Having Controlled Conversations In The OET Speaking Test

Whilst being an English language testing exam, OET still differs from other English language testing exams like IELTS and TOEFL, as it simulates real life patient-to-professional communication. It is a test especially designed to analyze the English language reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills of candidates who want to study medical education abroad or set up a medical career in a foreign country.

Why should you have controlled conversations in the OET test?

As a healthcare professional, you need to have even more control over your conversations, as you will be speaking to other medical practitioners, nurses, patients, or relatives of patients. Thus, there needs to be formal and thoughtful conversation patterns. You need to know which information needs to be provided and in how much amount, and in which tone, depending upon who you are speaking to, and the situation and setting that you are in. All of this calls for controlled conversation skills.

The OET speaking test format

To test your skills, whether they are effective in such environments or not, you will be given a role-play to perform. You will be asked to play the role of a medical professional, with the assessor being the patient or patient’s family. A real situation will be provided to you, where you will have to enact professional-to-patient interactions. You will be required to take control of the role-play as you would in real life, as you will be given a particular task to be completed in a certain amount of time.

Managing both listening and speaking skills

How you start the conversation and how you move forward with it are both important aspects that will be analyzed. Your conversation not only identifies how you speak; but it also depicts your listening skills. You need to listen appropriately to what the patient is saying, and respond accordingly to answer the patient’s queries, as well as make him feel comfortable. Managing the conversation well is of crucial importance here. Both your listening and speaking skills should be well-balanced.

Who can undertake the OET test?

The real life scenario that you will be given will depend upon your particular field of interest. OET is for all kinds of medical professionals catering to the varied categories of dentistry, medicine, nursing, dietetics, optometry, pharmacy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, radiography, podiatry, speech pathology, and veterinary science.

How will you be assessed?

Your performance in the speaking sub-test of OET will be assessed on various criteria like language appropriateness, fluency, grammar, expression, and intelligibility, on a scale from 0 to 6 points. Your performance should depict various elements of understanding the patient’s perspective, relationship building, information gathering, and information giving, which will be assessed on a scale from 0 to 3 points.

Why Avigna Learning Academy?

Avigna Learning Academy is the best OET coaching centre in Bangalore, where you can be provided with essential skills and test taking strategies required to successfully complete the OET with best scores. While at Avigna, you can rest assured that you are enrolled at one of the best OET training centres in India!

For more information, visit: https://avignalearning.com/