A practical guide to preparing for the OET, without the fluff.
What the test asks of you, how to spend your study time, and how exam-faithful practice turns a score target into a plan.
What the OET is
The OET (Occupational English Test) measures the English of healthcare professionals across four sub-tests — Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Listening and Reading are shared across professions; Writing and Speaking are profession-specific, set in the contexts you actually work in.
Each sub-test is scored on a 0–500 scale and reported as a letter grade from A to E. Most regulators and employers ask for a B (around 350) in each sub-test, though requirements vary — always check the body you are applying to.
A study plan that works
You do not need months of unfocused practice. You need to know your current level, drill your weakest sub-skills, and rehearse under real conditions.
- 1
Sit a full mock first
Before anything else, take a complete, timed mock under exam conditions. You cannot plan around a level you have not measured.
- 2
Read the criteria, not just the score
Writing and Speaking are graded on specific criteria. Knowing what an examiner rewards is worth more than another practice letter written the wrong way.
- 3
Drill sub-skills, not whole papers
If number dictation in Listening or expeditious reading in Part A is your gap, drill that — short, repeatable, daily — rather than re-sitting whole papers.
- 4
Rehearse the format until it is muscle memory
Audio plays once. Part A has its own clock. Speaking gives you three minutes to prepare. Practising the constraints removes exam-day surprises.
- 5
Get feedback you can act on
A score alone does not improve you. Feedback that points to the sentence, the cue or the habit does. Have a teacher sign off on the important judgements.
How to use this platform
The OET Medicine demo lets you sit an exam-faithful mock — audio that plays once, two clocks in Reading, a typed letter in Writing, and role-plays with a human-like avatar in Speaking. The AI agents grade Writing and Speaking against the criteria the moment you finish and tutor you through what you missed.
Treat the AI feedback as a fast, detailed first pass. It is provisional until your teacher reviews and signs it off — that human check is part of the design, not an afterthought.
Honest note
This guide is general OET-preparation advice. It is not official OET guidance, and this tool is not affiliated with or endorsed by the official test owner. Always confirm current requirements with your regulator or employer and at the official source.