OET FOR DOCTORS
OET for doctors: Medicine subtests, ECFMG and GMC routes
Most OET prep is built for nurses, which leaves doctors practising on the wrong letter types and the wrong role plays. OET Medicine is its own version of the test: the Writing and Speaking subtests are written for doctors, around referrals, discharge summaries, and consultations.
For international medical graduates the stakes are usually a hard deadline: an ECFMG application window, a GMC registration, or a job offer conditional on the language certificate. WardPass was built by an IMG doctor who came through this pathway, and the practice scenarios are grounded in real referral patterns.
THE TEST AT A GLANCE
Each subtest is reported from 0 to 500; most regulators ask for grade B, which is 350, in each subtest.
THE WRITING SUBTEST
The Writing subtest is a 45 minute letter from case notes, usually a referral to a specialist or a letter back to the GP after an admission or clinic review. The examiner is reading for purpose and selection: does the letter say clearly why you are writing, does it give the receiving doctor what they need to act, and does it stay inside the word range without padding.
THE SPEAKING SUBTEST
Speaking is two doctor and patient role plays. Common cards involve explaining a new diagnosis, negotiating a management plan with a reluctant patient, or counselling on lifestyle change. Marking covers both linguistic criteria and clinical communication: gathering information, involving the patient in decisions, and checking understanding rather than lecturing.
WHO ACCEPTS IT
OET Medicine is accepted by the GMC for UK registration, required by ECFMG for all US Pathways applicants, and accepted by the Medical Board of Australia via AHPRA, the Medical Council of Ireland, and the Medical Council of New Zealand, among others. Grade B (350) per subtest is the usual bar. Rules and score validity windows differ by regulator, so check the current requirements directly before you book a sitting.
LAST REVIEWED 6 JULY 2026
HOW WARDPASS HELPS
- Instant letter marking. Submit a practice letter and get criterion by criterion feedback in seconds against the six published OET Writing criteria, with your own words quoted as evidence.
- Conversational speaking practice. Role plays run as a live two way conversation with a simulated patient, marked against the published Speaking criteria.
- A readiness answer. Every attempt updates an estimate per subtest trending toward the 350 line by your exam date.
Independent preparation service. Not affiliated with, or endorsed by, OET or Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment. Practice feedback is based on published OET criteria and is not an official evaluation. Regulator requirements change: confirm current rules with the regulator directly.