Which English test is best for doctors?
As a doctor, your expertise extends far beyond medical knowledge — you excel in clear and effective communication, even in high-pressure clinical environments. If your ambition is to practise medicine in an English-speaking country, you will likely need to refine this skill in English and demonstrate your proficiency.
With multiple English tests available, which one best suits your needs as a highly trained medical professional?
IELTS Academic is a well-known English test, and it was originally designed with university entry in mind. As it focuses on academic language skills, it’s a great test for those looking to study abroad.
OET Medicine, on the other hand, was created specifically for doctors to reflect the real-life communication skills that are needed for your day-to-day work. That means instead of writing about topics such as climate change or speaking about the impact of technology on society and expressing your opinions on human rights, you’ll be tested on the kind of English you will be familiar with using in your workplace — explaining diagnoses, writing patient referrals, and understanding medical texts.
Such approach makes the English test step of registration less stressful and more aligned with your profession. It also adds value by making you better prepared and more confident to start or continue working in English.
“I’m a doctor – the content in the OET subtests and these skills you learn are required for me to have regardless of the test. Do I want to write a letter to another doctor as a referral and practice that skill, or do I want to write about the advantages and disadvantages of agriculture or some other obscure topic?” — Dr. Lujain Jumran
How OET Medicine and IELTS Academic assess key language skills
A major advantage of OET Medicine is its focus on real healthcare scenarios, making it highly relevant to doctors. Unlike IELTS Academic, which includes abstract topics like sociology and art, OET assesses English skills in medical contexts — just as you'll use in your professional life.
“The things OET tests — communicating with patients, reading medical information, writing professional documents — are skills we use daily in our careers.”
— Dr. Henry Becerra
Both tests evaluate listening, reading, writing, and speaking, but their focus differs significantly. Let’s explore how each test approaches these essential skills.
Listening
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OET Test: Tests real-world medical listening skills, such as patient consultations, workplace discussions, and professional healthcare lectures.
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IELTS Academic: Tests general listening skills across every day and academic situations, including booking travel arrangements, discussions between students about assignments, and academic lectures on topics like climate change or technological advancements.
Reading
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OET Test: Assesses the ability to quickly extract key medical information from patient case notes, hospital guidelines, and clinical research articles.
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IELTS Academic: Evaluates general reading comprehension across a broad range of academic subjects. Examples include reading passages on space exploration, environmental sustainability, and the impact of globalisation. Texts often include data analysis, contrasting perspectives, and complex argument structures.
Speaking:
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OET Test: You participate in 2 medical role-plays of a consultation, explaining diagnoses, treatments, and procedures to a patient, carer or relative.
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IELTS Academic: Involves discussing general topics such as hobbies and work-life balance, followed by a short speech on subjects like the benefits of technology in education or the effects of global tourism. The final section requires analysing abstract concepts, such as ethical dilemmas or the role of art in society.
Did you know? We collaborated with experts in the field, including Dr. Jonathan Silverman of the University of Cambridge, co-author of the Calgary-Cambridge Guide to the Medical Interview, to develop the evaluation criteria for our speaking assessment. These criteria align closely with the communication skills doctors refine during their medical training, reinforcing the professional competencies required in patient interactions.
Writing
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OET Test: Requires doctors to write referral, transfer, or discharge letters using patient case notes — just as they would in real practice.
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IELTS Academic: Involves analysing graphs, writing essays on academic topics, and presenting arguments. Example topics include the advantages and disadvantages of social media, the impact of renewable energy, and whether urbanisation is beneficial for modern society
Therefore, by taking an English test designed for doctors, you stay within the comfort zone of your profession while just improving and eventually proving one of the key skills for global career — clinical communication in English. You don’t have to put extra pressure on yourself by trying to meet the more academic requirements and expectations of tests like the IELTS Academic.
How you can use your OET Test for career and academic success
OET Medicine is widely recognised and endorsed by top medical regulators worldwide, including the GMC (UK), Medical Council of Ireland, ECFMG (USA), Medical Board of Australia, Medical Council of New Zealand, and FMRAC (Canada). It is also accepted in key healthcare regions such as Singapore, Dubai, and many more. In addition to medical boards, employers and higher education institutions acknowledge OET as proof of English proficiency, helping you meet the language requirements for healthcare registration, further studies, and employment opportunities worldwide.
Find the full list of recognising organisations here.
How the OET Test has long-term career value
OET goes beyond just testing your English — it delivers added value by equipping you with the practical language skills needed in an English-speaking healthcare system. More than a test, it’s a tool that helps you communicate confidently with patients, collaborate with medical teams, and handle professional documentation with ease — ensuring you’re prepared for your career and can shine from the start.
Final thoughts
For doctors planning to work in English-speaking countries, OET Medicine is the best choice because it acknowledges and builds on the communication skills you have already developed through your medical training. It also gives you more linguistic and paralinguistic confidence to be successful in medical practice in English.
Take the first step toward your international medical career — start preparing for OET Medicine today!
Access free OET sample tests here: Start practising
Book your OET Test today: Book now
FAQs: common questions about OET for doctors
1. How do I book the OET Test?
To find a testing location near you and book your test:
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Enter your preferred location (i.e., city and country) and click Find a test. You’ll be shown the test venue closest to you.
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On the results page, you can filter further by Test Mode or Distance.
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Click Book now to go to the booking platform for your selected OET Test.
2. What’s in the OET test?
The OET consists of four sub-tests: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. Each section is tailored to medical professionals and assesses your ability to communicate effectively in a healthcare setting. Learn more here.
3. How much does the OET Test cost?
The full OET Test (four sub-tests including Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking) costs AU$587 (or US$455 for OET on Computer at a venue and OET@Home in the US). Check the latest test fees here.
4. How long does it take to prepare for OET Medicine?
Deciding how much preparation you need before you're ready for OET is not an exact measurement. However, there are three key elements that will roughly determine how long you will need to study to reach the OET score you want:
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Your current level of English
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How much time you have available for regular study
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Your previous test-taking experiences (and how long ago these were).
Read more here. To assess your current proficiency and identify areas for improvement, consider taking OET Pulse, a placement test designed to evaluate your skills and guide your preparation effectively.
5. How do I know what score I need?
You can check the score requirements of the organisation you are planning to share your results with by visiting this page and using the filters to search for the specific organisation.
6. How can I share my OET results?
You can find the steps to share your OET results with institutions here: OET Support - Sharing Results.