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.
Who the OET is for
OET tests health practitioners from the following professions:
- dentistry
- dietetics
- medicine
- nursing
- occupational therapy
- optometry
- pharmacy
- physiotherapy
- podiatry
- radiography
- speech pathology
- veterinary science.
Why more healthcare professionals prefer the OET test
- Our test uses real healthcare scenarios so you’ll feel more confident.
- It's recognised globally by healthcare bodies and for visas in the UK, US, NZ and Australia.
- It enhances the language skills needed in your healthcare career.
- It's easy to prepare for, using our wide library of learning resources.
What's in the test
The test is divided into 4 sub-tests:
- listening
- reading
- writing
- speaking.
More information is available on the OET website
Online registration, test dates and costs
The OET website includes information about how to apply, test dates, costs and more.
Test locations at Massey
Auckland campus
Auckland campus
Atrium building
Gate 1
University Avenue
Albany Expressway
Albany, Auckland
Atrium building
Wellington campus
Wellington campus
The Pyramid
Entrance A
Wallace Street
Mt Cook, Wellington
Wallace Street, Mount Cook, Wellington 6021, New Zealand
Test day format
The 3 written sub-tests will take approximately 3 hours. In addition, the Speaking sub-test is also scheduled on the same day. You will receive an email from us about test day timings 1 week before your test. You must stay for the whole morning even if you are only doing 1 of the written subtests.
When you arrive, you will need to:
- Show the valid ID document you used when you applied for the OET test
- Get your digital photograph taken.
You may only have these items with you during the test:
You must not have:
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 |
