OET: General Introduction and Guides on how you can improve your scores
Are you someone who is a healthcare professionals who wishes to practice in an English-speaking environment? If yes, Occupational English Test is the English assessment test for you. This article contains what the OET is, how is it divided and assessed and how you can get your desired score.
What is the OET?
The Occupational English Test (OET) is an international English language test that evaluates the language communication abilities of healthcare professionals seeking to register and practice in an English-speaking workplace. It is intended to fulfill the special English language requirements of the healthcare industry. Because inadequate language competence is a barrier to effective communication, which affects quality of treatment, OET is designed to simulate important tasks in healthcare professional contexts and assess abilities in listening, reading, writing, and speaking. By taking OET, you will not only be able to demonstrate that you have the required level of English, but you will also be studying the type of language you will need every day at work. Cambridge Assessment English and the University of Melbourne provide the foundation for this program and is recognized by OET is recognized as proof of English competence in colleges and universities across the United Kingdom, The United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, Namibia, and Singapore for registration in 12 healthcare professions.
How is the OET divided?
All four language skills which are Listening, Reading, writing and Speaking are assessed in the OET. The Writing and Speaking tests are tailored towards each of the 12 different areas of healthcare(Dentistry, Dietetics, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Optometry犀利士
, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Radiography, Speech Pathology and Veterinary Science) while the Reading and Listening tests are the same for all the candidates.
How are you graded?
You will be given a Statement of Results, which will display your score on a scale of 0 to 500 for each of the four sub-tests. Each of the four sub-tests is evaluated in a unique way.
| OET Score | OET Band Description | IELTS Band (Score) with Description |
|---|---|---|
| 500
490 480 470 460 450 |
The aspirant is able to communicate fluently and effectively with patients and health professionals with a complete understanding of the English language. | Band 8.0-9.0
(Very Good User – Expert User) |
| 440
430 420 410 400 390 380 370 360 350 |
The candidate is able to effectively communicate with patients and healthcare professionals with occasional inaccuracies and hesitancies. | Band 7.0-7.5
(Good User) |
| 340
330 320 310 300 |
The aspirant is able to maintain interaction in a regular healthcare environment between patients and healthcare professionals. However, with the possibility of occasional errors and lapses. | Band 6.5
(Competent User) |
| 290
280 270 260 250 240 230 220 210 200 |
Band 5.5-6.0
(Modest User – Competent User) |
|
| 190
180 170 160 150 140 130 120 110 100 |
The candidate is able to understand factual information in a regular healthcare environment between patients and healthcare professionals. However, he may require clarity in conversation with the possibility of multiple errors and inaccuracies triggering strain in communication. | Band Less than 5.5
(Extremely limited – limited User) |
| 90
80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 00 |
The candidate is able to comprehend single interactions in brief simple messages where clarification is provided. There is a possibility of a significant breakdown in communication due to the presence of high-density errors. | Less than 5.5
(Non-User – Intermittent User) |
In the listening section, you are to listen to and comprehend a variety of health-related spoken materials, including as patient consultations and lectures. The reading component requires you to read and comprehend various forms of literature on health-related topics. The objective assigned to you in the writing portion is to compose a letter, often a referral letter. Sometimes, particularly in some professions, a different sort of letter is necessary, such as a letter of transfer or discharge, or a letter to counsel or inform a patient, caregiver, or group. In the speaking section, you will participate in two role-plays in a private room. You play your professional function (as a healthcare practitioner), while the listener plays a patient or customer, or perhaps a relative or care giver.
Tips on how to get a desired score
The first thing you need to of course is to know about your exams. Before you start prepping for your tests, learn about the tests; the format, the type of questions, the grading scheme etc. This will help you realize the things you need to start preparing for. Reading different guide books and using different sites on the net is one of the most productive ways to learn. BBC Health, New England Journal of Medicine, and The Lancet are a few of the best medical publications to consult since they provide an appropriate blend of medical literature and elegant language. Because the OET is a highly well-structured test, the majority of its questions are based on healthcare scenarios, so you are on a daily basis advised to read medical publications, textbooks, and other reference materials. It is usually preferable to skim over the content in order to reduce the overall time required to finish the test. So, take a glance at the headers and sub-headings to get a sense of what it’s about, and then you can always refer back to the text for any information that may be needed. Lastly don’t lose your calm.
In terms of writing, make sure you know the format of writing a letter and a template. This alone covers 50% of what you are to write. The other 50% depends upon your ability to fill in the gaps with details. To arrange their work, even native English speakers remember outlines and impressive words. So, templates can provide you with high-scoring connecting phrases, including outstanding vocabulary, to help you achieve higher marks in Cohesion/Coherence and Vocabulary, but you must know where to insert your ideas/answers in the template or it will be a recipe for disaster.
For listening, once again the first thing you need to know is the format of the exam. Like other listening tests, the audio of the OET listening test goes in order with the questions. That is to say that the first question about an audio will be answered early on in the audio, and the information for the last question will come near the end of the audio. If you get stuck on a question while listening and do not move on to the next, you are likely to miss several questions in a row. Make sure you read the questions before listening to the audio.
You should utilize positive words and avoid negative language when taking the OET speaking sub-test. This is because part of your role as a healthcare provider is to make the patient feel at ease and calm. When conversing with the interlocutor, who is posing as a patient, you should use caution in your word choice. Many applicants make the mistake of mistaking the OET speaking sub-test for an examination rather than a medical setting. As a result, they wait for the OET person (the patient) to speak. Consider yourself to be a nurse, doctor, or dentist in a professional situation. You are in command. The patient is the OET person, not the other way around. As a result, it is up to you to initiate the discussion. It is also your responsibility to keep the dialogue going. If the dialogue comes to a halt and there is stillness, you must restart it. Depending on who you’re conversing with, you’ll need to change your words and tone to fit the situation.
And finally once again the most important thing you need to do is make sure you practice.
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