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Language tests and levels

OET (Occupational English Test)

Definition

OET (Occupational English Test) is an English language test written for healthcare professionals, owned by Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment. Regulators such as the GMC, NMC, NMBI and the Medical Council accept it as proof of English, usually at grade B in each sub-test.

Also called: OET, Occupational English Test, OET Medicine, OET Nursing, OET@Home

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What is OET?

OET tests English in healthcare settings. It is tailored to 12 professions: medicine, nursing, dentistry, dietetics, pharmacy, physiotherapy, podiatry, radiology, occupational therapy, veterinary science, optometry and speech pathology. Since 2013 it has been owned by Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment, a venture between Cambridge English and Box Hill Institute.

There are four sub-tests:

  • Listening (about 40 minutes) and Reading use general healthcare material and are the same for every profession. Each has 42 questions.
  • Writing is profession-specific, for example a referral or discharge letter.
  • Speaking is a profession-specific role play with a patient or carer.

You can take OET on paper, on computer at a venue, or as OET@Home with remote proctoring. Not every regulator accepts OET@Home.

How OET is scored

Each sub-test is reported on a scale from 0 to 500 in ten-point steps, and each score maps to a letter grade from A (highest) to E. Grade B starts at 350 and grade C+ at 300. OET says candidates awarded grade B in Reading or Listening typically answer at least 30 of the 42 questions correctly.

Results are typically available within 6 days for computer and home tests, and around 12 days for paper tests. You can ask for a re-mark within 72 hours of receiving your results.

Who accepts OET, and at what grade

  • GMC (UK doctors): OET Medicine, at least grade B in all four sub-tests, in the same sitting and your most recent sitting. Paper, computer and OET@Home are accepted.
  • NMC (UK nurses and midwives): B (350 or above) in listening, reading and speaking and C+ (300 or above) in writing. You can combine two OET sittings within 12 months of each other.
  • NMBI (Irish nurses and midwives): OET Nursing with B in three components and C+ in one, from one test. OET@Home is not accepted.
  • Medical Council (Irish doctors): OET Medicine, at least B in each module in a single sitting within the last two years. OET@Home is not accepted.
  • VisaScreen (US nurses): for tests taken after 12 May 2026, TruMerit lists 360 in speaking, 340 in reading, 350 in writing and 320 in listening for registered nurses.

In the UK, the HCPC accepts profession-specific OET for only six professions (podiatrists, dietitians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, radiographers and speech and language therapists), taken at a test centre. Our guide IELTS or OET for UK healthcare regulators has the full comparison.

How to take OET

  1. Check your regulator's minimum grades, which delivery modes it accepts and whether results must come from one sitting.
  2. Book online at oet.com, choosing your profession, delivery mode and venue.
  3. Sit all four sub-tests.
  4. Share your results digitally with the regulator through your OET account. OET recommends that organisations only accept results shared this way.

OET itself does not set an expiry date; validity is decided by each recognising organisation. Most of the regulators above expect results no more than two years old.

Questions

For the NMC, you need B (350) in listening, reading and speaking and C+ (300) in writing. NMBI in Ireland asks for B in three components and C+ in one. Doctors usually need B in all four.

Regulators assess each sub-test separately, so what matters is the grade you reach in listening, reading, writing and speaking. Check each one against your regulator's minimum.

The GMC accepts it for doctors. NMBI and the Medical Council in Ireland do not, and other regulators set their own rules. OET advises checking with the organisation before booking.

The NMC allows two OET sittings within 12 months of each other to be combined if you meet its minimums in both. The GMC, NMBI and Medical Council require all grades from one sitting.

Yes. Listening and reading are common to all candidates, but writing and speaking are profession-specific, and regulators specify the version, for example OET Medicine for doctors.

OET says validity is decided by the organisations that recognise the test, not by OET. The GMC, NMC, NMBI and Medical Council generally expect results no more than two years old, so check your regulator's own rule.

Sources