If you are a healthcare worker who is looking to be employed in an English-speaking country, then you might have probably already heard of the OET. Short for Occupational English Test, OET is the standardised English language test for healthcare professionals seeking employment in an English-speaking environment, such as the UK, USA, and Australia. Currently, the regulatory healthcare boards of Ukraine, Dubai, and Ukraine, to name a few, also recognise the OET and require the same before non-native English speakers get hired into their corresponding healthcare sector.
At present, the OET is available for the following healthcare professions: dentistry, dietetics, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, podiatry, radiography, speech pathology, and veterinary science. As these fields do entail clarity and precision in communication, especially since a lot is at stake in the performance of their functions, there really is a need to ensure that applicants are able to converse and comprehend correctly and well. The OET, precisely, is designed to check such ability in all candidates.
Much like the IELTS, the OET comprises four sections: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. Unquestionably, these four language skills are vital in assessing a candidate’s English proficiency level. Note, however, that unlike the IELTS, these OET subtests put an emphasis on communication in medical and health professional settings. Thus, not only is a good command of the English language necessary to score well, but an applicant must also exhibit sufficient understanding in health-related matters and issues. Another important thing to note at this point is that the OET undergoes thorough research and is regularly updated to keep pace with the continual changes in language assessment in a healthcare context. Hence, for an exceptionally reliable and rigorous test that is the OET, appropriate preparation using updated materials and information is called for.
As the OET is a comprehensive assessment that measures different sets of skills, much time is thus allotted not just for preparation but also for the actual test taking proper. Specifically:
- Listening takes approximately 45 minutes.
- Reading takes around one hour or 60 minutes.
- Writing takes 45 minutes.
- Speaking takes just around 20 minutes.
After completing the OET, an applicant will have to wait approximately 2 weeks for results to be published online. Thereafter, official statements of the results are sent out to the test takers. What these individuals will receive are their separate grades for each portion of the OET, which is a score ranging from 0 to 500 in 10-point increments. No overall grade will be provided.
These numerical scores are grouped and assigned a letter grade, with A being the highest and E being the lowest. Most recognising institutions require their candidates to have at least a B grade in each OET subtest in one take. Of course, though, different organisations have different grade requirements, and it is best for the candidate to check with the organisation what his or her target grade must be.
If you are required to take the OET and thus are targeting a certain letter grade, Your Language School is here to help you attain it! Our team of highly qualified English instructors and OET experts have had years of experience in assisting aspiring healthcare professionals such as yourself, and we can certainly help you make the dream happen, too!
Contact us at (+44) 07533669078 or email us at info@yourlanguageschool.co.uk. We cannot wait to hear from you and achieve the dream with you!
