OET September 2018 Update: Everything You Need to Know

Head’s up! The Occupational English Test (OET) is going to be updated this year. Make sure you consider the test updates during your review if you’re planning to take the exam from September onwards,

Occupational English Test Philippines: Fast Facts about the September Update

The thing about healthcare is that it’s constantly changing. The developers of the OET exam know this. So, they decided to update it to make sure the test continues to reflect the kinds of communication that medical professionals will likely encounter at work. Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming update. 

• The updated exam will be launched in September. So, if you’re going to take the exam before September, you won’t be affected by the changes. 

• Most of the exam’s format, focus and tasks will stay the same. Already enrolled in an OET preparation course even though you’re taking the test around or after September? Don’t worry. The work you’ve done will still help you ace the test. 

• The results of the four sub-tests will be indicated on a scale of 0 to 500 alongside the usual OET grade system (A to E).

• The first test date covered by the update is Sept. 9. Registrations on that date will open on June 21.  

• The difficulty level of the Occupational English Test Philippines will stay the same. Despite the changes, the skills and competencies that you need to demonstrate to reach your OET grade will mostly remain unchanged. 

How the Updated OET version differs from the current Exam

The September update will mostly be about expanding communication ranges and scenarios. Read on to get a more detailed breakdown of these changes. 

The Listening Sub-Test 

It will be shorter, will center more on professional-to-professional (e.g., doctor to doctor, nurse to doctor, etc.) interactions and will have a more extensive range of accents. Here’s how the updated exam will differ from the current one. 

EXAM	SECTION	DURATION	TASK DETAILS
Current	Part A	20–25 minutes	Listen to a professional-patient consultation.
Updated		15 minutes	Listen to two patient-led dialogues.
Current	Part B	20–25 minutes	Listen to a monologue or dialogue in workplace settings.
Updated		10 minutes	Listen to six short monologues or dialogues in workplace settings.
Current	Part C
Updated		15 minutes	Listen to two long interviews or presentation with health professionals.
Current	TOTAL	40–50 minutes
Updated		40–45 minutes

The Reading Sub-Test

The updated Reading Sub-Test will feature a more extensive range of documents (e.g., procedure paperwork, policy documents, etc.) and will include new task types (e.g., short-answer questions, matching, etc.). Here’s how the updated exam will differ from the current one. 

EXAM	SECTION	DURATION	TASK DETAILS
Current	Part A	15 minutes	Read 3-4 short texts and synthesize their information.
Updated		15 minutes	An expeditious reading task
Current	Part B	45 minutes	Read two passages, each with 600-800 words, and answer multiple-choice questions.
Updated		45 minutes	Read six short texts extracted from workplace documents and answer one question for each.
Current	Part C
Updated			Read two long texts extracted from presentations and answer six questions per text.
Current	TOTAL

The Writing Sub-Test

There will be no changes in the OET writing exam. 

The Speaking Sub-Test

There will be no changes in the format of the OET speaking exam. But its focus will be updated, there will be updates in its focus. The updated version will evaluate clinical communication skills such as building rapport, understanding the patient’s viewpoint, establishing what the patient already knows, etc.

Whether you’re taking the exam before or after the update, make sure you reach your OET grade goals. Enroll in an excellent OET preparation course to guarantee success! 

References: 
“OET September 2018 Test Updates.” Occupational English Test. Accessed March 21, 2018. https://www.occupationalenglishtest.org/testupdatesseptember2018/



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