 2023

OET Syllabus: Conducted by Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment Trust (CBLA), the OET exam pattern is divided into four sections, the OET Listening Section, the OET Reading Section, the OET Writing Section and the OET Speaking Section.

OET Exam Pattern: Listening Section [45 minutes]

The Listening Section or Listening Subtest is divided into three parts that consist of a total of 42 question types that need to be solved in 50 minutes. The OET listening section topics revolve around generic healthcare interests and are accessible to candidates across all professions. The total duration of the listening audio is about 40 minutes which includes recorded audio and pauses for candidates to utilize the time to write their answers. Candidates are required to listen to the recorded audio only once and write their answers during the pauses provided to them in between the audio. 

OET Syllabus: Listening Section Pattern
The OET syllabus for the OET Listening Sub-section is divided into three parts, they are:

• Part A – Consultation Extracts: For the first task, healthcare professionals would be required to identify specific information during a consultation. Candidates would be required to complete the health professional notes from listening to the two recorded health professional-patient consultations. [Duration: 5 minutes each]
• Part B – Short Workplace Extracts: For the second task, candidates would be required to listen to multiple recorded extracts that could range from team briefings, handovers, to health professional-patient dialogues and answer one multiple-choice question for each extract. In the second part, the candidate is tested on identifying details of short extracts from the healthcare workplace. [Duration: 1 minute each]
• Part C - Presentation Extracts: The third and final task of the Listening section would require candidates to listen to multiple recorded presentations or interviews on a range of accessible healthcare topics and answer multiple-choice questions for each extract. [Duration: 5 minutes each]

Also Read:

• OET Sample Papers
• OET Test Centres

OET Exam Pattern: Reading Section [60 minutes]

The Reading Sub-section is divided into three parts that consist of a total of 42 question types that need to be solved in 60 minutes. The OET Reading section topics revolve around generic healthcare interests and are accessible to candidates across all professions. The topics revolving around the section are as follows.

OET Syllabus: Reading Section Pattern

The OET syllabus for the OET Reading Sub-section is divided into three parts, they are:

• Part A - Expeditious Reading Task: For the first task, candidates would be required to read four short essays and locate specific information from the texts. The essays provided to the candidates would be related to general healthcare topics. The questions could vary from matching the following, sentence completion to short answer questions. [Duration: 15 minutes]

• Part B - Careful Reading: For the second task, candidates would be given multiple short texts related to generic healthcare topics and candidates would be required to identify the main points and answer multiple-choice questions. The essays can include topics ranging from policy guidelines, hospital guides, manuals, emails, memos to internal communication.

• Part C - Careful Reading: For the third and last task, pertaining to the Reading section, candidates would be required to identify the detailed meaning of the topic provided to them and answer multiple questions for the same. [Part B and Part C Duration: 45 minutes] 

OET Exam Pattern: Writing Section [45 minutes]

OET Syllabus: Writing Section Pattern: With a total duration of 45 minutes, the Writing section requires the candidate to write a letter, usually a letter of reference in his/her field of speciality. The candidate would be provided with background information to his task which he may or may not incorporate into his reference letter. This particular task is profession-specific, hence while a nurse would have to write a letter specific to nursing a dentist would be required to write a reference letter specific to dentistry.

OET Exam Pattern: Speaking Section [20 minutes]

OET Syllabus: Speaking Section Pattern: With a total duration of 20 minutes, candidates are required to individually enact their professional role in real-life scenarios in a professional healthcare environment. In a profession-specific exercise, candidates are required to roleplay their profession while the panellist plays a patient for the first part, and the roles are reversed in the latter. Candidates are given 3 minutes to prepare for each side before the start of each act. The roleplays are basically based on mock workplace situations that reflect the mood of the healthcare environment. The candidates would be given enough background information to prepare for their roleplay sessions.

OET Exam Pattern 2023 - Layout

OET Syllabus for Nurses

In this section, we are going to be talking about the OET Syllabus for Nurses. The OET syllabus for nurses covers all four language skills with an emphasis on communication in a health care enviroemnt. The OET exam pattern for nurses would start with the Listening Section which is for 45 minutes and the content of the test is identical to all healthcare professionals. The next section would be the Reading Section for 60 minutes and is similar to all healthcare professionals. The third section is the Writing Section for 45 minutes and is specific to profession, based on typical workplace situations and the last section is the Speaking Section which is for 20 minutes and is again specific to the profession and based on typical workplace situations.

OET Preparation Tips

Similar to other exam prep, students can choose to study on their own or join a coaching centre to prepare for the OET exam. It is important for candidates The decision lies entirely up to the candidate, as you need to see whether you have enough time and resources for both. Newer methods of studying are gaining popularity, like online GRE prep classes. It includes both self-studying and coaching class methods. You join a virtual classroom and you learn in the comfort of your home. To choose the best method on how to prepare for GRE you first need to look at your criteria and decide accordingly. Check out our OET preparation plan for beginners on our website. 

OET Registration

OET Registration: Candidates looking to appear for their OET exam are required to register for the OET Exam. Candidates would be required to register via the online mode only through the official website. Candidates would have to first register on the official OET website by creating an OET Login to proceed with their OET online registration. The link to the official website can be found here: https://www.occupationalenglishtest.org/ 

OET Exam Fees

OET Exam Fee: Candidates who want to register for their OET exam would be required to pay OET exam fees. The OET exam costs $587 AUD and includes an array of services.

OET Exam Dates

OET Dates 2023: Available in over 120 locations across 40 countries, OET is held multiple times every year. Similarly, in India, OET is held 24 times in a given year or twice a month and is available in popular cities across India. Though OET test dates are available every month, however, candidates can only register for the OET exam for the next three test dates at a time.

OET Results

Candidates who have successfully appeared for their Occupational English Test (OET) can view their OET test scores after 16 business days from each test date. Candidates are required to enter their OET Login credentials to get access to their online profiles where their OET scores would be published. Furthermore, candidates can also download the hard copy of their OET statement of results from their online profile.

Also, Read

Still, have doubts? Check out our OET frequently asked questions to understand the nuances of the OET exam pattern better.