OET (Occupational English Test) for nurses · Learn · 2 November 2026 · 5 min read
OET Reading Part A in 15 minutes: a strategy for 20 questions
How to finish OET Reading Part A in its strict 15 minutes: four short texts, 20 matching, short-answer and completion questions, and the word-form rule.
OET Reading Part A gives you four short texts on one healthcare topic and 20 questions, and you have exactly 15 minutes. When the time is up, the Part A materials are collected, and there is no extra checking time. That is 45 seconds a question, including reading. To finish, you need to scan, not read: know what each text is for, find the detail the question asks for, and copy it in exactly the form it appears in the text.
This guide explains the format, the answer rules and a minute-by-minute plan.
The format at a glance
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Time | 15 minutes, strictly; materials collected afterwards |
| Texts | 4 short texts on a single healthcare topic |
| Questions | 20, one mark each |
| Question types | Matching, short answer, sentence completion |
| Answer form | Exactly the same word or phrase form as the texts |
| Spelling | Must be correct; British or American spelling accepted |
Part A is worth 20 of the 42 Reading marks, almost half the sub-test. Parts B and C together take the remaining 45 minutes of the 60-minute Reading test.
On paper, Part A comes with a separate question paper and text booklet. On computer, the screen is split, with the texts on the left and the questions on the right.
The three question types
Matching
You decide which text contains a given piece of information. The options are the four texts, Text A to Text D. These questions test whether you know what each text is for: a guideline, a table of doses, a set of steps, a background summary.
Short answer
You answer a direct question with a word or short phrase taken from the texts. Answers are usually one to three words.
Sentence completion
You complete a sentence with a word or phrase from the texts. The sentence will usually be worded differently from the text, so you need to find the matching idea and then copy the original words.
The answer rules that cost marks
OET is strict about how answers are written in Part A:
- Same word form. If the text says dehydrated, do not write dehydration. Copy the form used.
- Abbreviations only if they appear in the texts. Do not shorten a word yourself.
- Correct spelling. A misspelt answer scores zero. British and American spellings are both accepted.
- Short answers. Most answers are one to three words. If yours is a whole clause, you have probably copied too much.
A 15-minute plan
Minutes 0 to 2: map the texts
Look at all four texts quickly. For each one, note in a word or two what kind of text it is and what it covers, for example "A: dosing table", "B: when to refer", "C: side effects", "D: patient advice". Do not read in detail yet. This map is what makes the matching questions fast.
Minutes 2 to 5: matching questions
Use your map. Many matching questions can be answered from the type of text alone: a question about a dose points to the table; a question about what to tell a patient points to the advice leaflet. If one is unclear, make a quick choice, mark it and move on.
Minutes 5 to 13: short answer and sentence completion
For each question:
- Underline the key word in the question, often a drug name, a number, a symptom or a step.
- Go to the text your map points to and scan for that word or a close equivalent.
- Read only the sentence around it.
- Copy the answer in the text's own form.
Do the questions in order, and keep your map in view so you are never searching all four texts at once.
Minutes 13 to 15: check
Fill every blank with your best guess; an empty answer cannot score. Then check spelling and word forms on the answers you were least sure of.
Practice drills
- The two-minute map. Take any four short texts on one topic and give yourself two minutes to label each. Repeat until it feels automatic.
- Word-form training. When you check answers, mark any change of form as wrong, even if the meaning is right. This builds the habit early.
- Strict timing. Our timer covers the whole 60-minute Reading test and cannot stop you at 15 minutes for Part A, so set a separate 15-minute alarm and stop when it rings.
- Speed before accuracy, then both. For the first few practice runs, aim to finish all 20 in time. Then work on getting them right.
Where to practise
Our OET Reading practice test 7 (Nursing) and practice test 8 both follow the real format: Part A with Texts A to D and 20 questions (7 matching, 7 short answer and 6 sentence completion), then six Part B extracts and two Part C articles. All our texts are written for nurses.
For the scoring side, see our guide to OET scores and grade B. For Listening, see OET Listening for nurses. Everything is on the OET hub.
Key points
- 4 texts, 20 questions, 15 minutes, then collected.
- Map the texts first; matching gets much faster.
- Copy answers in the exact form used in the text, spelt correctly.
- Never leave a blank.
Official sources: oet.com Reading page, "Reading Part A: the complete guide" (format section) and the OET Test Handbook 2026 (format tables), read on 1 November 2026.