OET Medicine cheat sheet

Part A: 2 consultations of about 5 minutes each; 24 short-answer questions; answer with exact words from the recording, usually 1–3 words; spelling must be correct.

Part B: 6 short extracts of about 1 minute each; 6 three-option multiple-choice questions; one mark per question; no penalty for guessing.

Part C: 2 interviews of about 15 minutes each; 12 three-option multiple-choice questions; questions follow the order of the recording.

In Part A, the notes are organised under headings that mirror the consultation structure (e.g. presenting complaint, history, examination, management), so use headings to predict the type of answer needed.

Paraphrase is the main trap: the question wording rarely matches the recording; listen for synonyms and rephrased ideas rather than identical words.

Distractors are often corrected mid-sentence: the speaker may give one answer, then revise it ('Actually, make that…'); the final stated value is the one to record.

Numbers, units and spelling are marked strictly in Part A: write figures as digits, include units where the question asks, and check common medical spellings (e.g. 'diarrhoea', 'haemorrhage').

In Part B and C, the correct option is supported by what the speaker says; an option that is merely mentioned but not endorsed is a distractor.

Part A: 4 short texts (about 150 words each) with 20 questions; questions are in the same order as the information appears across the texts; answers are short, often 1–4 words taken from the text.

Part B: 6 short workplace texts (about 100–150 words each) with 6 three-option multiple-choice questions; one question per text.

Part C: 2 longer texts (about 800 words each) with 16 four-option multiple-choice questions; questions follow the order of the passage.

Part A questions often require matching a detail to the correct text; scan for names, dates, dosages and headings rather than reading every word.

In Part B, the correct answer paraphrases the text; options that repeat exact wording from the text are often distractors.

In Part C, questions test inference, attitude and the writer's purpose as well as detail; the answer must be supported by the passage, not by general medical knowledge.

Time budget: Part A about 15 minutes, Part B about 10 minutes, Part C about 35 minutes; total test time is 60 minutes.

For Part C, read the question stem first, then locate the relevant paragraph; the answer is usually in one or two sentences, not spread across the whole text.

Task: write a referral letter of about 180–200 words in 45 minutes, based on case notes about a patient; the letter is addressed to a named colleague.

Assessment criteria: purpose, content, conciseness and clarity, genre and style, organisation and layout, and language (grammar, vocabulary, punctuation).

Standard structure: opening (reason for referral), patient details, relevant history, examination findings, investigations, management to date, and the specific request.

Select only information relevant to the recipient; omit irrelevant social or family details unless they affect the referral.

Use a formal, professional register: no contractions, no colloquialisms, and no direct speech from the notes.

Transform note-style fragments into full sentences; do not copy abbreviations or shorthand verbatim.

Address the recipient by title and surname, state the patient's name and date of birth early, and close with a professional sign-off.

The word count excludes the address, salutation and sign-off; being far over or under 180–200 words can affect the score.

Format: two role-plays of about 5 minutes each with a trained interlocutor playing a patient or relative; 20 minutes total including preparation.

Each role-play card gives the setting, your role, the patient's role and the task; you have 3 minutes to prepare before each role-play.

Assessment criteria: relationship building, understanding and incorporating the patient's perspective, providing structure, information gathering, information giving, and language.

Open with an introduction: greet the patient, state your name and role, confirm the patient's identity, and explain the purpose of the consultation.

Use open questions first ('What brings you in today?'), then closed questions to confirm details; avoid leading questions.

Signpost the consultation ('I'd like to ask about your symptoms, then discuss options') to satisfy the providing-structure criterion.

Check understanding by asking the patient to summarise or by using a teach-back question, not by asking 'Do you understand?'.

Respond to the patient's emotional cues with empathy (acknowledge, explore, empathise) before moving to information giving.