OET Nursing study guide
OET Nursing · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
OET Nursing is the nursing-specific version of the Occupational English Test, an English language test designed for healthcare professionals rather than for general academic or immigration candidates. The test is built around clinical communication: the listening and reading sections use healthcare scenarios, the writing task is a referral-style letter, and the speaking section is a simulated consultation with a patient or carer. Because the material reflects real workplace situations, preparation should focus on the language nurses actually use - taking a history, explaining a procedure, handing over, and writing concise clinical correspondence. The official OET site states that its materials "use real healthcare scenarios relevant to your profession, so you'll feel more confident when taking the OET Test," and that the test is accepted by healthcare regulators, educational institutions and visa and immigration services worldwide, including in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. The OET Nursing study guide has 4 sections and about 1,499 words.
01Listening
OET Listening (Nursing) runs about 45 minutes and carries 42 marks across three parts. Every recording is a healthcare interaction - a nurse taking a history, a ward handover, a phone call to a GP, a conference interview - so clinical vocabulary (comorbidities, PRN, catheter care, escalation) is assumed, not taught.
383 words, about 2 min02Reading
OET Reading (Nursing) gives you 60 minutes and 42 questions in three parts. Texts are authentic-style healthcare material: clinical guidance, hospital policy, research commentary.
384 words, about 2 min03Writing
OET Writing (Nursing) is 45 minutes: about five minutes reading case notes, then 40 minutes writing a letter of 180–200 words. Nursing tasks are typically a referral to a community nursing or allied health team, a discharge letter to a GP, a transfer letter to another ward or facility, or a letter to a residential aged care home.
367 words, about 2 min04Speaking
OET Speaking (Nursing) is about 20 minutes: two role plays, each with two to three minutes' preparation and about five minutes of interaction. The interlocutor plays a patient, relative, carer or colleague; assessors rate both your language and your clinical communication.
365 words, about 2 min