OET Medicine study guide
OET Medicine · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
OET Medicine is the medical-profession version of the Occupational English Test, an English language test built for healthcare professionals rather than for general academic candidates. The official site describes it as "Designed specifically for healthcare professionals" and states that the test is "backed by research and developed with healthcare experts, so candidates learn the language they need to succeed." It is aimed at doctors and other medical professionals who need to demonstrate workplace English, and the official site states the test is "Accepted worldwide: US, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and more" by healthcare regulators, educational institutions and visa and immigration services. The OET Medicine study guide has 4 sections and about 1,583 words.
01OET Medicine Listening
OET Medicine Listening runs about 40 minutes, is played once only, and carries 42 questions. Part A is two consultations with 12 note-completion gaps each, so accuracy on concrete detail decides the marks: drug names and doses, frequency, dates, durations, test results and past history.
383 words, about 2 min02OET Medicine Reading
OET Medicine Reading is 60 minutes and 42 questions. Part A gives four short texts totalling roughly 600 words and 20 questions in a separately timed 15 minutes; it rewards scanning, not reading.
382 words, about 2 min03OET Medicine Writing
OET Medicine Writing is one letter in 45 minutes, about 180–200 words, written from a page of case notes to another healthcare professional - typically a referral to a specialist, a letter to the patient's GP, or a transfer or discharge letter. The reader needs enough information to continue care, and nothing more.
410 words, about 2 min04OET Medicine Speaking
OET Medicine Speaking takes about 20 minutes: two role plays of five minutes each, with two to three minutes' preparation before each. You are the doctor; the interlocutor plays the patient, a relative or a carer.
408 words, about 2 min