The candidate card
Setting
General practice
Candidate
This original independent practice scenario contains fictional patient details and a proposed individual prevention review. You are a GP seeing Mr Lorenzo Atienza, aged 62, after three diagnosed gout attacks during the past year; his latest attack has resolved and he has no current joint symptoms. He has used prescribed treatment during attacks but has never taken uric acid-lowering treatment and believes medicines are unnecessary between episodes. You propose reviewing his health conditions and medicines, measuring blood uric acid and discussing whether regular preventive treatment would suit him, without selecting a drug or dose during this conversation.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out how the attacks affect Mr Atienza, how he manages them and what he understands about treatment between attacks
- Explain in simple terms how gout occurs and distinguish treatment of an attack from long-term prevention
- Discuss why recurrent attacks make an individual prevention review worthwhile and respond to his concerns about regular medication
- Advise on realistic lifestyle measures that can support prevention without blaming him for the condition
- Agree the next steps for blood testing, medicine review and a shared decision about prevention
In the test you get 3 minutes to read the card and plan, then about 5 minutes to talk. This card is original, written for this site; the interlocutor's card is not shown.
Prepare this card, then say it out loud.
Plan your opening and the tasks below. Keep these notes when you move to the AI role-play.
This original independent practice scenario contains fictional patient details and a proposed individual prevention review. You are a GP seeing Mr Lorenzo Atienza, aged 62, after three diagnosed gout attacks during the past year; his latest attack has resolved and he has no current joint symptoms. He has used prescribed treatment during attacks but has never taken uric acid-lowering treatment and believes medicines are unnecessary between episodes. You propose reviewing his health conditions and medicines, measuring blood uric acid and discussing whether regular preventive treatment would suit him, without selecting a drug or dose during this conversation.
Getting your plan ready…
Preparation is free without an account. AI conversation and marking need sign-in; your first role-play is free. Notes are saved on this device when available. This checklist is your plan, not a score.
How to approach this card
- Ask how the attacks have affected him and what he does when they occur, then explore what being symptom-free means to him. He may see no purpose in regular medicine; ask about that reasoning before introducing preventive treatment.
- Ask what effect the prescribed treatment had during his attacks. Only if he reports relief, refer to that experience when explaining the different aims of attack treatment and prevention. Explain the relationship between gout and uric acid simply, without inventing his blood result; distinguish treating an episode from considering treatment between episodes.
- Link the proposed review to his three diagnosed attacks during the past year, while acknowledging that the latest episode has resolved. Present prevention as an individual decision requiring review, rather than declaring that recurrence automatically determines a particular prescription.
- Ask which aspects of regular medication concern him before discussing supportive lifestyle measures. Tailor advice to habits he reports, avoid assuming alcohol use or excess weight, and do not suggest that lifestyle change guarantees freedom from further attacks.
- Close with agreed arrangements for blood uric acid testing, review of health conditions and medicines, and a discussion of whether prevention suits him. If time runs short, protect the distinction between attack treatment and prevention, and leave prescribing details for review.
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- It is helpful to hear what happens between your attacks.
- Would you like to compare what each treatment is intended to achieve?
- Which concern would you most like us to discuss?
- Does this next step feel manageable?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| gout attack | An episode of gout symptoms affecting a joint. |
| uric acid-lowering treatment | Medicine to reduce uric acid and help prevent gout attacks. |
| preventive treatment | Treatment intended to reduce the chance of future attacks. |
How this card is marked
Two assessors mark the recording on nine criteria: intelligibility, fluency, appropriateness of language and resources of grammar and expression (each 0–6), then relationship building, understanding and incorporating the patient's perspective, providing structure, information gathering and information giving (each 0–3). See the AI Speaking practice guide for what each criterion looks for.
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All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Medicine.
Questions about this role-play
What if he asks me to name the best preventive medicine immediately?
Explain that the conversation is about whether prevention would suit him, rather than selecting a medicine today. Invite him to bring details of his prescribed and other medicines to the review. Do not recommend stopping his existing treatment or borrowing someone else’s medicine.
Which lifestyle suggestions can I offer without assuming his habits?
Offer a balanced diet, reducing alcohol and sweetened drinks if relevant, and gradual weight loss only if appropriate. Ask which change he would find realistic. Present these as measures that may support prevention, rather than a promise that medicine will be unnecessary. [Australian gout advice](https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/conditions/joint-and-muscle-diseases/gout).
What if he asks whether the absence of pain means his uric acid is normal?
Do not infer a blood result from the absence of joint symptoms. Acknowledge that his latest attack has resolved, then explain that the proposed blood test will measure uric acid. Avoid assigning a target value or claiming that a single result determines the entire prevention decision.
Sources
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