OET is an international English language test to assess the language and communication skills of healthcare professionals seeking to register and practice in an English-speaking environment. OET tests health practitioners from the following professions:
- dentistry
- dietetics
- medicine
- nursing
- occupational therapy
- optometry
- pharmacy
- physiotherapy
- podiatry
- radiography
- speech pathology
- veterinary science.
Why you should take an OET
- OET uses real healthcare scenarios so you’ll feel more confident on test day.
- OET is widely recognised as proof of English proficiency for registration, study and work in the healthcare sector, as well as for visas in some countries.
- OET helps you develop language skills for success in your career.
- It’s easy to prepare for the test using the OET Preparation Portal.
What's in the test
OET covers all four language skills with an emphasis on communication in a healthcare environment. It consists of four sub-tests:
- listening
- reading
- writing
- speaking.
The listening and reading sub-tests are designed to assess your ability to understand spoken and written English, based on health-related topics and tasks common to all professions. The writing and speaking sub-tests are specific to the individual healthcare professions.
Online registration, test dates and costs
The Occupational English Tests (OET) website includes information about how to apply, test dates, costs and more.
Occupational English Tests (OET) website
Test locations at Massey
QA Building
Auckland campus
Gate 1
University Avenue
Albany Highway
Albany
Auckland
T37
Entrance A
Wellington campus
Wallace Street
Mt Cook
Wellington
Results
Your results will be published online approximately 15 business days after the test. Log in to your secure online profile to view them. In addition, an official statement of results will be posted to the current address in your online profile.
How OET is scored
You will receive a separate grade for each sub-test ranging from A (highest) to E (lowest). There is no overall grade. The grades are printed on the statement of results.
You will find the description for each grade in the table below.
| OET grade | Description of ability |
|---|---|
| A | Very high level of performance |
| B | High level of performance, for example, able to use English with fluency and accuracy adequate for professional needs |
| C | Good level of performance – however, not acceptable to a range of health and medical councils |
| D | Moderate level of performance – requires improvement |
| E | Low level of performance – requires improvement |