Occupational therapists sit OET Occupational Therapy for registration, for example with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia through AHPRA, or for work in other English-speaking health systems that accept OET. Check which test format your regulator allows.
OT is one of the smaller OET professions: together, the ten professions other than medicine and nursing made up 4.4% of candidates in 2025. Free practice material is scarce, so original practice tasks matter more.
| Sub-test | For occupational therapists |
|---|---|
| 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 occupational therapy case notes, usually to community occupational therapist, GP, case manager |
| Speaking (about 20 min) | Two role-plays in settings like hospital ward, rehabilitation unit, patient's home; the interlocutor plays a patient or parent of a child patient |
OET Occupational Therapy is computer-only in 2026: at a test venue or OET@Home, Monday to Saturday. There is no paper session for occupational therapists.
Sample OET Occupational Therapy role-play card
Setting
Patient's home
Candidate
You are an occupational therapist on a home visit. Mr Bernard Quinlan, 82, lives alone and fell in his shower two weeks ago. He was bruised but not seriously hurt. You have recommended a shower chair, grab rails and a raised toilet seat. He says he does not want his home 'looking like a hospital' and will 'just be more careful'.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out how he manages showering and toileting now (difficulties, fear of falling)
- Explain how each piece of equipment reduces his risk of another fall
- Reassure him about how the equipment will look and that some items can be removed later
- Advise on other simple changes (non-slip mat, night light, keeping a phone or personal alarm within reach)
- Check whether he agrees to a trial of the equipment
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 Occupational Therapy letter task
Referral for a home assessment after hip surgery. You are a hospital occupational therapist. Mrs Edna Fairweather, 81, is going home after surgery for a broken hip. You are referring her for a home assessment and bathroom equipment.
Case notes (extract)
- Mrs Edna Fairweather, 81; lives alone in 2-storey townhouse
- # R hip; hemiarthroplasty 06/10/26; discharge 24/10/26
- Mobility: walking frame; supervision on stairs
- Bathroom upstairs: shower over bath; no rails
- Needs help with lower-body dressing; managing with long-handled aids
- Ward trial: toilet transfers OK with raised seat + frame
- Cognition: alert, follows instructions
- Daughter lives interstate; neighbour checks daily
- Loaned: over-toilet frame, long-handled sponge
- Former piano teacher; still teaches 2 students
Task: Using the information in the case notes, write a letter to Ms Keiko Mori, Community Occupational Therapist, referring Mrs Fairweather for a home assessment and bathroom equipment.
What a strong letter leaves out
- Former piano teacher; still teaches 2 students — interesting, but it does not change the home assessment
- Cognition: alert, follows instructions — not a concern; one short phrase is enough
Letter types occupational therapists meet most:
Occupational Therapy words to spell right
Listening Part A and your letter both lose marks for misspelt clinical words. Ten that occupational therapists need:
| Word | Note |
|---|---|
| activities of daily living | ADLs; personal care such as washing, dressing, eating. |
| dexterity | Skill with the hands; often 'fine motor dexterity'. |
| cognition | Thinking skills; adjective cognitive. |
| hemiplegia | Paralysis of one side; hemiparesis means one-sided weakness. |
| commode | Portable toilet chair; double m. |
| grab rail | Fixed bathroom rail; 'grab bar' in US usage. |
| wheelchair | One word, no hyphen. |
| ergonomic | Designed to reduce strain; noun ergonomics. |
| perceptual | Relating to how the brain interprets what the senses detect. |
| fatigue management | Energy-saving strategies; 'fatigue' ends -gue. |
Practise hearing and spelling them: medical spelling dictation.
Score lines for occupational therapists
| Regulator | Country | L | R | W | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AHPRA (all National Boards) | Australia | 350 | 360 | 350 | 360 |
AHPRA's English standard covers every National Board (including the occupational therapy board) and needs 350 / 360 / 350 / 360 for tests from 23 April 2026.
Combining sittings, OET@Home and validity for every regulator: OET score requirements by regulator.
Tips for OET Occupational Therapy
- Describe function, not diagnosis alone: what the patient can and cannot do, with how much help, and what the home is like. That is what a community OT needs.
- Name the specific request: home assessment, bathroom equipment, rails. Put the most urgent safety issue first, for example a shower over a bath with no rails.
- Patients often resist equipment because of pride or appearance. Ask what worries them, link each item to a goal they care about, and offer a trial.
- Use plain words in Speaking: 'a seat for the shower' before any technical term. Summarise the plan at the end so the patient hears it once more.
Questions candidates ask
Is OET Occupational Therapy harder than OET Nursing?
No. Listening and Reading are identical for every profession. Writing and Speaking use OT situations but the same format and marking criteria. OET did not publish separate 2025 average scores for occupational therapy, so there is no official comparison; treat the two as equal in difficulty.
Which letter types come up in OET Occupational Therapy?
Expect referral letters to a community OT, GP or case manager, often about home safety, equipment or return to work. Transfer, update and discharge letters also appear. The format is the same for all professions: 5 minutes reading, 40 minutes writing, about 180 to 200 words.
Can occupational therapists take OET on paper?
No. In 2026 Occupational Therapy is computer-only, at a test venue or with OET@Home, from Monday to Saturday. If your regulator does not accept OET@Home, as AHPRA does not, book a test venue instead.
What score do occupational therapists need for OET?
It depends on the regulator. In Australia, the Occupational Therapy Board through AHPRA asks for 350 Listening, 360 Reading, 350 Writing and 360 Speaking for tests from 23 April 2026. Other countries set their own lines; see the score lines page.
Other professions: Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, 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 Occupational Therapy
Last checked 22 Oct 2026. Rules and prices change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.
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