OET Listening Tips for Doctors: How to Score Higher in Each Part

The OET Listening sub-test lasts about 45 minutes and has 42 questions. You hear each recording once, so you need to know what to listen for before the audio starts. These tips are organised by part.

Part A: note completion (24 questions)

In Part A you hear two consultations, each about five minutes long, and complete a set of notes with a word or short phrase. There are usually 12 gaps in each consultation.

• Use the preview time. Before each recording you have a short time to read the notes. Read the headings and think about what kind of word is missing: a number, a drug, a symptom, a length of time.
• Notes follow the conversation. The gaps appear in the same order as the information in the recording, so you always know roughly where you are.
• Write what you hear. The answer is usually a word or phrase the speaker actually says. You do not need to paraphrase.
• Check your spelling. Medical terms such as the names of drugs and conditions must be spelt correctly. Practise writing common ones.
• Watch for corrections. A patient may say "three weeks, no, four weeks". The final version is the answer.

Part B: workplace extracts (6 questions)

Part B has six short recordings, such as a handover, a talk to a colleague or a voicemail. Each has one multiple-choice question with three options.

• Read the question and the options in the preview time and decide what the speaker's purpose may be.
• Be careful with distractors. An option may use words from the recording but say something different.
• Listen for the main point, not every detail. The question often asks about purpose, attitude or the speaker's advice.

Part C: longer recordings (12 questions)

In Part C you hear two longer recordings, such as an interview with a healthcare expert, and answer six questions on each. The questions follow the order of the recording.

• Underline key words in each question during the preview.
• The answer is often expressed in different words from the recording. Listen for the idea.
• Do not dwell on a question you missed. Move on, because the next question may already be coming up.
• Pay attention to signals such as "however", "in fact" and "what surprised me", which often come before the answer.

General habits that help

1. Practise with different accents. Doctors and patients in the recordings speak with a range of accents.
2. Listen to medical interviews and podcasts in your own time, not only exam practice.
3. Review a transcript after each practice test and notice what you missed.
4. Use exam mode in practice, where you hear each recording only once, to get used to the pressure.

Ready to practise? OET Practice for Doctors has full listening and reading tests in the real format, writing letters with model answers and speaking role-plays. Try the free listening test to see how it works.

Practise for the OET on HighYield

Put this into practice with HighYield OET Practice for doctors, a full practice area built around the real exam. Start with the free listening test, then work through every sub-test:

• OET Listening practice tests: Parts A, B and C with audio
• OET Reading practice tests: Parts A, B and C with answers and evidence
• OET Writing tasks: referral letters with model answers and scoring
• OET Speaking role-plays: doctor role-plays to rehearse out loud