OET Test
Completing the Occupational English Test (OET)
The OET test is a language test for
health practitioners who have qualified to practise in
one country and wish to gain provisional registration to practise
their profession in another which has an English-speaking
context. The Test assesses English language proficiency as it
is used in medical and health professions. The OET is administered
by the OET Centre ten times a year and in over 40 locations
around the world. This test measures the language competency
of health practitioners who are seeking registration and the
ability to practise in an English-speaking context. It is designed
to ensure that language competency is assessed in a relevant
professional context.
You must pass with at least a level B in all four components:
Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
Booking, Applying, and Awaiting Confirmation of Test
Date
Complete the online application to sit the test at the OET Website, please also
check on the OET website for the next available test dates and
locations.
Precise venue details and your timetable will be sent to you by
email approximately two weeks before the test date.
The OET test costs approximately AUD$775 or £475.
About Attending the Test
You receive results for the four sub-tests that make up the OET
as one of five grades, A to E. A is the highest grade, E is
the lowest.
You may receive different grades for your performances in
different sub-tests. There are many aspects to being able to use
and communicate in a language effectively and the OET tests many of
these across the four sub-tests. Test design separates test
materials into the four macro-skills (Listening, Reading, Writing
and Speaking) for practical reasons and to acknowledge that these
involve different sub-skills and strategies.
Studying for the Test
You can download a set of practice materials from the OET website to help you
study. Additional practice materials can be ordered from the OET Bookshop, cost is approximately $50
AUD / £30. They have a list of training providers. The
OET Centre does not endorse any particular training program. There
is also information about preparing for each sub-test on the Test Information page.
Awaiting Test Results and How the Test is
Marked
The results from your Test are published on the website for you
to access by logging on to your online profile around 19 days after
the test. Official Statements of Results will be posted as soon as
possible after this.
Writing and Speaking
The 'fair score' generated by the statistical analysis of the
two sets of scores from two independent assessors of each
candidate's Writing script or Speaking recording becomes the final
grade through a direct conversion following established
practice.
Listening and Reading
There is no fixed score-to-grade link for these sub-tests.
The grades are re-set for each administration. This is
because different test materials are used at each administration
and, as explained on the sub-test information page for Reading, one
or more items may be deleted if found not to contribute to the
overall reliability of the sub-test.
The Listening and Reading sub-test scores allow all
candidates taking each sub-test at the same administration to
be listed from strongest performance to weakest
performance. The next step is to establish where the
boundaries between the grades (A-E) are. This is done by
taking the grades set for the Writing sub-test and the
Speaking sub-test for the same administration of the OET. A
mean average of the percentage in each grade for these two
sub-tests is taken and applied to the spread of performances on the
Listening and Reading sub-tests.
For example, if 8% of candidates have grade A for Writing and
10% have grade A for Speaking, the average is 9%. Then,
the strongest 9% of candidates in the Listening and Reading
sub-tests are also awarded a grade A for those
sub-tests. This process is carried out for all five
grades.