OET (Occupational English Test) is an English proficiency test built specifically for healthcare professionals — nurses, doctors, dentists, pharmacists, physiotherapists and eight other professions. Unlike IELTS or TOEFL, every task in OET is set in a clinical context. This guide explains what OET actually tests, how it's scored, and where it's accepted.
What OET Is
OET is owned and administered by Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment (a partnership between Cambridge Assessment and Box Hill Institute, Australia). It has run since 1989 and is now recognised by healthcare regulators and employers in dozens of countries. OET exists for one reason: to test whether a healthcare professional can communicate safely and accurately in English in a clinical setting — reading a patient chart, writing a referral letter, listening to a handover, talking to a patient — rather than in an academic or general context.
OET is offered for 12 professions: Dentistry, Dietetics, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Radiography, Speech Pathology, and Veterinary Science.
The Four Sub-Tests
| Sub-test | Length | Profession-specific? |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | ~45 minutes | No — common healthcare content for all professions |
| Reading | 60 minutes | No — common healthcare content for all professions |
| Writing | 45 minutes (incl. 5 min reading time) | Yes — a different task for each of the 12 professions |
| Speaking | ~20 minutes | Yes — role-plays specific to each profession |
A common misconception is that all four sub-tests differ by profession. In fact only Writing and Speaking are profession-specific:
- Listening: Two recorded consultations plus a presentation/lecture-style extract, common to all candidates that sitting date.
- Reading: Three parts — a fast expeditious-reading task, and two longer healthcare-related passages — also common across professions.
- Writing (nursing version): Read case notes and write a referral, discharge, or transfer letter as a nurse would in practice.
- Speaking (nursing version): Two role-plays with a trained interlocutor playing a patient, carer, or colleague — e.g. explaining a procedure or managing a worried relative.
How OET Is Scored
Each of the four sub-tests is graded independently — there is no single combined "overall" score the way IELTS reports a band average. Since 2018, OET has reported two figures per sub-test: a numeric score from 0–500 (in 10-point increments) and a corresponding letter grade.
| Grade | Approximate Score Range |
|---|---|
| A | 450–500 |
| B | 350–440 |
| C+ | 300–340 |
| C | 250–290 |
| D | 200–240 |
| E | Below 200 |
Grade B in each of the four sub-tests is the standard requirement used by most nursing and medical regulators (UK NMC, Australia AHPRA, Ireland NMBI). Some regulators accept a slightly lower grade in one sub-test (commonly Writing) — always check the specific requirement for your target regulator, as thresholds can vary and change.
Note: because scoring uses 10-point increments within each grade band, two candidates both graded "B" can have meaningfully different numeric scores (e.g. 350 vs 440) — worth knowing if a regulator or employer asks for a numeric minimum rather than just the letter grade.
Which Countries and Regulators Accept OET (Nursing)
| Country/Body | Accepts OET for Nursing? | Typical Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| UK — NMC | Yes | Grade B in each sub-test |
| Australia — AHPRA/NMBA | Yes | Grade B in each sub-test |
| Ireland — NMBI | Yes | Grade B in three sub-tests, C+ in Writing (verify current rule) |
| New Zealand — Nursing Council of NZ | Yes | Grade B in each sub-test |
| Canada — most provincial nursing colleges | Yes, in most provinces | Varies by province — confirm with your target College of Nursing |
| United States — state Boards of Nursing | Growing but not universal | Accepted by a number of states; IELTS remains the most universally accepted test — confirm with your specific Board |
| Singapore, UAE, and other Gulf/Asian healthcare systems | Widely accepted by hospital employers | Requirement set by individual employer/regulator |
Acceptance lists and score thresholds change periodically. Always confirm the current requirement directly on your target regulator's website (nmc.org.uk, ahpra.gov.au, nmbi.ie, oet.com) before booking.
OET vs IELTS — The Core Difference
| OET | IELTS Academic | |
|---|---|---|
| Context | Healthcare only | General academic |
| Writing task | Clinical letter (referral/discharge/transfer) | Chart description + essay |
| Speaking task | Role-play with patient/carer | Interview with examiner on general topics |
| Scoring | Numeric 0–500 + letter grade, per sub-test | Band 1–9, per skill + overall average |
| Best suited to | Working clinicians comfortable with patient-facing English | Candidates who prefer general academic English or need a score for non-healthcare purposes too |
For a full task-by-task comparison, see our dedicated OET vs IELTS for Nurses guide.
Prepare for IELTS with Gabble — if your target regulator or employer also accepts IELTS, or you need an English score for reasons beyond nursing registration (visas, university, other employers), Gabble's AI-powered speaking and writing feedback can help you reach the score you need.