Where to look for a partner
- Reddit: r/OETforECFMG has public study-partner requests, particularly from Medicine candidates. Search within the community for “speaking partner” or “study partner”, sort by new and check whether the person is still looking.
- Facebook: search for “OET speaking partner” or “OET study partner”. Read recent posts and the community rules before replying. A large membership does not tell you whether anyone is available at your time.
- People you already know: ask a colleague, a classmate or a local healthcare study circle. A reliable short appointment is more useful than waiting for someone with exactly the same exam date.
In a partner request, include your profession, time zone with a UTC offset, available days and whether you want voice or video. For example: “Nursing candidate, UTC+5:30, available Tuesday at 19:00 local time. Looking for a 20-minute voice session: one card each, then feedback. Free peer practice.” Confirm the date and both local times before the call.
Start with one trial, using a call link rather than posting your phone number publicly. Agree whether recording is allowed and when it will be deleted. Never share patient records, identity documents, passwords or payment details. Avoid requests for money, recalled test cards, unsolicited tutoring and promises of a pass. If a partner cancels, use the solo routine below instead of losing the session.
Choose a free role-play card
These original OETAce candidate cards and their preparation tools can be read without an account. They are practice material. Choose a case for the profession you will sit:
With a partner, use a practice set that includes a separate patient brief, or let your partner create a simple fictional brief from the public candidate card: what they know, what worries them and what they will ask. Keep that brief out of the candidate’s view. Do not invent real patient details or read a model dialogue together before the attempt.
Practise with a partner on OETAce
You play the healthcare professional on your phone. Your partner opens a link on theirs and plays the patient from a short brief, with prompts for what to say when. Sit in the same room or talk on a phone call.
- Choose a card below and send the link by WhatsApp or Telegram.
- Your partner opens it. No sign-up is needed to play the patient.
- Talk for up to 5 minutes. Your phone records and transcribes only your turns.
- You get feedback on the 9 criteria, as after an AI role-play. Then swap: your partner signs in and becomes the candidate.
Nursing card · Medicine card · Pharmacy card
The session counts as your free role-play (one without an account on these cards). Your partner gets their own when they swap.
A 20-minute session: one turn each
Choose two cards and agree who starts before the call. This is a peer-practice schedule, not a complete Speaking test simulation. Each person practises one healthcare-professional role; the other plays the patient or carer.
| Clock | What to do |
|---|---|
| 0:00–3:00 | A prepares card 1: identify the setting, the patient’s concern and the tasks. B reads or prepares the separate patient brief. |
| 3:00–8:00 | A leads the conversation; B answers as the patient. Keep the timer running and save corrections until afterwards. |
| 8:00–10:00 | B gives one specific strength and one change, with a quote or timestamp. A writes the change down. |
| 10:00–13:00 | Swap roles and use card 2. B prepares; A reads the patient brief. |
| 13:00–18:00 | B leads; A plays the patient. Stop when the five minutes end. |
| 18:00–20:00 | A gives feedback. Each person chooses one short section to repeat after the call. |
The preparation and conversation blocks follow the three-minute preparation and five-minute role-play timings in the OET Test Handbook (checked 5 November 2026). During practice, the patient should answer the question asked, show the agreed concern and allow the candidate to lead. Do not turn the conversation into a medical quiz.
Give feedback against the public Speaking criteria
Use OET’s public assessment criteria as a checklist, checked 5 November 2026. Look for evidence rather than assigning each other a predicted score.
| Criterion | Ask your partner |
|---|---|
| Intelligibility | Which words were hard to understand? |
| Fluency | Where did pauses or speed make listening difficult? |
| Appropriateness of Language | Did I explain technical terms in everyday language? |
| Resources of Grammar and Expression | Which sentence was unclear, and how could I rephrase it? |
| Relationship Building | Did you feel listened to and respected? |
| Understanding and Incorporating the Patient’s Perspective | Did I explore your worry and address it in my explanation? |
| Providing Structure | Could you follow the order of the conversation? |
| Information Gathering | Did I let you answer and clarify anything unclear? |
| Information Giving | Did I check what you knew and understood? |
Write “When I said I was worried about work, you moved to medication without asking why” rather than “your empathy was bad”. Check the card’s tasks too, but do not treat ticking every task as proof of a particular grade. Keep one change small enough to practise again.
No partner today? Record yourself
- Open an unfamiliar candidate card and prepare for three minutes. Make brief prompts, not a speech to read.
- Record five minutes on your phone. Speak your opening, ask a question, leave space for an imagined patient reply and respond to it. Include a concern and a check of understanding.
- Listen once as a patient: can you follow the explanation? Listen again with the checklist and note a timestamp where you rushed, used jargon or missed a concern.
- Record that section again with one improvement. Keep the original so you can compare the two.
A recording helps you notice your delivery, but imagined replies are predictable. To practise reacting to someone else, arrange another peer session or use an AI patient.
OETAce’s AI patient is one option
Choose a card on OETAce Speaking practice and speak to an AI patient that replies. Your first role-play is free after sign-in; further practice uses the allowances on the pricing page. The AI Speaking guide explains the session and includes a demonstration you can hear without signing in. Feedback is for practice and does not predict a guaranteed result.
Questions candidates ask
Where can I find an OET speaking partner on Reddit?
Search public communities such as r/OETforECFMG for recent speaking partner or study partner posts. Check the date and community rules, and agree your profession, time zone and session time before sharing contact details.
Can I prepare for OET Speaking without a partner?
Yes. Read a role-play card, prepare for three minutes and record yourself speaking for five. Pause to imagine patient replies, then listen back for clarity and how you explained the plan. Solo practice cannot test how you respond to an unexpected answer; use a partner or an AI patient when you can.
Does my speaking partner need to be a nurse or doctor?
A candidate in your profession can take turns with you using relevant cards. A friend can also play the patient from a practice brief. They should react as a patient rather than supply medical answers or coach you during the conversation. Peer comments are practice feedback, not an OET assessment.
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.