OET Test Format: The Four Sub-tests Explained
OET has four sub-tests: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. You take Listening, Reading and Writing on the same day, and Speaking on the same day or close to it. Listening and Reading are the same for every profession. Writing and Speaking use tasks from your own profession. Each sub-test gets its own score and grade.
On this page
Key facts about the OET test
Based on official OET information. Check oet.com before you book, as details can change.
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Sub-tests
4
Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking
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Professions
12
Writing and Speaking match yours
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Scores
0–500 per sub-test
No overall score
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Grade B
350
Grades run from A to E
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Ways to take it
3
Computer, OET@Home, paper
The four sub-tests
Each sub-test checks one skill in a healthcare setting. The table shows what you do in each one. Our guide to each sub-test explains the parts in detail, with worked examples.
| Sub-test | Time | What you do | Questions or tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | About 40 minutes | Listen to consultations, short workplace extracts and longer talks, and answer as you listen. Each recording is played once. | 42 questions in Parts A, B and C |
| Reading | 60 minutes | Find information fast in four short texts (Part A, 15 minutes), then answer questions on workplace texts and two long texts. | 42 questions in Parts A, B and C |
| Writing | 45 minutes | Read a task and case notes for 5 minutes, then write a letter to another professional in 40 minutes. | 1 letter of about 180–200 words |
| Speaking | About 20 minutes | Talk with an interlocutor who plays a patient, relative or carer, using a role card for each scenario. | 2 role-plays of about 5 minutes each |
Read the full guides: OET Listening, OET Reading, OET Writing and OET Speaking.
Which parts depend on your profession
OET is taken by people in 12 professions: medicine, nursing, dentistry, dietetics, pharmacy, physiotherapy, podiatry, radiology, occupational therapy, veterinary science, optometry and speech pathology.
Listening and Reading are the same for everyone. The recordings and texts are about healthcare topics, but you don't need specialist knowledge to answer the questions. Writing and Speaking are written for your profession. A nurse might write a discharge letter for a community nurse, while a doctor might refer a patient to a specialist. When you practise Writing and Speaking, use tasks from your own profession.
Ways to take the test
The four sub-tests are the same whichever way you take OET. What changes is where you sit and how you answer.
| Option | Listening, Reading and Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|
| OET on computer | At a test venue on the same day. Listening uses headphones, Reading is on screen and you type your letter. | Usually online from home, or at a venue in some countries. It can be booked up to 5 days before or after the other sub-tests. |
| OET@Home | At home on your own computer, with full remote supervision. You type your letter. | Online with a live interlocutor. |
| OET on paper | At a test venue, on paper. Open to 7 professions: medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, radiology and veterinary science. | Face to face with an interlocutor, at the same venue on the same day. |
How OET is scored
Each sub-test gets a score from 0 to 500, in steps of 10, and a letter grade from A (the highest) to E (the lowest). Grade B is a score of 350. There is no overall score, so your results show four separate grades.
Listening and Reading have 42 questions each, and each answer is right or wrong. OET says test-takers awarded grade B usually get at least 30 of the 42 marks, although the exact number changes slightly between versions of the test. Two OET assessors mark your Writing letter against six criteria. Speaking is recorded, and assessors mark the recording against four language criteria and five clinical communication criteria.
The grade you need depends on the organisation you are applying to, such as a registration board or an immigration authority. Many ask for grade B in each sub-test, but requirements differ by country and profession. Check with your own organisation before you set a target.
When you get your results
OET says results for the computer test and OET@Home can be ready within 48 hours of finishing all four sub-tests. It aims to release results within 6 calendar days. Paper test results can take around 12 days in most countries. If you think a result is wrong, you can ask OET to re-mark one or more sub-tests within 72 hours of receiving your results.
Practise the format on OET Practice
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Try one sub-test of each skill
Open the exam library and take one Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking test. This shows you each format and gives you a starting grade for each skill.
Open the exam library -
Practise single parts with Practice mode
Choose the parts you want and a time limit, from half the standard time to double time. This is the quickest way to work on a part you find hard.
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Sit a sub-test under exam conditions
Choose Simulation test mode to use the standard timing for the whole sub-test. In Listening, the audio plays straight through, as in the real test.
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Plan the rest of your preparation
Use your first results to decide where to spend your time. Our step-by-step plan shows how.
Read how to prepare for OET
Sources
- OET Test on Computer (opens in a new tab) — OET (oet.com)
- Results and scoring (opens in a new tab) — OET (oet.com)
- OET Listening sub-test (opens in a new tab) — OET (oet.com)
- OET Reading sub-test (opens in a new tab) — OET (oet.com)
- OET Writing sub-test (opens in a new tab) — OET (oet.com)
- OET Speaking sub-test (opens in a new tab) — OET (oet.com)
Written by OET Practice team. Last reviewed: 27 October 2026. Read our editorial policy .