OET UPDATE

The updated OET will come into effect from the September 2018 test (registrations open on 21 June).

Many of the OET test tasks, the format of the test and the focus in each sub-test (Listening, Reading,
Writing and Speaking) will remain the same.

 in the Speaking sub-test a wider range of communication skills, more similar to those that you
encounter at work, will be assessed

 in the Listening sub-test a broader range of accents will be introduced

 in the Listening and Reading sub-tests, tasks that reflect professional-to-professional

communication, such as consulting with a colleague, will be added

 an additional and more detailed scoring scale will be included alongside your A to E results score
so that you have a better idea of how you did.

Note: Many OET tasks, the format of the test and the focus in each sub-test will remain the same. The
OET will be neither more difficult nor easier than it currently is.

The Listening sub-test will be shorter, feature a broader range of accents and focus more on
professional-to-professional interaction e.g. a doctor to doctor conversation. As per the old test, you will
still be tested on your ability to follow facts during a consultation and understand a short talk.

The new Listening sub-test will take about 45 minutes and include three briefer sections as follows:

Section Duration Task

Part A 15 minutes Two separate consultations between a healthcare professional and a patient

Part B 10 minutes Six short dialogues or monologues in workplace settings

Part C 15 minutes Two long presentations or interviews with health professionals

40-45 minutes
TOTAL

1
The Reading sub-test will include new task types such as matching, short-answer questions, and a new
broader range of documents, such as policy or procedure documents. As per the old test, it will still be
relevant for all professions and test your ability to understand texts and source information from
multiple texts (‘skim’ and ‘scan’).

The updated Reading sub-test will take 60 minutes to complete and includes three parts as follows:

Section Duration Task

Part A 15 minutes Expeditious (fast) reading task

Part B Six short workplace extracts

Part C 45 minutes Two long presentation passages

60 minutes
TOTAL

There will be no updates to the format of the Speaking sub-test.

The updated test will be introduced from the OET test on 9 September 2018 (registrations open 21
June). Until then i.e. up to and including the August 2018 test, OET will remain unchanged.

New sample tests will be published on the OET website ahead of registrations for the September test,
which open on 21 June.