We know the OET exam is hard and knowing where to begin with your preparation can be confusing,
so in this video I'm going to give you a step-by-step guide to preparation,
so you can pass the OET exam, let's go!
Hello, I'm Jo from Specialist Language Courses. As OET Premium Preparation Providers we know
how to help you so you are in the right place for success, are you ready? Let's go!
So how should you prepare for the OET? Here are my tips: learn about the format of the
exam for all four papers, learn the skills and strategies and practice using them,
do timed practice once you are confident with the strategies,
you also need to work on your language proficiency so you should improve the accuracy and range of
your grammar, develop your vocabulary and improve your skills. There are so many resources available
online and not all of them are reliable, so here are my tips on which ones to use.
Use OET practice tests, if you can buy a preparation book or an online study course from
an endorsed provider like us, use the OET website it's really good as a base for your preparation,
OET official and of course, OET SLC YouTube channel will help you a lot.
Use websites to improve your language and skills, I'll be recommending some later,
and live lessons are great to complement any course, or if you don't have access to a teacher.
We have loads of live lessons on our YouTube channel, I'll leave the list below.
OET practice tests are a great resource for your preparation and not just for doing time practice,
here's how to use them. Use the practice papers for getting to know the test,
for implementing exam strategies and skills without time pressure,
it's also important to do some time practice as you get closer to your exam date,
but also use the exams for skills building and language development.
That last point I just made, is often overlooked by students and it's such
an important part of your OET preparation,
so let me show you some things you can do with practice papers, other than timed practice.
What to do with listening tests? Use the notes in listening A and the transcripts
to build up a list of synonyms and paraphrases,
use the transcript from listening A and create a language Bank of patient-friendly language,
use questions and options in listening B to create a list of formal verbs commonly used,
for example, establish, outline. Use the transcript of listening C and find all
the examples of signposting phrases, listen to the audio again with the transcript and make a
note of topic vocabulary or relating to that profession for example occupational therapy.
What to do with reading tests? Work with a study buddy and write five reading A style questions
for your partner to find the answer to, make a note of all the linking phrases for contrast and
cause and effect from Reading B texts, notice how they are used and write example sentences, read a
Part B or C paragraph quickly and time it then repeat and try and read faster the second time,
reread part C and note down 10 words and phrases the writer uses to express attitude and opinion,
summarise each paragraph in two to three sentences,
notice the structure of the paragraph and what the topic sentence is.
What to do with writing tests? Look at the case notes and imagine you are writing to a different
healthcare profession than the set task, select information you would include for that person,
look at the sample letter and make a paragraph plan based on the information presented in each
paragraph, look at the case notes and then give a verbal handover to your study buddy,
summarise the main points in one to two minutes, look at a sample letter and underline all the
time expressions used. Then write some more examples in your notebook, look at a sample
letter and notice all the different tense used and write more examples in your notebooks.
What to do with speaking tests? Underline the key verbs in the role card and brainstorm
useful language to use, choose one task on the role card and write down what you would say,
choose one task on the role card and record yourself explaining the point,
listen, reflect and then repeat once or twice more,
look at the topic or medical condition on the role card and make a list of patient-friendly
language relating to it, look at the tasks and think about other situations or conditions which
might use the same verbs for example give advice, and then brainstorm phrases to say.
As I mentioned before it's really important to use other material and not just practice papers,
here are my recommendations for websites to use and some activities to try.
The British Council has some good explanations, examples and practice activities for improving
your grammar, the NHS website is a great website to use, go to their health A to Z
page and choose a medical condition, for example cystitis, you can practice your
scanning skills looking for high frequency words relating to the condition such as pee or tummy,
now you try you have five seconds to scan for all the mentions of the word cystitis.
And here they are, or you can use the information provided to practice giving advice like you might
do in an OET role play, here's an example for cystitis. Let me explain some things you can do
at home to help, it's really important to drink plenty of water and avoid drinks such as coffee,
juice and alcohol. You can take paracetamol for the pain or a hot water bottle might help, it's
a good idea to pee frequently and try to avoid having sex, do you think you can manage that?
You can also practice explaining other things that commonly come up in OET speaking, such as
the causes of a condition, or make a list of topic vocabulary, which can be useful for listening A.
And these are some good websites for improving your skills and language for reading, for some
study ideas and activities to try, check out our video on how to study for OET reading, link below.
And here are some good websites for improving your skills and language for listening, for some
study ideas and activities to try, check out our video how to study for OET listening, link below.
Okay, so to recap my top tips for preparing for the OET exam, make time to prepare,
learn the format of the exams and the skills and strategies to use,
practice using these skills and strategies, improve your English,
and use other resources as well as practice papers, prepare well and succeed in the exam.
I'd like to know what resources you're using in your preparation? Leave a comment below,
and if you like this video let others know by sharing
and liking so we can grow our OET SLC Community, see you next time, bye!