Occupational English Test
Key Facts
Course Dates OET 10:
January 4th – March 26th
April 6th – June 25th
September 20th – December 10th
Course Dates OET Exam Ready:
January 25th – January 28th
May 6th – May 9th
August 16th – August 19th
November 15th – November 18th
Entry Level OET 10: IELTS 6.5 overall (minimum 6 in each paper)/CAE pass C and above/FCE pass A/Cambridge Linguaskill 180 points overall*
Lessons per week OET 10: 10 lessons/10 hours
Entry Level OET Exam Ready: IELTS 7 overall (minimum 6.5 in each paper)/CAE pass B and above/Linguaskill 185 points overall*
Maximum Class Size: 15
Lessons Per Week OET Exam Ready: 20 lessons/20 hours
Visa Requirements: Short Term Study Visa or Visitor Visa
Examination Fees (subject to change):
Not included in course fees
*If you are not sure of your suitability for the course you can also apply by taking our online test.
Summary
The Occupational English Test (OET) is the world’s only international English language test specifically for healthcare professionals.
OET is designed for healthcare professionals who want to register and work in an English-speaking country and are required to provide evidence of their language skills. The test provides a valid and reliable assessment of all four language skills with an emphasis on communication in healthcare professional settings. The test is proof of your English Language competence and is a skills test not a knowledge test. The test is divided into four sub-tests:
- Listening
- Reading
- Writing
- Speaking
For detailed information about the test, go to: www.occupationalenglishtest.org/test-information
Liverpool School of English is an approved OET preparation course provider and an authorised OET test venue: www.occupationalenglishtest.org/venues/the-liverpool-school-of-english.
We offer an extended course giving healthcare professionals time to fully prepare for the English-speaking workplace and to focus on developing the four skill areas as well as grammar and vocabulary for medical English. We will also help you to prepare for the OET test and give you practice in the exam strategies you will need to be successful in the test. During the course you will complete past test papers and receive individual spoken and written feedback on your progress.
In the UK, doctors, nurses and dentists who have sat OET to meet the English language requirement of their healthcare regulator do not need to take any other English test when applying for Tier 2 (General) visas. OET is used as proof of English proficiency by:
- Healthcare regulators in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Namibia, Dubai, Malta, Singapore and Ukraine
- The Australian Department of Home Affairs and Immigration New Zealand
- Leading health educators
- Royal colleges in the UK
For an up to date list of organisations that accept OET, go to: www.occupationalenglishtest.org/test-information/who-recognises-oet
Book NowAdditional Information
Lessons are 60 minutes long on our OET courses.
Included in your fees;
- Learning materials.
- A short review test and practice test each week.
- Regular OET exam practice homework tasks including on OET 10 a full mock OET practice test and feedback on all papers.
- Monthly progress tests and progress report.
- 1:1 tutorials with regular feedback on your progress.
- Optional Exit Test – Compare your placement test results with your exit results to see how much you have improved
- Outside the classroom you can use our online learning platform for extra practice.
- You can attend our free support classes for extra practice.
FAQs
Who recognises the OET qualification?
- Many healthcare bodies and councils across the world recognise OET. In the UK these include The General Medical Council and The Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Both IELTS and OET are accepted as a valid qualification. Which test should I take?
- The Academic IELTS test is designed to test your academic English. It tests your ability to understand reading and listening texts on academic subjects and to speak about a range of different issues. The OET test focuses on practical/vocational English in a healthcare setting so many candidates consider the OET test to be more achievable because the language studied is usually familiar and highly relevant to their own workplace.
Which healthcare professionals can take the OET?
- The OET covers 12 healthcare professions: dentistry, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, podiatry, radiography, speech pathology and veterinary science. Liverpool School of English offers classes for medicine and nursing. Please contact us if you work in one of the other professions listed and we can discuss your exam needs.
Will I be taught in the same class as healthcare workers from different professions?
- The OET reading and listening sub-tests tests are not subject specific and so all healthcare professions are taught together for these classes. The writing and speaking sub-tests are subject specific so you will have writing and speaking lessons in separate classes related to your profession.
How long will I need to prepare for the test?
- The duration of our part-time OET 10 courses is 120 hours over 12 weeks. During this time, you will focus on improving your medical English across the four skill areas with particular focus on communicating effectively in typical workplace scenarios. You will also complete two full practice tests as well as past exam tasks and will learn strategies to help you improve your performance in all the sub-tests. Your tutor will give you individual spoken and written feedback on your progress.
Our OET Exam Ready course is for students who have reached the required language and skills level to enter the test but feel that they need to learn more about the exam format and practise key techniques and strategies first. The course is divided into four workshops covering a different skill each day. You can select individual workshops or book all four.
Where and when can I take the test?
- Liverpool School of English is an authorised OET test venue and you can find available test dates on our venue page: www.occupationalenglishtest.org/venues/the-liverpool-school-of-english
When will I get the result of my OET test?
- The results are published 16 business days after the test date.
What do I need to pass?
- Each sub-test is graded from 0-500. To get a grade B you will need to score between 350-440 in each paper.
How long is my OET result valid?
- This will depend on the particular recognising body for your profession.
Course Prices
Exam Dates
As a Cambridge exam centre you are able to take your final exam with us on the following dates;
- Saturday January 9th
- Saturday February 6th
- Saturday March 6th
- Saturday April 10th
- Sunday May 9th
- Saturday June 12th
- Saturday July 10th
- Saturday August 7th
- Saturday September 11th
- Saturday October 9th
- Saturday November 6th
- Saturday November 20th
- Saturday December 4th
- These dates are also available for external candidates