OET sample test: free official practice and a short set of our own
OET gives away free sample tests for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking on its own site, with separate collections for paper and for computer and at-home. For Australia, practise for paper or for the OET Test on Computer: Home Affairs says it does not accept OET@Home. Ahpra accepts OET on paper or on computer at a test centre, and says the one remote-proctored element of the computer test is acceptable. OET says the computer test's Speaking part is done at home on an online platform, or at a venue in select countries, so check that Speaking mode with the organisation you are applying to. Use the samples to find your weak spots, then fix those; this page also has a short original Listening set of ours.
A sample test is for finding out what to fix, not for collecting scores. This page shows where OET's free samples are, what OET says about using them, the answer rules that cost marks, and a short practice set that we wrote ourselves. We say plainly which part is OET's and which is ours.
Where OET gives you free sample tests
Official papers, for paper and for computer.
Start with OET's own sample tests. They are free, they are OET's official samples, and they come with answer keys. OET has separate collections for the paper test and for the computer and at-home test. The collection should match the way you will sit, but check first which mode your registration body or visa accepts. Home Affairs says it does not accept OET@Home for Australian visa purposes, and Ahpra accepts OET on paper or on computer at a test centre, not at home.
"The department does not accept evidence from English language tests that are delivered completely online (also known as 'remote-proctored' or 'at-home')."
"Any at home and/or ‘indicative’ versions of any of the English language tests or versions that include any element of remote proctoring, except the OET computer-based test (at test centre only), are not approved by National Boards and are not accepted."
"OET@Home® may not be accepted by all recognising organisations or authorities in every country."
"Note: We offer free sample tests for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking on oet.com/ready."
Paper test samples
OET says sample tests are available for all 12 OET professions on the paper side. The Listening and Reading papers are common to every profession. Writing and Speaking are written for your own profession, so pick yours when you open the page.
Computer and at-home test samples (the at-home mode is not accepted for Australian visas or Ahpra)
OET's computer sample page contradicts itself on which professions it covers. The sentence at the top names eight professions: medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, pharmacy, dentistry, occupational therapy, podiatry and veterinary science. The profession picker on the same page lists all twelve, adding radiography, optometry, speech pathology and dietetics. Pick your profession in the picker and see what is there for you.
These interactive samples do not keep your answers, so write them down yourself as you go and check them later with the answer key.
"Your answers will not be recorded in this sample test. Make sure to record your answers separately while taking the test and check them later with the answer key."
Graded Writing and Speaking responses
OET also publishes two downloadable booklets with real candidate responses, the grades they got and comments from assessors. The Speaking booklet has real role plays by candidates across healthcare professions. The Writing booklet has real letters from candidates in ten of the twelve professions. They are the nearest thing to seeing what a marked answer looks like.
"Each booklet contains sample tests, scores and comments from OET assessors."
OET's caution on unofficial material applies here too.
"We would recommend that you are cautious about using materials you find on social media. These may not be official practice tasks and might misrepresent the test. We wouldn't recommend studying with them."
How to use a sample test
Test your skills, then fix them.
OET's advice on sample tests comes down to one idea. A sample test shows you what to work on. Taking more of them does not fix it by itself.
"The best thing you can do with sample tests is to analyse your wrong answers."
"Taking practice test after practice test in the hope that repeat practice will improve your score will only improve your test taking skills but not your language skills which are going to have more of a significant impact on improving your overall grade."
For pace, OET recommends one practice test every two to three weeks, with work on your errors in between.
Your first sample test
OET says treat your first attempt as fact-finding. You are learning the paper, and your mark matters less than what the mistakes show you.
What score to aim for in practice
OET gives a rule of thumb for Listening and Reading, where a grade B is a scale score of 350. A B typically takes at least 30 marks, but each test is newly written and the grade boundaries move a little, so the number of marks needed for a B varies. OET's practice advice is to aim above the minimum: a score in the low 30s, or 30-32 consistently, should make a B likely.
"If you are consistently achieving 30-32 in practice, you can feel confident of achieving a B whatever the passing score. It is better to aim higher than aim for the absolute minimum."
Your own target may not be a B. Home Affairs and Ahpra set their own scores, and OET says no single result is a pass in itself. Our OET for Australian visas page has the numbers each one asks for. For tests taken on or after 23 April 2026, Ahpra's line for the OET is 350 in Listening, 360 in Reading, 350 in Writing and 360 in Speaking.
A way to run each sample
- Choose your profession and your mode first, and read the warning near the top of this page on which modes Australia accepts. Use the paper samples if you will sit on paper, and the computer ones if you will sit the computer test.
- Clear a desk, set a timer for the section, and do not pause.
- Mark it with the answer key. Write down your score for each part.
- For every wrong answer, write one line on why: misread, did not know the word, ran out of time or guessed.
- Spend the next two weeks on the most common reason in your list, then do the next sample.
Reading also has a time trap. OET says Part A papers are collected after 15 minutes and that you must divide the 45 minutes for Parts B and C between the two. Its own suggestion is ten minutes for Part B and thirty-five minutes for Part C, which is 17.5 minutes for each of the two Part C texts.
"No marks are deducted for incorrect answers, so have a guess even if you didn’t hear."
Practise in the way you will sit
Paper and computer feel different. In Australia, only the test-centre versions count.
The test has the same content on paper and on computer, but the way you answer differs. Practise the way you will sit, and make that paper or the OET Test on Computer. OET's own list shows both as accepted by Home Affairs and Ahpra, Home Affairs says the test must take place in a secure testing centre, and Ahpra names the computer test at a test centre. Check the computer test's Speaking mode with the organisation first. Not OET@Home. OET's sample pages tell you what to expect.
| Item | On paper | On computer |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple-choice answers | Shade the answer with a 2B pencil for Listening and Reading Parts B and C, so a computer can scan it | Reading is completed digitally on screen |
| Short answers and the letter | Pen or pencil, as you prefer, for Listening and Reading Part A and for Writing | The letter is typed on a standard keyboard. Cut, copy and paste are locked on test day |
| Planning the letter | The last page of the answer booklet is blank for planning. You cannot ask for more paper | Plan at the top of the text box, then delete the plan before time ends |
| Reading Part A | Papers are collected after 15 minutes, and you cannot return to them | OET's Reading page gives the 15-minute limit without splitting it by mode |
| Checking Listening answers | Two minutes at the end for all three parts | A short pause after each question |
When you practise the interactive computer samples, OET says to set your screen to 1920 x 1080 at 100% scale. Cut, copy and paste work in the samples, but OET says they are locked on test day, so practise without them.
The answer rules that cost marks
Spelling, exact words and what not to repeat.
Part A of Listening and Part A of Reading both want exact words, and OET says spelling can cost marks in both. These are easy rules to practise at home.
"In Part A (the consultation), you must complete the notes using the same words you hear on the recording. You should not paraphrase the information and you should not change the information."
"You will lose marks if you repeat the words from the notes, add information that is not in the recording, or if you contradict yourself or make your meaning unclear."
In Reading Part A you must use exactly the same form of the word or short phrase as given in the four texts. OET's Listening page says you may lose marks for spelling mistakes in Listening, with more flexibility than in Reading. Its article on why people get practice questions wrong says spelling mistakes only count against you in Reading Part A. Practise spelling in both, because the two pages do not agree. In Reading, abbreviations are not accepted unless they appear in the texts. In Listening, OET says to spell commonly used medical words correctly.
You hear Listening once, so there is no second chance to catch a word. Write your answers as you listen.
Our own practice set: Listening notes, read aloud
A short original set you can run at home.
This set is ours and not OET's. It is a short consultation that you listen to, with notes to complete. It practises the Part A skill OET describes: write the same words you hear. The real Part A is longer and carries 24 marks, so treat this as a warm-up, not a mock test. The medical details are made up for practice. A nurse or doctor should review them before you treat them as clinical advice.
"There are a total of 42 marks available in the Listening sub-test. Part A accounts for 24 marks, Part B accounts for 6 marks, and Part C accounts for 12 marks."
How to run it
- Ask a friend to read the consultation below once, at a natural speed, while you fill in the notes. If you are alone, record yourself reading it and play it back once.
- Do not look at the script. Write down the words you hear, not your own words.
- Keep each answer short, usually one to three words.
- When it ends, check the key and read the one-line reason for each answer.
The consultation, for the reader
Patient: Thank you. I've been exhausted for about three weeks.
Nurse: That fits with your results. Your haemoglobin came back at 98, and we would like to see it above 130. Your iron stores are low.
Patient: Is that serious?
Nurse: It's common, and it can be treated. Dr Lim would like you to start iron tablets, one a day. Take them with orange juice, not with tea or coffee, because tea and coffee make it harder for your body to absorb the iron. The tablets can turn your stools dark. That is harmless.
Patient: And will I need anything else?
Nurse: We'd like to find out why your iron is low, so Dr Lim has booked you in for a colonoscopy at the hospital on the 14th of March. You'll get a letter with the details. We'll also repeat the blood test in six weeks.
The notes to complete
- Patient: Mr Hadley.
- Reason for visit: discussion of blood results.
- Main symptom, for about three weeks: (1) ______.
- Haemoglobin result: (2) ______.
- Treatment: iron tablets, one a day, taken with (3) ______.
- Possible side effect: dark (4) ______.
- Further test booked at the hospital: (5) ______.
- Date of further test: (6) ______.
- Follow-up: repeat blood test in six weeks.
Answer key
| Question | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | exhausted | The patient says he has been exhausted. The notes need the word you hear. Tired is a near match and not the same word. |
| 2 | 98 | The nurse gives the result as 98. The 130 is the level they would like to see, not his result. |
| 3 | orange juice | The nurse says to take the tablets with orange juice and not with tea or coffee. |
| 4 | stools | The tablets can turn your stools dark. The notes already give the word dark. |
| 5 | colonoscopy | It is the test Dr Lim has booked. Write it as you heard it, and spell it correctly, because it is a common medical word. |
| 6 | 14th of March | The nurse says the 14th of March. Part A asks for the same words you hear, so write the date the way you hear it. We do not know whether OET also accepts a short form such as 14 March, so do not rely on it. |
What to do next
- Score yourself out of six. If you lost marks, say why for each: heard it wrong, spelled it wrong or changed the word.
- Run it again a day later with a different reader, and see if you hear the same words.
- Write your own version. Take a real consultation topic you know, write six lines of notes with blanks, and ask someone to read it to you.
- Use OET's free samples for the real thing, and use this set only to warm up.
For our own Writing and Speaking practice, with a model letter and a role-play, see the second practice page.
Common questions
On OET's own site. OET says it offers free sample tests for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, with separate collections for the paper test and for the computer and at-home test.
Yes. OET describes its collections of sample tests as free, and it lists them on oet.com/ready.
OET says sample tests are available for all 12 OET professions on its paper page. Its computer page lists eight professions in its text and twelve in its profession picker, so check your own profession on the page.
OET recommends one practice test every 2-3 weeks. In between, work on the skills that caused your errors in the last one, because repeating papers improves test-taking skills but not language skills.
OET suggests a score in the low 30s to be confident of a B on test day, and it says a score of 30-32 consistently in practice should be enough for a B. A B in Listening or Reading typically takes at least 30 marks, and the exact number varies by test.
OET asks you to be cautious. It says materials on social media may not be official practice tasks and might misrepresent the test, and it does not recommend studying with them.
Yes. OET has interactive sample tests for the computer and at-home test. Your answers are not recorded, so write them down yourself, and cut, copy and paste are available in the sample but locked on test day. Home Affairs does not accept OET@Home for Australian visas, and Ahpra accepts OET only on paper or computer at a test centre, so check which mode your application needs before you book.
Yes, for Writing and Speaking. OET publishes graded sample booklets with real candidate responses, the grades they received and comments from OET assessors.