OET exam fees: what the test costs and what else you may pay

OET shows one fee for the full test: AUD $587 whether you sit on paper, on computer at a venue or at home. Single parts cost less, but only on paper and only after a full test. Moving a date, cancelling and asking for a re-mark all carry extra fees.

OET quotes the fee for the full test in Australian dollars. The full test means all four parts: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. OET shows the same figure for each of its three delivery modes.

OET@Home is not accepted by the Department of Home Affairs for visas or by Ahpra for registration, and OET says it is offered in countries where taking the test at a venue is not yet available. Check it is offered where you are, and accepted by the body that will read your result, before you pay.

The second figure in that sentence is for the United States only. OET's group-payments page sets it out in the same way, so the Australian price is the first line:

You pay when you book, and bookings are subject to availability. The figure you see when you pay is the one that counts. OET can change its fees, so use this page to plan and the booking page to pay.

If you have already sat the full OET and want to retake only some parts, OET lets you book single parts on paper at a venue. This option is only available if you have taken the full OET before. The prices include OET's online booking fee.

There is one catch that matters for Australia. Ahpra's table for the OET says you are tested in all four components in each sitting. Our reading is that a single-part rebook may not count for Ahpra, so ask first before you spend on it. OET gives the same warning in general terms:

OET calls moving a date a deferral on paper and a reschedule on computer and at home. Both cost money, and both have a cut-off.

OET Test on Paper

You can defer to another date, venue or test type, subject to OET's conditions and fees. You can do it up to the day before your test, through your MyOET account. There is no late option on or after the day itself, and a deferral cannot be reversed.

OET Test on Computer and OET@Home

You can reschedule to a different date, venue or test type up to two days before the start of your first sub-test. If you move the Listening, Reading and Writing, you must also move Speaking.

OET says the US dollar prices apply only to candidates taking their test in America.

You can cancel for a refund, but you do not get everything back. OET keeps a cancellation fee, and on paper it also keeps the online booking fee.

The cancellation fee is AU$120 if you cancel before bookings close and AU$200 if you cancel after. On paper OET adds the AU$7 online booking fee, which is not refunded. For computer and at home OET gives the same cancellation fees, with US dollar figures for the United States.

The single-part refunds apply to paper bookings, because single parts can be booked on paper only. OET does not allow a partial cancellation: you cancel the whole booking, and a cancellation cannot be reversed. For the full test on computer and at home OET gives the same two figures, with US dollar equivalents for the United States. OET says the refund goes back to the card you booked with, within seven to ten business days.

If you hold more than one booking for the same test round, you may not be eligible for a full refund. OET's regulations prohibit more than one booking per test administration.

For paper the refund figures check out. Our arithmetic: the full fee of AU$587 less the AU$120 cancellation fee and the AU$7 booking fee leaves AU$460, and with the AU$200 fee it leaves AU$380.

For computer and OET@Home OET lists the same AU$460 and AU$380 refunds, but it names only the AU$120 and AU$200 cancellation fees and no booking fee, so its page does not explain the AU$7 difference. For those modes use OET's refund figure, not our sum.

If you think a result does not reflect how you did, you can ask OET to re-mark one or more parts. You have a short window, and it costs money.

• You must ask within 72 hours of your results being released.
• The fee is AU$120 for each part you want re-marked, or US$95 in the United States.
• If your grade changes, OET refunds the fee. If it does not, you do not get the fee back.
• A re-mark can raise your score, lower it or leave it as it is. If the score changes, the new score replaces the old one and your Statement of Result shows only the re-mark score.
• OET says the result can take between three and six weeks.
• If you take another test while the re-mark is being carried out, OET will not refund any costs for that test, even if the re-mark raises your grade.
• OET says you can ask for the outcome not to be published only before it is published, and the fee is not refunded in that case. Check you have picked the right part before you submit.

After a re-mark you can appeal, in two stages, and each stage has its own fee of AU$120, or US$95 in the United States.

If an employer, agency or relative pays, OET has a separate route that uses an application form and not the normal booking page. It works for one candidate or for a group of two or more. You choose bank transfer or credit or debit card in the form, and OET must receive the completed application, the candidate details sheet and the payment 14 calendar days before the advertised test closing dates. That is earlier than the closing date itself, so apply well ahead.

The fee above is only the test. Practice material from OET is partly free and partly paid. OET offers free guides and sample tests, and it sells a course for each part.

OET lists free preparation resources. The first ones it names are an Intro to OET online course, an OET Study Guide and a Writing Guide.

Your visa or Ahpra registration have their own fees on their own pages. Teachers and preparation courses set their own prices too, and we do not quote them. Make sure the name you book with matches your ID, because OET says the details must match your identification exactly and that inaccurate information may mean you cannot do your test. OET also says that if you arrive without the correct ID you may not be entitled to a deferral or refund.

Our sums for common cases

Those sums use only the figures OET shows above. If OET changes a figure, the booking page is right and our sums are not.

Common questions