OET - Occupational English Test is a well respected International English Language Test for health Care professionals who wish to register for countries Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
It has been about 12+ years for me since I started my career as an OET trainer. I have come across many candidates who always ask me what they should do in order to breeze through it. I would always say, just focus on preparation.
Here, I have shared some of the tips that can help candidates get thorugh the test more easily. When I say “easily” it doesn’t imply that these tips are going to work like magic and you do not have to work much harder to get the score you require. No, it is not what I would suggest. Rather, I would say, these will act as the building blocks for you to gain success in your exam.
Getting acquainted with the test
First, I would recommend the new test-takers to get acquainted with it. Because, the more you know about it, the easier it would become to crack it. There is plenty of information available online for you. Or, you can visit the official site to know more about what it is.
Not Medical Knowledge, But English is important here
You may have got a gold medal in your medical studies but this test is not about medical knowledge. It is about English. So, do not think, your medical knowledge will help create a good impression on the examiners. No, it would not. Examiners will look for how good you are at English (To be honest, medical knowledge is secondary in importance here. Because it is the test of English not what the medical practitioners now about their profession).
Roundabout questions
Do not expect the questions to be very simple. Yes, often, they are given in a roundabout manner. Especially, reading and listening tests will have questions that will be more indirect in nature.
Accuracy vs Length
It is always good to write more effectively than to write something that may not have any effect. The word-length can go up to 180-200 words in your Writing Test but make sure you talk about what is being mentioned. Do not just beat around the bush. If you can’t find enough of matter to represent then be more precise. Cutting down the word-length may lead to negative marking but it can be much better than writing a big letter that carry 300 words (such answers may invite wrath of the examiners).
Do not make use of abbreviations
Do not make use of abbreviations when you write answers for your listening, reading or even writing test. It is good to give answers in full. Do not just cut short your answers when you are expected to write more precisely about it.
Rephrasing in Writing Test
Most of the candidates think that they can just take a few important sentences from the written test paper and include in them in their letter as answer but this doesn’t work. Rather, this leads to low score. The information on case studies are given solely for the purpose of making a candidate understand more about the task . So, it is necessary that the candidates should focus on rewriting or rephrasing the information to the best of their ability (If you do not rephrase the information or write in your own words and submit an answer with exact word-groups or phrases then this might lead to low score).
OET Preparation
To get the score you desire of, pay more attention to taking OET preparation tests. Yes, that is simply indispensable. When you take sample tests, you get to know more of the complexities that are inherent in the test and you learn more about how to overcome them. Therefore, do not just ignore taking sample tests before taking actual OET test.
