OET Preparation for Nurses: Strategy and Materials

Why OET is a preferred option for nurses

OET (the Occupational English Test) is an English exam designed specifically for healthcare professionals, including nurses, doctors, pharmacists, physiotherapists and 10 other health disciplines. Instead of using the general academic context found in IELTS, OET uses real situations drawn from hospitals, clinics and other healthcare settings.

For nurses applying for an Australian visa, OET has some clear advantages:

• Aligned with the profession: Test content relates directly to everyday nursing work — writing patient referral letters, listening to case handovers, counselling patients.
• Accepted by AHPRA: AHPRA (the body that registers the nursing profession in Australia) accepts OET at grade B for professional registration.
• Accepted by ANMAC: ANMAC (the skills assessing authority for nurses and midwives) also accepts OET.
• Accepted by the Department: The Department of Home Affairs accepts OET B as evidence of Proficient English for migration visas.

OET score requirements for nurses

To meet AHPRA and ANMAC requirements, nurses need to achieve grade B in all four skills: Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing.

The OET grading scale:

• A: Excellent
• B: Meets the requirement (the required level)
• C+: Below the required level
• C: Below the required level
• D: Weak
• E: Very weak

Grade B is roughly equivalent to IELTS 7.0 in each band. Importantly, you need to achieve grade B in all four skills in the same sitting — you cannot combine scores from different test sittings.

Strategy for the Reading skill

The Reading section of OET Nursing has three parts with different types of medical text:

• Part A: Summarising information from 3–4 short texts on a medical topic. Key skills: skimming quickly and scanning for specific information.
• Part B: Six short passages from a clinical context (medication instructions, hospital policies). Key skill: understanding contextual meaning.
• Part C: Two longer academic passages from medical journals. Key skills: close reading and inference.

Practice strategy:

• Read simpler English-language medical sources such as Nursing Times, BMJ Best Practice (the patient-facing version), and Australian health-department clinical guidelines.
• Practise reading quickly to manage your time — this is especially important for Part A (only 15 minutes).
• Build a specialist vocabulary in nursing terminology.

Strategy for the Listening skill

The Listening section of OET Nursing has three parts:

• Part A: A healthcare conversation (for example, a doctor counselling a patient). Task: complete the clinical notes.
• Part B: Six short audio extracts from a healthcare environment (announcements, team meetings, instructions).
• Part C: Two longer healthcare conversations. Task: answer multiple-choice questions.

Practice strategy:

• Listen to English-language healthcare podcasts: The Handover (a podcast for Australian nurses), Nursing Education Expert, Nurse Converse.
• Practise listening to English in an Australian accent — this is the dominant accent in OET and differs noticeably from American or British English.
• Practise taking notes quickly while listening — an essential skill for Part A.

Strategy for the Speaking skill

Speaking is often the part candidates worry about most. OET Speaking consists of two role-plays with an interlocutor who plays a patient or a patient’s relative.

Common scenarios include:

• Explaining a medical procedure to a patient
• Giving instructions on how to take medication
• Advising on diet or lifestyle
• Communicating test results
• Managing an anxious or uncooperative patient

Practice strategy:

• Practise pronouncing English with a neutral accent — you don’t need a perfect Australian accent, but you do need clear pronunciation.
• Learn polite, professional clinical phrases: “Let me explain this procedure to you”, “I understand your concern”, “Is there anything you’d like me to clarify?”
• Find a speaking partner or join an online OET Speaking group.
• Practise managing your time: each role-play lasts about 5 minutes.

Strategy for the Writing skill

The Writing section of OET Nursing asks you to write a patient referral letter (a referral or discharge letter) based on the clinical notes provided. This is a practical skill that nurses use every day.

Letter structure:

• Opening: Introduce the patient and the reason for the referral
• Body: Medical history, current condition, treatment provided
• Closing: A specific request and contact information

Practice strategy:

• Practise writing at least 2–3 letters a week in the month before the test.
• Learn the standard clinical phrases used in each part of the letter.
• Pay attention to grammar: passive voice, perfect tenses and complex sentence structures appear often in medical writing.
• Manage your time: you have 45 minutes to read the notes and write a letter of about 180–200 words.

OET materials for nurses

Official and reliable materials:

• OET Official Practice Tests: Official sample papers from the OET website — this is the most important source.
• Cambridge OET Practice Tests for Nursing: Official preparation books, suitable for the Reading and Listening skills.
• The OET app: OET has a mobile app that provides short practice exercises.

Reputable preparation courses usually provide supplementary materials and individual feedback, which is especially valuable for the Writing and Speaking sections — the two skills that are hardest to assess on your own.

Test schedule and registration

OET runs regularly (usually monthly) at authorised test centres. OET results are valid for 2 years from the test date for AHPRA purposes, but check with the Department about the validity period for visa purposes.