Podiatrists sit OET Podiatry for registration, for example with the Podiatry Board of Australia through AHPRA, or for work in other countries that accept OET. Check the score lines and accepted test format with your regulator first.
Podiatry is one of the smallest OET professions, and OET did not publish a separate 2025 average for it. Much of your preparation is for the shared Listening and Reading papers, where most professions OET reported scored lowest.
| Sub-test | For podiatrists |
|---|---|
| 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 podiatry case notes, usually to GP, endocrinologist, high-risk foot service |
| Speaking (about 20 min) | Two role-plays in settings like community podiatry clinic, private practice, high-risk foot clinic; the interlocutor plays a patient or parent of a child patient |
OET Podiatry is computer-only in 2026: at a test venue or OET@Home, Monday to Saturday. There is no paper session for podiatrists.
Sample OET Podiatry role-play card
Setting
Private podiatry practice
Candidate
You are a podiatrist in private practice. Ms Fiona Gallagher, 46, a retail worker who stands all day, has had pain under her left heel for three months. It is worst with her first steps in the morning. Your assessment suggests plantar heel pain (plantar fasciitis). A friend told her a steroid injection 'fixes it straight away' and she wants one today.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out how the pain affects her (work, footwear, activity, what she has tried)
- Explain the likely cause of her heel pain in simple terms
- Reassure her that most people improve with simple treatment, although it can take several months
- Advise on first-line management (supportive footwear, calf and foot stretches, insoles, shorter periods of standing where possible)
- Explain why an injection is not the first choice, and check that she agrees to a review in six weeks
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 Podiatry letter task
Urgent referral: suspected Charcot foot. You are a community podiatrist. Mr Arthur Kemp, 66, who has diabetes and neuropathy, has a hot, swollen foot with no wound. You suspect active Charcot foot and are referring him urgently.
Case notes (extract)
- Mr Arthur Kemp, 66; type 2 diabetes 20 yrs; on insulin
- Peripheral neuropathy both feet (monofilament: sensation absent)
- R midfoot: red, swollen, 4 °C warmer than L; skin intact
- No pain; noticed shoe 'getting tight' 10 days ago
- Foot pulses present
- No fever; no wound
- Suspected active Charcot foot: non-weight-bearing advised; removable boot fitted as interim offloading; urgent referral to multidisciplinary foot team (within 1 working day)
- Routine nail care due next month
- Keen gardener; worried about missing spring planting
- Lives with wife; she can drive him to appointments
Task: Using the information in the case notes, write a letter to Dr Nadia Rahman, Endocrinologist at the High Risk Foot Service, requesting urgent assessment of Mr Kemp's right foot.
What a strong letter leaves out
- Routine nail care due next month — a routine item that distracts from the urgent concern
- Keen gardener; worried about missing spring planting — personal detail with no bearing on the referral
Letter types podiatrists meet most:
Podiatry words to spell right
Listening Part A and your letter both lose marks for misspelt clinical words. Ten that podiatrists need:
| Word | Note |
|---|---|
| callus | Thickened skin; 'callous' is an adjective meaning unkind. |
| orthoses | Plural of orthosis; 'orthotics' is common informally. |
| plantar fasciitis | Double i: f-a-s-c-i-i-t-i-s. |
| neuropathy | Nerve damage; peripheral neuropathy often affects the feet. |
| metatarsal | Long foot bones; the metatarsal heads form the ball. |
| ulceration | Formation of an ulcer; adjective ulcerated. |
| onychomycosis | Fungal nail infection; starts o-n-y-c-h-o. |
| ingrown toenail | 'Toenail' and 'ingrown' are each one word. |
| Achilles tendinopathy | Capital A; tendin-, not tendon-, in tendinopathy. |
| debridement | Removing dead or damaged tissue from a wound or callus. |
Practise hearing and spelling them: medical spelling dictation.
Score lines for podiatrists
| 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 podiatry 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 Podiatry
- In urgent foot referrals, put the suspected diagnosis, the key signs (temperature difference, swelling, intact skin) and what you have done, such as offloading, in the first paragraph.
- Use full words for readers outside podiatry: 'removable boot' or 'offloading device'. Briefly explain any test you mention, such as monofilament testing.
- Patients with neuropathy often feel no pain and doubt the problem. Explain that numbness hides damage, and link your advice to something they care about, such as staying mobile.
- When patients ask for a specific treatment, do not refuse flatly. Acknowledge what they heard, explain the options, and agree a plan with a review date.
Questions candidates ask
Is OET Podiatry harder than OET Nursing?
No. Listening and Reading are identical for both, and Writing and Speaking use the same structure and marking criteria with foot-care situations. OET did not publish separate 2025 averages for podiatry, so there is no official score comparison between the two professions.
Which letter types come up in OET Podiatry?
Referral letters are most common, for example to a GP, endocrinologist, high-risk foot service or vascular surgeon. Update, transfer and advice letters also appear. You have 5 minutes to read the case notes and 40 minutes to write about 180 to 200 words.
Can podiatrists take OET on paper?
No. In 2026 Podiatry is computer-only, at a test venue or with OET@Home, from Monday to Saturday. AHPRA does not accept OET@Home, so podiatrists applying in Australia should book a test venue.
What score do podiatrists need for OET?
It depends on the regulator. In Australia, the Podiatry Board through AHPRA asks for 350 Listening, 360 Reading, 350 Writing and 360 Speaking for tests from 23 April 2026. Other countries differ; see the score lines page for details.
Other professions: Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Dietetics, Optometry, 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 Podiatry
Last checked 22 Oct 2026. Rules and prices change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.
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