What is the passing score of the OET?
By Gemma Raw
There is no official passing or failing score for the Occupational English Test (OET). However, it’s widely accepted by most regulatory boards and councils that health and social care workers should score at least 350 (a grade B) across all the OET sub-tests (listening, reading, writing and speaking), to be able to practise.
The expected scoring can vary depending on the profession, regulator and country where you’re looking to practise. The OET has grouped its test preparation materials into 12 professions.
We have previously answered questions such as ‘What is asked in an OET exam?', 'How do I prepare for my OET exam?’, ‘What do I need to bring to my OET exam?’ and ‘How long is the OET valid?’
How does the OET pass rate compare with IELTS?
You will receive a Statement of Results which shows your score for each of the four sub-tests, on a scale of 0-500. Each of the four sub-tests is assessed in a specific way.
What is a Listening and Reading OET pass score?
The typical passing grade for the OET reading and listening tests is 29/42.
What score is a pass in the OET Writing and Speaking Tests?
For the writing sub-test, the assessors will mark your written letter based on six criteria. Each of the six areas are given a band score from 0 to 7, apart from Purpose, which has a banding of 0 to 3. To gain a grade B score, you will have to score highly across all criteria.
For the speaking sub-test, there are nine criteria (split into two groups – Linguistics and Clinical Communication)
In much the same way as the other tests, a high score across all nine criteria is needed to achieve a grade B.
How will you know if you’ve passed the OET?
Typically, you can expect to see the results of your OET test within 16 working days by logging into the OET online portal.
You’ll notice that each of the four sub-tests is scored on a scale of 0 to 500 in increments of 10 (e.g. 350, 360, 370) and you’ll receive a letter grade for each of the tests.
It’s important to remember that there is no overall grade for the OET as such. Although, certain regulatory bodies will require set scores.
For example, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the UK, will expect you to score at least a Grade C+ in the written sub-test and at least a Grade B in the remaining three tests.
The General Medical Council, on the other hand, which regulates medical practitioners (doctors) in the UK, requires doctors to have an OET score of at least a Grade B in all areas of the test (or the equivalent IELTS result) to practise medicine in the UK.
What if you do not get the score you need?
The OET allows you to resit the exam one sub-test at a time. This means that you only need to resit the parts of the exam that you did not gain the required grade for.
Do check with the regulatory body that governs your profession in the UK or reach out to the OET as some bodies will expect you to take all four tests again.
For more information about overseas worker requirements, read our collection of blogs.
