Top 10 tips and tricks for OET preparation

Why take the OET exam?

• Proves proficiency in English required for the healthcare sector
• Sharpens communication skills of medical professionals
• For working abroad in the healthcare sector
• To professionally advance in the healthcare sector
• Helps gain confidence

Top 10 tips and tricks for OET preparation

OET, short for Occupational English Test, is a language evaluation test for healthcare professionals who want to work abroad. You need to communicate effectively to be successful in any workplace, and OET does just that.

All English-speaking countries, such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the USA or the UK, Dubai, Spain, and Singapore, among others, accept OET scores. The focus of the OET exam is on the English language’s four basic skills: reading, listening, writing, and speaking.

That is why there are four sections in the OET Test, which are as follows:

OET Reading Test

OET Writing Test

OET Speaking Test

OET Listening Test

 OET Reading Test

The OET Reading section is divided into three parts:

In the first Part, the capability of the candidates to make meaning of particular information from four brief texts is evaluated. All these texts will be from a single healthcare area.

In the second Part, the skills of the candidates to determine the focus of the six brief texts will be tested.

The section’s third Part will assess your aptitude to find out the in-depth significance and viewpoint of two texts.

This section lasts for 60 minutes, and the topics that will be covered here will be related to general healthcare.

You can improve your OET Reading score by following these tips:

• Reading regularly on a wide range of topics
• Concentrate on short sections and paragraphs
• While reading, pay attention to people’s names, countries that are being discussed, and numbers and dates
• Getting spelling right is very important. Avoid making errors in spelling.
• Do not answer questions when you are unsure about the subject.
• Make a habit of reading every article and passage you come across
• Take the help of an expert OET tutor

OET Writing Test

The writing task in OET entails writing a letter. It will generally be a referral letter advising or informing a patient. At times, it can be a referral letter to a caregiver or group. The writing test, which lasts for 45 minutes, will be based on an imaginary healthcare work event.

For the OET Writing test, you need to practice the following:

• Recognize what the writing task is about
• Learn all the abbreviations exactly
• Develop a writing structure plan
• Identify the objective and write accordingly
• Write about relevant information depending on what the audience needs
• Write it by adopting a formal tone.

OET Speaking Test

The OET Speaking test is the section of the OET test arrangement where healthcare-related matters have to be discussed. Created as a role-play, OET Speaking test is conducted for a healthcare specialist based on real-life situations. Here, you need to communicate as a healthcare professional to caregivers accompanying patients or patients themselves. The speaking test assesses two crucial aspects of your communication skills.

While preparing for the OET Speaking test, concentrate on the following:

• Communicate in a positive manner because the language you use should inspire confidence in your patient.
• Develop a close bond and a caring environment while you converse.
• Know how to introduce yourself to a patient, remember the patient’s name, and make your role clear to the patient.
• While playing the role, ensure to initiate the conversation and continue speaking at length.
• Keep your patient informed about his/her health condition’s particulars and advise them accordingly.
• Ensure that your language and the way you emphasize important words has to be based on the patient you are treating.
• Be flexible in your thoughts and the way you communicate.
• Understand what more information is needed for the patient and be specific to encourage them to give more details.

OET Listening Test

The OET Listening test comprises three parts that are relevant to actual healthcare situations and conversations that happen at the workplace. While the test’s Part A will evaluate your capability to identify particular information during a consultation, its Part B will determine your skill to understand the particulars, essence, or objective of short excerpts related to the medical care workplace. Part C identifies your skill to understand an interview or a recorded presentation.

Certain tips to sit for an OET Listening test are as follows:

• Identify diverse accents to make out what an audio is about to monitor information.
• Practice listening to more podcasts and audio of other types prior to taking the exam.
• In case you are unable to follow certain sentences, you need to get the central idea of the conversation.
• Understand and carefully get rid of them.
• Try understanding signpost language.
• In the listening test of OET, you get only one opportunity to hear the recording. It is, therefore, suggested that you write your answers during the short breaks that arise between each question.

If you are interesting in migrating as a healthcare specialist to any overseas country, get in touch with Y-Axis, a premier overseas career consultancy, to get the required support and guidance.  

HOW Y-AXIS CAN HELP YOU?

Thousands of professionals approach Y-Axis every year to help them realize their overseas career ambitions. Our suite of services includes:

• Resume Writing Services: Ensure your resume meets international standards and showcases your strengths
• LinkedIn Marketing: Improve your chances of getting discovered online by recruiters and companies with our LinkedIn marketing solutions
• Resume Marketing: Be present in your target country’s job market with our Resume Marketing services that apply for jobs on your behalf through overseas job boards, classifieds & job postings

With Y-Axis, you not only discover opportunities that are best suited for you but also get the tools and experience to help you with the highest chances of success. Talk to us today to begin your journey of working abroad.