OET structure: a Detailed view 

Written By: Dana Mustafa AlKahlout, Source: Dr. Basil Haddad and occupationalenglishtest.org website 

In this post, we will talk about the four main sections of the test, their components, scoring, and how to prepare for them. Let’s go!

OET structure

First: The Listening sub-test structure

The Listening sub-test consists of three parts, and a total of 42 question items. The topics are of generic healthcare interest and accessible to candidates across all professions. The total length of the Listening audio is about 40 minutes, including recorded speech and pauses to provide you enough time to write your answers. You will hear each recording once and are expected to write your answers while listening.

Preparing tips:

Pick your preferred technique; bits of advice can be found on Youtube.

E2 channel OET (recommended) 

or

Search in OET fighters Facebook group for techniques in every part of the test. DO as MANY sample exams as you can: sample exams can be easily downloaded with audio from OET fighters Facebook group, search for Jahshan listening/reading/collection.

The Reading sub-test structure (taken from the OET official site)

The Writing sub-test takes 45 minutes and is profession-specific. There is one task set for each profession based on a typical workplace situation and the demands of the profession – a nurse does the task for nursing, a dentist does the task for dentistry, and so on.

Preparation tips 

Look at some questions and their model answers. Take a brief look at what information they needed to include in the letter about patient details and what they omitted. Look at where they placed the information in the letter. 

 I advise going through a doc (Writing course) briefly or deeply depending on your need. Notice how they focus on the purpose of the letter and what the reader wants to know than any other details. 

Want perfection? Go through some writing videos by E2 channel OET – Jay is a good tutor. 

 Memorize the template and order of paragraphs- Good to go? START OVER and write your letters.

Finding yourself deficient in some skills (punctuation, grammar…)? will include useful videos and documents in the uploads.

Do I need to have my writing assessed before the test?

 The answer is YES if you’re not confident. Doing it for 4 letters by the end of your preparations should be enough. Options:

 1. Paid letter correction services: Mr. Ahmed Adel is a good one on OET Fighters or another good one available.

 2. A friend who passed the test or is proficient in the English language. 

 3. Compare it to model answers.

Scoring 

The four sub-tests that make up the OET are reported on a scale from 0 to 500 in ten-point increments (e.g. 350, 360, 370, etc). The numerical score will be mapped to a separate letter grade for each sub-test ranging from A (highest) to E (lowest). 

There is no overall grade for OET.

The passing score is 350 for each section which equals grade B in letters.

More explaining?

For example, the listening section contains 42 questions with an overall grade of 500 to get the passing score which is 350 you need to get 30 questions right out of the 42.

the same principle applies to the reading subsection which contains also 42 questions, however, in the writing and speaking subsections, there is no number of questions you need to get right to pass. In contrast, you get an overall score of 500 depending on some criteria.

 If you want to know more about the scoring and criteria you can visit the OET official website.

Do I need a course for OET?

 You should try preparing by yourself at first. 

Circumstances where you might consider a course:

 1. Your English level is much below average and you do not have much time to improve it. 

 2. You cannot force me to watch videos, read written courses, or simply all those advice did not help me.

 3. You ultimately prefer being actively taught and instructed rather than learning by yourself. 

 4. You need many more letters to be assessed by an instructor where, occasionally, the price for a course with unlimited letter corrections becomes the same as correcting many letters by a correction service and you could not find a friend to help for free.

Want a course? Stay tuned for our coming OET course with affordable prices for all students.

Record of our OET workshop

Find the record of our OET workshop, which explains everything you need to know about:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_8pia8H0EnWul0uw3RutR0GYKFrJ1cqE?usp=sharing

If you still haven’t read our latest post regarding the OET, read it Now:
https://mdguidance.com/all-what-you-need-to-know-about-oet-an-overview-new/

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