OET (Occupational English Test) for nurses · Learn · 2 November 2026 · 5 min read
OET Listening for nurses: format, Part A rules and how to prepare
OET Listening for nurses: 42 questions in about 40 minutes, three parts heard once, the Part A exact-words rule, spelling, accents and a study routine.
OET Listening lasts about 40 minutes and has 42 questions in three parts, and every recording is heard once only. Part A is note completion from two patient consultations, Part B is six short workplace extracts with one question each, and Part C is two longer presentations or interviews. Listening is the same for every profession, so nurses sit exactly the same Listening test as doctors, pharmacists and the other OET professions. The rule that costs nurses the most marks is in Part A: your answers must use the words you hear, not your own paraphrase.
This guide explains each part, the Part A rules, how marking works and how to practise.
The format at a glance
| Part | What you hear | Task | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Two consultations between a health professional and a patient | Complete the notes with a word or short phrase heard | 24 (12 per consultation) |
| B | Six short recordings from healthcare workplaces | One 3-option multiple-choice question each | 6 |
| C | Two presentations or interviews on healthcare topics | Six 3-option multiple-choice questions each | 12 |
| Total | 42 |
Each correct answer earns 1 mark, so the test is out of 42. Your raw mark is converted to OET's 0 to 500 scale.
Part A: note completion
You hear two consultations, each between a health professional and a patient, and you complete a set of incomplete notes. Each gap is filled with one word or a short phrase that you hear in the recording.
The exact-words rule
OET says Part A answers must use the same words as the recording, not a paraphrase. You can also lose marks for:
- repeating words that are already printed in the notes;
- adding information that is not in the recording;
- contradicting yourself, for example by writing two different answers in one gap.
In practice, this means: listen for the precise word, write it down as heard, and stop. If the patient says "a burning pain", write burning, not hot or stinging. If the notes already say "pain in", do not write "pain in the lower back"; write lower back.
Spelling and grammar
OET says spelling can lose marks in Listening, although there is more flexibility than in Reading. Common medical words should be spelt correctly. Grammar mistakes can also cost marks. Build a personal list of the words you misspell, such as diarrhoea, haemorrhage, paracetamol or oedema, and test yourself on it weekly.
Part B: short workplace extracts
You hear six short recordings from a range of healthcare settings. Some are conversations between colleagues, such as a handover or a team briefing; others are between health professionals and patients, carers or others. Each has one question with three options.
The questions can test detail, purpose, the main idea, attitude, opinion or the next course of action. Read the question and options before each recording plays, and listen for the speaker's purpose as well as facts.
Part C: presentations and interviews
You hear two longer recordings. Each is a workplace presentation or an interview on a healthcare topic of general interest. Each has six questions with three options.
Part C tests the main idea, the detail of an argument, and the speaker's attitude and opinion. Questions often turn on words that show stance, such as "surprisingly", "I'm not convinced" or "what really matters is". Note these as you listen.
Timing and checking
The whole test takes about 40 minutes. OET does not publish a minute-by-minute split for each part. Checking time depends on the mode:
- Paper: two minutes at the end for all three parts.
- Computer and OET@Home: a short pause at the end of each question.
On OET@Home, Listening needs a wired headset; Bluetooth is not allowed.
Accents
OET uses a range of accents, mainly Australian, British and American, with others such as New Zealand, Irish, Canadian and South African. Our practice recordings use British voices, so add other accents to your listening practice.
How marking turns into a grade
Each sub-test is reported on a 0 to 500 scale in steps of ten, with grades from A to E. OET says candidates awarded grade B (350) typically achieve at least 30 of the 42 marks, and that the exact number varies slightly from one test version to another. Our guide to OET scores and grade B explains this in full.
How to prepare
- Take a full test once, under real conditions. Our OET Listening practice test 1 (nursing) follows the real format. Play each recording once only.
- Mark Part A strictly. If your answer is a synonym, give it zero. If it repeats words from the notes, give it zero. This is how you train the exact-words habit.
- Read ahead in Part A. Before each consultation, read the headings and gaps. Predict what kind of word fits: a body part, a medicine, a number, a time.
- Train attitude questions for Parts B and C. After each extract, say in one sentence what the speaker thinks, not just what they said.
- Move on to the harder test. Practice test 2 is harder; take it when you score comfortably on test 1.
Our practice tests are written for nurses, set on wards, in clinics and in the community. For OET Reading, see our guide to OET Reading Part A in 15 minutes. Everything is on the OET hub.
Key points
- About 40 minutes, 42 questions, three parts, each recording heard once.
- Part A: the words you hear, nothing more, spelt correctly.
- Parts B and C: three options; listen for purpose and opinion.
- Grade B (350) typically needs at least 30 of 42.
Official sources: oet.com Listening page, "Results and scoring" page, test and delivery mode pages, and the OET Test Handbook 2026 (format tables), read on 1 November 2026.