Introduction
The Occupational English Test (OET) Reading Part A assesses healthcare professionals’ ability to quickly locate and extract specific information from multiple short texts. This skill is crucial for daily medical practice, where you interpret patient information, clinical guidelines, and other documents as a healthcare professional.
Why this section can be challenging
Many candidates find Reading Part A challenging due to its time pressure and the dense medical content presented across multiple texts. The section demands quick scanning and skimming skills and the ability to differentiate between similar pieces of information within a limited timeframe.
Key Takeaways
- Reading Part A assesses quick scanning and skimming skills in medical contexts.
- Practice managing your time effectively to answer all questions within the time limit.
- Focus on keywords in both questions and texts to locate answers efficiently.
- Introduction
- Why this section can be challenging
- Key Takeaways
- What the OET Reading Part A aims to test
- Quick Tips for Success on the OET Reading Part A
- OET Computer based test takers tips:
- Structure of the OET Reading Part A section
- OET Reading Part A matching questions
- OET Reading Part A short answer and complete sentence questions
What the OET Reading Part A aims to test
Reading Part A evaluates a candidate’s ability to:
- Locate specific information quickly
- Scan and skim texts effectively
Quick Tips for Success on the OET Reading Part A
One of our teachers, who is also an OET examiner, shared her best tips for OET Reading Part A.
1. Skim Before You Scan
Quickly read the headings and subheadings before answering questions to understand the general context. This will give you an idea of the overall intention of the text fragment and what it is trying to communicate.
2. Identify Keywords
Focus on important words in the questions to locate answers efficiently.
3. Be Aware of Synonyms
Questions often paraphrase the information in the texts, so look for synonymous terms.
4. Manage Your Time
Spend no more than 45 seconds per question to ensure completion.
5. Write Words Accurately
Copy information wholly and accurately, as well as spell all words correctly.
Don’t forget that we cover all of these in more detail in our OET courses at E2language.com!
OET Computer based test takers tips:
- You will see the text in a separate pane on the left-hand side of the screen. You can scroll up and down in the two panes independently.
- Use the Zoom ability! You can make things larger and smaller whenever you need.
Structure of the OET Reading Part A section
The OET Reading Part A comprises four short texts on a single healthcare topic. These may include:
- Guidelines or protocols
- Research summaries
- Data tables or charts
You will find an example of all of them in this article!
The questions do not follow the order of the extracts, so you need to be able to quickly read and re-read the whole set to get an overview of what type of information each text contains and how it is organised.
The three OET Reading Part A question types are: Matching, Short Answer, and Sentence Completion.
OET Reading Part A matching questions
The first sub-set of questions involved matching which text contains certain information. By doing this, you become familiar with the layout and content of all four extracts. Make sure to do this first!
Here are four texts on the topic of pneumonia in children.
Before you start any questions, take a few minutes to skim through them.
Ask yourself:
What is the topic?
What keywords do you notice in the title and subtitle/s that might be highlighted?
How is the information laid out?
OET Reading Part A Matching questions practice
Based on the information above, please answer:
OET Reading Part A matching answers
Question 1
Answer: Text B
This question asks you to find which text has guidance on when to order a particular kind of test for a child with pneumonia. To be specific, it is a radiograph, also known as an X-ray. The first paragraph of Text B contains two sentences describing when an X-ray is and is not recommended. This is a very clear statement of the indications for an X-ray.
Text C, which advises ‘consider an X-ray if deteriorating’, also mentions X-ray. However, this information is much less focused than the information in Text B.
Question 2
Answer: Text D.
This question asks you which text has information you should provide to the family of a child with pneumonia. This information is supplied in Text D because it says in the first sentence:
‘advising parents and carers about…’
The bulleted list following are precautions and indications that parents need to know to care for a child at home.
At the bottom of text D, we also see a recommendation:
‘families… should be given information on managing fever, preventing dehydration and identifying any deterioration’.
Did you know our OET courses include many practice questions like the one we just reviewed?
Sign up at E2language.com and learn about OET Reading Part A and the rest of the test’s sections.
OET Reading Part A short answer and complete sentence questions
The process for doing this is the same as the sentence completion questions:
- Read the question to find the keywords
- Identify the relevant text
- Scan the text for the clues
- Write the answer accurately
About the author:
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