OET is an Exam which tests
Healthcare professionals level of English in their specific area of expertise
Both IELTS (International
English Language Testing System) and OET(Occupational English Test)
are used to test the English language of healthcare professionals in different
parts of the world.
Many Nurses who have attempted and failed to get the Band Score 7 in all
areas will welcome this, especially those who have hit the wall of 6.5 in the
written section
What is the same
1. Each test the level of English in four areas skill: reading, listening,
writing and speaking.
2. There is no pass/fail, but a graded score – different institutions need
test takers to achieve different scores.
3. Both IELTS Academic and OET ask for required scores for similar levels of
language skill when measured on the The Standard of English is the same in both tests
4. Both tests were developed in the late 1980s and are part-owned by
Cambridge Assessment English. IELTS ownership is shared with IDP and the
British Council. OET ownership is shared with Boxhill Assessment.
What is Different
1. OET is a lot more expensive than IELTS
Academic. If taken in the Pakistan OET costs around 50,000 as compared to IELTS
Academic 25000
2. Numbers of test takers. Many more people took the IELTS Exam as compared to OET. Until now, the
main market for OET has been those professionals wishing to work in Australia,
New Zealand. A result of this is that the huge array of IELTS preparation
materials including Youtube Videos, Social media and mock tests are simply not
available for the OET Exam.
3. Content IELTS tests academic English – this includes the ability to write
essays, follow lectures, understand academic articles and discuss a wide range
of topics, from the environment to education to social trends to cultural
values.
OET tests Healthcare English, including the
ability to communicate effectively in medical scenarios, write a referral
letter, understand a patient consultation, or follow a text taken from a
medical journal. There are twelve versions for different
healthcare professionals including a paper specifically for Nurses. The Reading
and Listening sections are the same , the Speaking and Writing sections are
tailored to specific scenarios in which Nurses would use English.
4. Preparation
Preparing for IELTS involves learning huge amounts of vocabulary on a
wide range of academic subjects so test takers are prepared to read academic
texts quickly and effectively, understand lectures and discussions, talk about
abstract questions and give opinions in detail. Test takers need to learn how
to write reports on a variety of data, interpret graphs and a range of essay
types. Written texts need to be at an advanced level and so include complex
structures and grammar. Learning a set of key exam techniques is also crucial.
Preparing for OET involves learning a wide range of healthcare-related
and profession-specific language, so test takers are able to follow, engage
with and participate in a variety of clinical scenarios, as well as understand
medical texts and talks. They need to be able to write a healthcare-related
letter, such as a referral letter, at an advanced level. Applicants need to
learn and understand the exam techniques required to quickly and effectively
complete the questions
5. Scoring
IELTS is marked out of 9, with a separate score for each paper. Half
marks are awarded as part of this. OET is graded from A (best) to E. The UK NMC
will require level B
