IELTS or OET for Doctors and Nurses
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How can I choose between IELTS and OET?
If you are a nurse, midwife or doctor who has qualified in the EU or outside of the EU, you have to register with the NMC (the UK’s professional regulator for nurses and midwives) or with the GMC (the UK’s professional regulator for doctors). After making this step, you have to take an English language test. There are two options you can choose from to be eligible to work in the UK: IELTS (International English Language Testing System) and OET (Occupational English Test).
For some professionals it may be difficult to choose between the two options. In this article we will go through similarities and differences of the exam types to help you to make the best decision.
What do the tests consist of?
You have probably heard about IELTS. It is the world’s most popular English language proficiency test for higher education and global migration. It tests your knowledge in either a general or academic context. It is important to note that doctors, nurses and midwives have to take the academic version. The main difference between the general and the academic training is the Reading part and the Writing test; when choosing the academic version of IELTS, these parts will be specified for healthcare professionals or the ones who graduated and want to enter an English-speaking university. Both the general and the academic version consists of four sub-tests: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.
The OET is the English language test for healthcare professionals who wish to register and practice in an English-speaking environment. Similarly to the IELTS, the OET consists of Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.
How long does it take to take the tests?
IELTS requires approximately 2 hours 45 minutes to take. It is important to note that the Speaking section can be done up to a week before or after the other tests. OET takes 3 hours to take and you can do Speaking on another day.
What is the Reading part like?
IELTS:
The Reading part takes 1 hour. You will be given three long paragraphs and then you will have to answer questions and complete tasks. You can expect multiple choice, true or false, identification questions, and other such tasks.
OET:
Just like the Reading Part of IELTS, OET’s Reading test takes one hour to complete. There are 3 sections of this part. Part “A” consists of four short texts and a summary task with blanks to fill. In part “B” you will have to read two longer texts and then complete multiple choice questions, and part “C” will test your ability to identify detailed meaning and opinion in two texts on topics of interest to healthcare professionals. At the end you will have to complete eight four-multiple choice questions.
What is the Listening part like?
IELTS:
This part takes 30 minutes. First, you will listen to four recordings (monologues, lectures and spoken conversations) and then answer questions. You can expect ‘fill the blanks’, complete sentences and so forth.
OET:
It takes 50 minutes to complete. OET’s Listening part has three parts: in part ‘A’ you will listen to a patient consultation and take notes. In Part ‘B’ you will listen to a healthcare lecture and then answer multiple choice questions. In part ‘C’ you will complete twelve multiple-choice questions after listening to two recorded presentations or interviews about certain healthcare topics (you will answer six questions for each extract).
What is the Writing part like?
IELTS:
It takes 1 hour to complete IELTS Writing part. In this section there will be two tasks: during the first one you will have to study some data or graphs and then write a report. During the second part there will be given a subject and you will have to write an essay.
OET:
You will be given 45 minutes to solve OET’s Writing test. After reading the case notes for five minutes, you will need to write a discharge, referral letter or follow up.
What is the Speaking part like?
IELTS:
You will have 15 minutes for this part. It has three parts: at the first one you will have a discussion about general topics like hobbies and family, and you will talk about different topics after you will be given task cards.
OET:
This part takes 20 minutes. At the beginning you will have a short discussion with the examiner about general topics as a warm-up, then the main task will consist of two role plays; you will play a nurse and the examiner will be the patient. The topics will be chosen based on topic cards.
What is the scoring system like?
IELTS:
IELTS is scored on a 0-9 band score system. If you are a nurse you need to score 7 or above overall, for doctors this number is 7.5. Important note: for Writing you are required to reach 6.5 points only.
OET:
OET is scored in grades from A to E. Overall, doctors need to get grade B in all subtests. Nurses need to get B in all parts as well, except in the Writing part: they can pass with C.
Which exam is easier?
The difficulty level of both the exams is equivalent. Both the exams are equally challenging but with the right preparation you will be able to pass the exam. Our learners usually choose OET because the content of the test is more specialized for healthcare professionals, not because of the difficulty level.
How can we help you to prepare for the exams?
Our team includes trained English language professionals who are ready and willing to assist you with your IELTS and OET either online or from our London centres. There are presentations with substantive information, books of the presentations and more. If you need further assistance with your career if you qualified outside of the UK, we will be more than happy to help you.
Choose IELTS or OET with us... Call 02036376722!
