Use the 15 seconds in between each of the audio recordings to help you find the correct answer

Listening Part B consists of six short recordings that will be played to you. Before you hear each audio, you will have 15 seconds to read both the question and possible answers.

During this time, don’t forget to spend a few seconds reading the context sentence next to the question number. This sentence contains useful information, such as:

• The speaker's profession
• The speaker's audience e.g., colleagues, a patient etc.

Spend the rest of your allocated time reading the question carefully and noticing the important differences between the three answer options.

"Narrowing down" your choices

As you are listening to the recordings, you can cross out any information from the answer options that is not mentioned. This will help you identify which is the best answer.

By applying a process of elimination to the listening phase of the recording, you can give yourself a better chance of choosing the right answer.

You can also make notes about what you hear. But make sure you don't get distracted and stop listening carefully to the audio.

At the end of the audio, you have five seconds to shade in your answer on your booklet or select the answer if on computer.

This format is the same for all six recordings. If you make the most of every second of the timing, you shouldn’t feel pressured.

You can practice this strategy by downloading one of our sample tests and timing yourself on each audio question.

Head over to the OET Blog for more great learning resources.