Doctors are the largest OET group: 57.5% of 2025 candidates sat OET Medicine. Many are international medical graduates applying through ECFMG in the US; others need it for registration in the UK, Australia or Canada, or for a job offer.
Doctors averaged 377 Listening, 375 Reading, 349 Writing and 385 Speaking in 2025. Writing is the sub-test most likely to hold you back, especially where a regulator such as the GMC asks for B in all four in one sitting.
| Sub-test | For doctors |
|---|---|
| Listening (about 40 min) | Same test for all 12 professions |
| Reading (60 min) | Same test for all 12 professions |
| Writing (45 min) | A letter from medicine case notes, usually to GP, specialist consultant, surgeon |
| Speaking (about 20 min) | Two role-plays in settings like general practice, emergency department, hospital ward; the interlocutor plays a patient or parent of a child patient |
On paper, OET Medicine runs on every paper session in 2026. The computer test (at a venue or OET@Home) runs Monday to Saturday.
Sample OET Medicine role-play card
Setting
Emergency department
Candidate
You are a doctor in the emergency department. Mr Tomasz Kowalczyk, 34, hit his head on a cupboard door at work four hours ago. He did not lose consciousness, has a mild headache and a normal neurological examination. You have decided that a CT scan is not needed and he can go home. He is a self-employed carpenter and wants to drive back to work this afternoon.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out how he is feeling now (headache, nausea, vision, memory of the event)
- Explain why a CT scan is not needed in his case
- Advise him about warning signs that mean he must come back straight away (worsening headache, repeated vomiting, drowsiness, confusion, weakness)
- Persuade him not to drive or use power tools until he has fully recovered, and to have a responsible adult stay with him for the next 24 hours
- Check his understanding and give him the written head injury advice sheet
You get 3 minutes to read the card and plan, then about 5 minutes to talk. Two assessors mark the recording: four language criteria and five clinical communication criteria. This card is original, written for this site.
Sample OET Medicine letter task
Referral for colonoscopy: iron-deficiency anaemia. You are a GP. Mr Gerald Finch, 63, has iron-deficiency anaemia and a positive bowel screening test. You are referring him for colonoscopy.
Case notes (extract)
- Mr Gerald Finch, 63; retired accountant
- 3 mths: tiredness, breathless on stairs
- Hb 98 g/L (ref 130–170); ferritin low; MCV low
- Bowel screening test (FIT) positive 02/10/26
- No rectal bleeding; bowel habit looser over 2 mths
- Wt loss 4 kg in 3 mths (unintentional)
- FHx: father — bowel cancer aged 70
- PHx: hypertension (amlodipine); appendicectomy aged 19
- Oral iron started 05/10/26
- Plays golf weekly; wife well
Task: Using the information in the case notes, write a letter to Dr Ananya Rao, Gastroenterologist, referring Mr Finch for urgent colonoscopy.
What a strong letter leaves out
- PHx: hypertension (amlodipine); appendicectomy aged 19 — old surgery and stable hypertension add little; one phrase at most
- Plays golf weekly; wife well — social detail adds nothing to the clinical question
Letter types doctors meet most:
Medicine words to spell right
Listening Part A and your letter both lose marks for misspelt clinical words. Ten that doctors need:
| Word | Note |
|---|---|
| oesophagus | British spelling begins oe-; one s, then -phagus. |
| haematuria | Blood in the urine; British haem- spelling. |
| ischaemia | Reduced blood supply; British -aemia ending. |
| anaemia | British ae; adjective anaemic. |
| colonoscopy | Camera examination of the large bowel; -oscopy ending. |
| dysphagia | Difficulty swallowing; not dysphasia, a language disorder. |
| gastro-oesophageal reflux | GORD in British use; GERD in US usage. |
| myocardial infarction | Heart attack (MI); 'infarction', not 'infraction'. |
| haemoptysis | Coughing up blood; ending is -ptysis. |
| tachycardia | Fast heart rate; opposite of bradycardia. |
Practise hearing and spelling them: medical spelling dictation.
How doctors scored in 2025
OET publishes average scores by profession. For doctors in 2025:
| Sub-test | Average | Grade | Against 350 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | 377 | B | at or above 350 |
| Reading | 375 | B | at or above 350 |
| Writing | 349 | C+ | 1 below 350 |
| Speaking | 385 | B | at or above 350 |
Averages hide a wide spread, but they show where doctors most often lose marks.
Score lines for doctors
| Regulator | Country | L | R | W | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AHPRA / Medical Board of Australia | Australia | 350 | 360 | 350 | 360 |
| GMC | United Kingdom | 350 | 350 | 350 | 350 |
| Medical Council of Ireland | Ireland | 350 | 350 | 350 | 350 |
| Medical Council of New Zealand | New Zealand | 350 | 350 | 300 | 350 |
| ECFMG / Intealth | United States | 350 | 350 | 300 | 350 |
| Canada medicine | Canada | 350 | 350 | 350 | 350 |
| UAE | United Arab Emirates | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
Combining sittings, OET@Home and validity for every regulator: OET score requirements by regulator.
Tips for OET Medicine
- In a referral, state the question in the first paragraph: what you suspect and what you want (assessment, a test, urgent review). Then give the findings that support it.
- Specialists know medical terms, so concise language is fine, but never leave note-form fragments. Write 'His haemoglobin was 98 g/L', not 'Hb 98'.
- In role-plays, avoid lecturing. Ask what the patient already knows, then explain in plain words: 'a scan of the brain', not 'a CT'.
- When a patient wants something unsafe, such as driving, acknowledge the reason first, explain the risk, then offer a practical alternative. Persuasion bullets deserve more of your five minutes.
Questions candidates ask
Is OET Medicine harder than OET Nursing?
Not officially. Listening and Reading are identical for all professions; only Writing and Speaking change. Doctors averaged higher than nurses in 2025 (377 against 313 in Listening), which reflects candidate background, not an easier paper. Medical letters often go to specialists, so precise clinical wording matters.
Which letter types come up in OET Medicine?
Referral letters to a specialist or another doctor are the most common. Discharge and transfer letters to a GP or another hospital also appear, and sometimes a letter updating a colleague or advising a non-medical reader. You get 5 minutes to read the case notes and 40 minutes to write about 180 to 200 words.
Can doctors take OET on paper?
Yes. In 2026 Medicine is offered at every paper session (two Saturdays a month), and on computer at a venue or at home from Monday to Saturday. Check what your body accepts: ECFMG allows OET@Home only if there is no test venue in your country.
What score do doctors need for OET?
It depends on the regulator. ECFMG asks for 350 Listening, 350 Reading, 300 Writing and 350 Speaking in one sitting. The UK GMC asks for B in all four, also in one sitting. AHPRA asks for 350/360/350/360 for tests from 23 April 2026. See the score lines page for details.
Other professions: Nursing, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Dietetics, Optometry, Podiatry, Radiography, Speech Pathology, Veterinary Science.
Sources
- OET Test Handbook 2026
- OET: 2025 test statistics, candidate performance
- OET: Book a test (2026 schedule)
- OET sample tests for Medicine
Last checked 22 Oct 2026. Rules and prices change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.
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