The English test built for healthcare professionals
The Occupational English Test (OET) measures the English you'll actually use on the ward, in the clinic, and at the pharmacy counter — not generic academic topics.
An English test that reflects real clinical work
OET is an international English language proficiency test purpose-built for healthcare. Instead of academic essays or everyday small talk, it assesses the communication healthcare professionals rely on daily: talking with patients, writing referral letters, and understanding clinical information.
It's recognised by healthcare regulators, hospitals, and universities across major destinations, and accepted by the ECFMG in the United States as an alternative to the discontinued USMLE Step 2 CS communication requirement.
Choose the version that matches your profession
Candidates sit the profession-specific version of OET that matches their field, so preparation reflects the tasks they'll actually face on the job.
Medicine
For doctors and physicians seeking registration or employment abroad.
Nursing
For registered nurses and midwives.
Dentistry
For dentists and dental practitioners.
Pharmacy
For pharmacists.
Also available for allied health professions
- Physiotherapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Speech Pathology
- Optometry
- Podiatry
- Radiography
- Dietetics
- Veterinary Science
- and more
Sit your test close to home, without long waits
As an authorised OET test venue, iTAS runs frequent sessions across all three of its centres in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi, so you can plan preparation and sit each sub-test on a schedule that works for you.
| Sub-tests | Availability |
|---|---|
| Listening, Reading & Writing (LRW) | Six days a week |
| Speaking | Once a week |
Four skills, built around healthcare scenarios
OET assesses Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. Listening and Reading are common to every profession, while Writing and Speaking are tailored to your specific healthcare field. The full test takes approximately three hours.
| Sub-test | Duration | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | ~45 minutes | Three parts — a patient consultation extract, short workplace extracts, and a healthcare presentation extract — totalling 42 questions. |
| Reading | ~60 minutes | Three parts — a quick summary task, multiple-choice questions, and a detailed-reading task — totalling 42 questions on healthcare-related texts. |
| Writing | ~45 minutes | Profession-specific: write a letter (commonly a referral, discharge, or advice letter) based on case notes provided, in the correct professional format. |
| Speaking | ~20 minutes | Two profession-specific role-plays with an interlocutor acting as a patient or client, reflecting real workplace conversations. |
Scoring: each sub-test is scored independently on a scale of 0–500 and graded from A (highest) to E, with no combined overall score. Most regulators require a minimum of Grade B (350) in each sub-test.
Built around real clinical communication
Real clinical context, not generic topics
Tasks are built around genuine medical scenarios, consultations, and case notes, so preparation directly builds the communication skills doctors actually use on the job.
Recognised for medical registration worldwide
Accepted by regulators such as the GMC (UK), AHPRA (Australia), and the Medical Council of New Zealand, as well as by the ECFMG in the United States in place of the discontinued USMLE Step 2 CS.
Profession-specific writing and speaking
The Medicine version uses referral-letter tasks and role-plays drawn from real physician-patient interactions, making the test feel relevant rather than abstract.
Independent skill scoring
Each of the four sub-tests is scored and reported separately, so strong clinical communication in Speaking, for example, is never diluted by an average score.
Fast, flexible results
Results are typically released within days of completing all sub-tests, helping doctors move faster through registration and job-application timelines.
Frequent local availability
With LRW offered six days a week and Speaking weekly at iTAS centres in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi, you can test sooner and closer to home instead of waiting weeks for a slot.
Ready to book your test?
Select Prometric/iTAS as your test centre on the official OET booking page to see upcoming dates in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi.
Book a test on OET.com