Welcome to the Ultimate OET@Home Test Day guide. Find everything you need to know about your upcoming test day, including how to ensure you have met all the system requirements, what to have with you and what to expect.
It's normal to feel nervous about taking a high-stakes English test like OET. For many healthcare professionals, it's your passport to a new country, a dream job and a better life. A good way to reduce anxiety is to have a good understanding of what to expect and to prepare all you need to ensure your day runs smoothly. We've put together this OET@Home Test Day Guide to help you do just that.
You can also find more information in the OET@Home User Guide.
This guide will cover all you need for your Listening, Reading and Writing test delivered by our testing partner, Prometric™. For information about your online Speaking sub-test, please read through our Speaking Test User Guide.
Before test day
Meeting the OET@Home requirements
To sit OET@Home, you need to meet certain requirements to ensure your computer can run Prometric's ProProctor™ application.
You will need to ensure you meet the technical requirements found in the OET@Home user guide prior to the test.
You will also need to set your screen resolution to the maximum that can be supported for your computer. The recommended resolution for OET is 1920 x 1080, which is higher than the minimum ProProctor requirement of 1024 x 768 for standard exams. How to set your screen resolution and what to do if you cannot meet the recommended resolution.
Organising your OET@Home environment
The logistical preparation for Test Day starts long before the date of your test. One of the first actions you need to take is to make sure the environment where you plan to take OET@Home meets our requirements.
It should:
- Be in a walled, indoor environment
- Be quiet and devoid of distraction
- Include a clear, clean desk
What should I bring?
You need to prepare several items before you take OET@Home.
The most important item you need to bring with you is your valid ID document. (Please note that a driver license is not accepted as valid ID).
You need to make sure that the ID you bring is the same one you used to book OET. If your ID changes or if you realise you have booked with the wrong ID e.g. if your passport expires and you get a new one or if you have booked with a driver license or other invalid ID, please contact OET several days beforehand to ask them to change your ID details.
If you bring the wrong ID, or the ID doesn’t match the document you used during the booking stage, you won’t be allowed to take the test.
You will also need wired headphones or earphones for the Listening, Reading and Writing sub-tests only. For the Speaking sub-test, headphones are not allowed but you may bring blank paper and pencils to take notes.
Lastly, you may also bring a clear water bottle with the label removed beforehand.
What should I not bring?
Here is a list of items that you cannot have in your test environment. These include:
- Bags
- Mobile phones
- Watches
- Cameras
- Pens
For a full list of prohibited items please see the OET Test Regulations.
Test Day
Take a look at the below video to see what you can expect on test day:
Launching your test
On the day of your exam, please make sure you allow 15 minutes prior to your scheduled test time to prepare your testing environment. Go to the room you have prepared for taking the test and close all doors to the room, including doors to closets and bathrooms.
Once you are sitting comfortably at your workstation, go to the Prometric ProProctor site at https://rpcandidate.prometric.com/ and launch your exam.
To launch your exam, please enter your Prometric confirmation number and the first four (4) letters of your last name/surname (Example: Summ in John Summers). The confirmation number is on both your initial booking confirmation email and on your reminder email.
Checking in
The check-in process will guide you through the final preparations before you are greeted by a Prometric Readiness Agent. Go through the check in process, which looks similar to this:
Meeting your Prometric Readiness Agent:
Your Prometric Readiness Agent will then guide you through three security checks before starting your test. The security checks are:
- Candidate detail information
- 360 degrees Environmental Check
- Candidate Person Check.
Further information regarding what is involved can be found in the OET@Home User Guide.
What to do when taking the test
Although you will not see your Prometric Proctor, he/she will monitor you throughout the testing process and will be available to provide assistance at any point during your exam. Using the LIVE PROCTOR feature on the right of your screen, you can speak with or send a message to your Proctor when you need help. With this support function, you will be able to complete your exam with peace of mind, knowing that your Proctor is virtually there with you at all times.
To begin your test, you’ll need to scroll down and click that you accept the OET terms and conditions.
You will now see an on-screen a tutorial on how to navigate through the test. Please go through this carefully and once you are confident about how to proceed, click the “Start the Test” button at the bottom right of your screen.
What order will the sub-tests come in?
You will start with the Listening sub-test, followed by Reading, Writing and Speaking, with an optional 10-minute break after Reading part A.
Your Speaking sub-test will take place at a different time at home via Zoom. It could take place before or after your Listening, Reading and Writing sub-tests, depending on your individual timetable. Please pay close attention to the times stated in your confirmation email and your Zoom link email.
Sitting the Listening sub-test
The Listening sub-test is comprised of three parts and a total of 42 question items based on general healthcare topics, which means they are accessible to all 12 professions.
Running for 50 minutes, it includes time to listen to the recorded conversations and answer the questions.
Sitting the Reading sub-test
You will have 60 minutes to complete the Reading sub-test, which consists of three parts and has a total of 42 question items. The 60 minutes is split into 15 minutes for Part A and 45 minutes for Parts B and C.
Scheduled break:
After Reading Part A, there is an option 10-minute break for you to go to the bathroom or have a drink of water. You must notify the Proctor if you wish to take this 10-minute break and once you are back, you will need to complete the checks again before continuing your test.
Sitting the Writing sub-test
The Writing sub-test takes 45 minutes and is specific to your profession. Each of the 12 professions will have a unique writing task based on a typical workplace situation.
Taking the Speaking sub-test
As the Speaking sub-test takes place separately to Listening, Reading and Writing, be sure to check your timetable so you know exactly when it is.
You will take the Speaking sub-test at home (or any other suitable location) via Zoom. Please be sure to check how your room must be set up as well as device and system requirements in the OET Speaking Test Online User Guide.
Note: mobile phones may not be used for the Speaking test.
What to have with you
- Your valid ID (the same ID you used when you booked OET)
- A piece of blank paper
- A pen or pencil
- If you wish, a clear bottle of water without a label.
Please note that you may not use headphones for the Speaking test.
The Speaking sub-test is delivered individually and takes around 20 minutes. Before you begin your test, the interlocutor will introduce him or herself, check your ID (the same one you used when you booked the test), and take you through a security check. As part of this process, they will also take a photo of you.
You can find further information about the security check in the OET Speaking Test Online User Guide.
Next, your interlocutor will take you through some warm-up questions, which are not assessed – they’re just a chance for the two of you to get used to each other’s voices.
The test itself consists of two role plays. Each profession will have specifically designed materials that draw on real healthcare scenarios.
At the start of each role play, the interlocutor will share their screen with the role-play card, which you’ll be able to see throughout the test. You will be given three minutes to read through the card, make notes and ask the interlocutor to clarify anything you don’t understand. This includes the definition or pronunciation of words on the card but not about how you should complete the task. Each role play is five minutes long.
You’ll be able to see the time throughout but don’t focus on the clock too much – the interlocutor will tell you when your time is up.
You will follow the same process for the second role-player card.
It’s important to remember that the interlocutor does not assess you during the Speaking sub-test. Instead, a recording of your test is sent to an assessment team where it is assessed later.
Please see the OET Speaking Test Online User Guide for everything from the device you can use for taking the test to what software you need to download.
We hope you have found this guide helpful and we wish you all the best for test day!