In this blog, I will outline some of the general questions that students have asked me regarding the OET as it’s very likely that you will have the same questions.

How should I practice speaking at home?

Practice is key to improving and preparing yourself for the OET. For all the components, I strongly encourage you to practice within the time limits. For speaking in particular, you should be practicing with another person and, if possible, record the conversation so you can listen back to it.

What if I don’t know anything about the topic in the test?

This may happen and it’s important that you do not freak out! Remember the OET is designed as a English test and not a medical knowledge test – this means that, if the you don’t know the topic, just analyse and comprehend the information given to you and you should still be able to complete the task.

Should I use pen or pencil in the exam?

For MOST of the components, it actually doesn’t matter if you use pen or pencil! My best advice is to use whichever writing utensil you feel most COMFORTABLE writing in because you will be using it a LOT on the exam day. However, for reading part B, you will need a pencil to fill in the multiple choice answer sheet.

These are all very common concerns for the OET student – you’re not alone!

I often get asked by students how they can improve their reading. I hope these following tips will give you a better grasp of mastering OET reading.

1. IDENTIFY KEY WORDS

This particularly applies to Part A of the reading. When the clock starts, begin by glancing over the texts and their headings for key words that highlight their content. Seek out words that identify the SETTING, the KEY TOPIC or the TIME of the text.

2. READ OFTEN AND READ WIDELY

Apart from completing the practice tests, it is important you get used to medical writing styles. So I strongly encourage students to seek out medical writing from online resources and read them often. This will expose you to the type of language and writing structure that will come up in the exam.

3. JUST MOVE ON

The reading is completed under time pressure and this is often the key thing that stumps students. If you get stuck, don’t be afraid to move on! You can always come back to the question with a clearer head after you’ve completed the rest of the task.

4. PRACTICE AND TIME YOURSELF

Timing is key in OET reading so make sure you are putting that pressure on yourself and getting used to the time limits! And, as always, PRACTICE.

All the best for your preparation.

Many students trip up in the OET writing for the same reasons – all of which can be easily avoided if you follow the following easy, quick tips.

1. READ THE WRITING TASK

This seems obvious, but it’s remarkable how many students glaze over the task. Make sure you read it CAREFULLY and identify WHO you are writing to, WHAT is the purpose for writing and their ROLE in the patient’s care. Do not assume you are writing to a community nurse, as this is where students commonly make the mistake.

2. IDENTIFY THE KEY ISSUES

Read through the notes carefully and identify what are the most important issues in the case. This ensures you pick up the most relevant information to include in your letter, rather than blindly writing everything from the notes.

3. MONITOR YOUR WORD COUNT

The word count of the task is 180-200 words. This is one of the key marking criteria so I strongly encourage all students to leave at least 1 minute at the end of the task to quickly count their words and ensure they are within the limit. Aiming to stay within the word count also encourages you to choose your relevant information carefully, as discussed in tip #2 above.

4. PRACTICE!!

This doesn’t need to be said but I will say it anyway. Practicing will not only allow you to hone in these quick tips I’ve mentioned in this blog, but also give you an idea of how much time you are using to do each task.

All the best and I hope you will put these tips into practice.

A collocation is two or more words that often go together. These combinations sound natural to native English speakers, so it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with some common examples.

Examples of common collocations in healthcare letters are given below, along with their parts of speech and meaning:

• Verb + noun:
  • Take a pulse/temperature/blood pressure
    • g. I will take your blood pressure regularly.
  • Sustain an injury
    • g. She sustained a right femoral fracture.
  • Do a test
    • g. Please do a repeat x-ray next week.
  • Verb + preposition:
    • Diagnose with
      • g. He was diagnosed with pneumonia.
    • Admit to
      • g. He was admitted to the geriatrics ward.
    • Discharge from
      • g. She will be discharged from our facility tomorrow.
    • Complain of
      • g. She complained of trouble sleeping.
    • Associate with
      • g. The headache was associated with nausea.
    • Suffer from
      • g. He suffers from type 2 diabetes.

It’s important to spend some time learning collocations, because using them incorrectly can confuse or mislead the reader/listener. Here are some hints to help you learn collocations more effectively:

1. Learn collocations as single blocks of language. E.g. learn “diagnose with” rather than “diagnose” + “with”.
2. Google is a powerful tool. Find new collocations by Googling “English collocations in healthcare”. Then, Google the collocation itself to find examples of its use!
3. Revision, revision, revision! Every time you see a new collocation, add it to a list and write it down in a sentence. Revise your list every week.