The candidate card
Setting
Neurological rehabilitation unit
Candidate
You are a nurse in a neurological rehabilitation unit in this original independent practice role-play. Mr Oba Ajewole, aged 58, is recovering from Guillain-Barré syndrome diagnosed six weeks ago; he is medically stable but experiences fatigue and needs assistance when walking with his frame. His individual rehabilitation plan specifies walking practice with the physiotherapist or an assisting nurse, seated washing and dressing in stages with rests between stages, and no additional walking laps or increases in exercise until therapist review. He has been adding extra walking laps because he feels resting is lazy; the physiotherapist and occupational therapist are available to review his programme today.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out how fatigue affects Mr Ajewole's activities, what extra practice he has been doing and what resting means to him; briefly check for new or worsening symptoms.
- Explain that fatigue can persist during recovery from Guillain-Barré syndrome and does not mean he is lazy; avoid promising a recovery date.
- Explain his individual rehabilitation plan and how to apply its activity and rest arrangements to washing, dressing and walking.
- Acknowledge his determination and concerns about progress; encourage him to discuss his goals with the therapists rather than increasing activity himself.
- Agree today's activities and therapist review; advise calling ward staff immediately for new or worsening weakness, breathing or swallowing difficulty. Explain that breathing or swallowing difficulty needs urgent clinical assessment, without waiting for therapist review or treating it as ordinary fatigue; check his understanding.
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.
You are a nurse in a neurological rehabilitation unit in this original independent practice role-play. Mr Oba Ajewole, aged 58, is recovering from Guillain-Barré syndrome diagnosed six weeks ago; he is medically stable but experiences fatigue and needs assistance when walking with his frame. His individual rehabilitation plan specifies walking practice with the physiotherapist or an assisting nurse, seated washing and dressing in stages with rests between stages, and no additional walking laps or increases in exercise until therapist review. He has been adding extra walking laps because he feels resting is lazy; the physiotherapist and occupational therapist are available to review his programme today.
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
- Start with a recent activity rather than a general question about tiredness: ask where fatigue interrupts getting washed, dressed or walking. Then establish what extra laps involve and briefly check for any new or worsening symptoms before discussing activity.
- Explore what being lazy means to him; a likely concern is that resting represents insufficient effort, but let him explain. Acknowledge his determination before explaining that fatigue can persist during recovery, so the discussion does not sound like criticism.
- Make the plan concrete: washing and dressing seated, in stages, with rests between stages; walking with his frame and a physiotherapist or assisting nurse. Keep the boundary explicit: no extra laps or exercise increases until therapist review.
- Use today's therapist availability to give his determination a constructive direction. Ask what progress he most wants to discuss, then agree today's activities within the existing plan. The usual trap is negotiating extra exercise before the therapists have reviewed it.
- If time runs short, prioritise the activity boundaries and access to help. Ask him to call ward staff before walking and immediately for new or worsening weakness. Explain that new or worsening breathing or swallowing difficulty requires immediate staff assistance and urgent clinical assessment: he must not wait for therapist review or treat these symptoms as ordinary fatigue. Ask him to explain back today's personal care, walking assistance and therapist review arrangements, including when he would call staff. Clinical safety reference: NHS guidance on Guillain-Barré syndrome, checked 5 November 2026.
Model route: what a strong candidate might say
Example lines in a workable order for about 5 minutes: opening, key questions, the patient's concern, explaining, then the close. Use them to plan, not to memorise: the patient's replies are not scripted here, and your next line should follow what they actually say.
1. Opening
- “Hello Mr Ajewole, I'm one of the nurses on the unit. I'd like to talk about your tiredness and plan today together. Is now a good time?”
- “How has the tiredness been affecting what you do during the day?”
2. Key questions
- “What extra walking have you been doing, and when do you fit it in?”
- “What does resting mean to you?”
- “Have you noticed any new or worsening weakness, or any trouble breathing or swallowing?”
- “How do you manage washing and dressing at the moment?”
3. Handling the patient's concern
Likely concern: Likely to feel resting is lazy and worry he isn't progressing fast enough.
- “It's clear you're determined, and that's a real strength. Feeling tired isn't laziness; fatigue can last during recovery from Guillain-Barré syndrome.”
- “I can't give you a recovery date, but your goals matter. Let's take them to the physiotherapist and occupational therapist rather than adding activity on your own.”
4. Explaining
- “Your plan is walking practice with the physiotherapist or a nurse helping, and no extra laps or increases in exercise until the therapists have reviewed you. Extra laps on your own aren't part of it.”
- “For washing and dressing, sit down, do it in stages, and rest between stages. We'll follow that today, and the therapists are available to review your programme. Does that seem workable?”
5. Closing
- “Tell ward staff immediately about any new or worsening weakness, or any difficulty breathing or swallowing. Breathing or swallowing difficulty needs urgent clinical assessment; don't wait for therapy review or put it down to tiredness.”
- “So today: walking only with the physiotherapist or a nurse, seated staged washing and dressing with rests, then therapist review. Can you tell me what you'll do and when you'd call us?”
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- Thank you for being open about the extra laps.
- Would you prefer to talk about washing or dressing first?
- Have I understood what you mean by lazy?
- What would make today's conversation with the therapists useful for you?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| fatigue | The tiredness that affects what you can manage. |
| rehabilitation plan | Your individual programme of activities and rest during recovery. |
| therapist review | The therapists checking your programme and considering whether it needs changing. |
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.
More Nursing role-play cards
- Teenager seeking more independence: negotiate supported self-management Paediatric diabetes clinic
- Requested urine collection for stone assessment: agree a workable collection plan Urology outpatient clinic
- Chemotherapy-related mouth soreness: plan timely symptom support Oncology ward
Next step for Australian nursing: if your pathway requires OBA, the RN OSCE comes after OET and NCLEX-RN. The OSCE costs A$4,000 per sitting, and a re-sit pays again. We also run OSCE Australia, under the same company as OETAce, so you can try one RN OSCE station free, no sign-up before you book.
All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Nursing.
Questions about this role-play
How should I answer if he asks when his fatigue will end?
Say that fatigue can persist during recovery, but the information available does not support a recovery date. Avoid turning the six weeks since diagnosis into a forecast. Ask what a particular date would help him plan, without assuming his reasons.
What if he asks whether the extra laps have harmed his recovery?
Do not claim that they have caused harm or reassure him that they have been harmless. The card establishes that he has exceeded his programme, but gives no evidence about the consequences. Explain that you cannot determine their effect from the information available.
How do I respond if he says being medically stable means he can walk independently?
Explain that being medically stable and needing walking assistance can both be true. His current situation includes fatigue and assistance with his frame. Avoid describing him as generally unsafe or incapable; keep the explanation specific to the walking support stated on the card.
What if he insists on keeping up the extra laps?
Don't argue. Acknowledge his determination, explain that the plan asks for no extra laps until therapist review, and arrange for him to put his goals to the therapists today, so his concerns have a proper route.
How do I check for new symptoms without alarming him?
Ask briefly and plainly, early on, as part of understanding his tiredness. If he reports new or worsening weakness, or breathing or swallowing difficulty, stop the discussion and arrange urgent clinical assessment rather than continuing with the plan.
Sources
Last checked . Rules and prices change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.
OETAce is an independent practice site. OET is a registered trademark of Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment (CBLA); we are not affiliated with or endorsed by CBLA. All practice material here is original.