OET or Occupational English Test is designed specifically to test the English proficiency of healthcare professionals who wish to practice in an English-speaking country. Knowing English at a certain level with the widely used healthcare terminology is important to understand the vital information, a slight miscommunication in which can be very critical.
Hence, Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment Trust (CBLA) introduced this test which is a joint venture between Cambridge English and Boxhill Institute.
OET assesses four language skills with Writing and Speaking tests different for 12 different areas of healthcare while the other two i.e. Reading and Listening tests are the same across all areas.
You need to have extensive preparation for any test and OET is no different. You definitely need to have a proper study plan and understand the test structure completely as per your domain.
The writing sub-tests assess the writing skills pertaining to different professionals. (i.e. doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, etc.). Most commonly, you are required to write a referral letter based on the given instructions and case notes.
Here are some letter-writing tips for nurses in OET.
- Use your reading time properly and wisely. IT is very important to know what you are expected to write before you start writing. Read the task instructions very carefully.
- A perfect OET referral letter should convey the intended purpose clearly. It should cover two things: The chief complaint and the purpose in very crisp language because the recipient of the letter is interested in knowing only this to the point.
- Organize your letter in a structured manner: Rather than making your letter details messy, put them in organized paragraphs. It should follow a proper structure: Introduction, main, secondary, or any other issues and the final request.
- Describe your referral explicitly in the last paragraph even if you have mentioned it before.
- Summarize the case study in as easy manner as possible without missing any important information and at the same time not copying all the details as it is.
- It is very important to clearly state what the recipient is expected to do. The patient needs further treatment or advice etc., it should be properly stated.
- End your letter formally in a proper manner. Usually, Sincerely, Regards, Thank you are used but the most suitable ones to use are “Your sincerely” when you know the name of the recipient or “yours faithfully” when you are addressing the letter as Sir/Madam because you don’t know the name of the recipient.
- Practice is the only secret to a good score. Join a good training institute or if you are opting for self-learning, still try to opt for some good study material and Mock tests.
Speakeng India provides complete training on all aspects of OET and helps you clear this test with a good score.
