OET · Reading · RC
OET Reading Part C: Long Healthcare Articles
OET Reading Part C tests detailed reading of longer texts written for health professionals. You read two articles of about 800 words each that present views and arguments on a healthcare topic, and answer eight four-option multiple-choice questions per article. Questions follow the order of the text, and Parts B and C share 45 minutes.
- Questions
- 16 (8 per article)
- Question type
- Multiple choice, 4 options
- Text length
- About 800 words each
- Time
- 45 minutes shared with Part B
- Focus
- Opinions, meaning, examples, attitude and reference
How it works
- 1The article appears alongside its eight questions; you can scroll the text and the questions separately.
- 2Questions run in the same order as the article, paragraph by paragraph.
- 3Most questions ask about views, detailed meaning or the writer's attitude; one or two may ask what a word or phrase refers to.
- 4You then read the second article and answer its eight questions within the remaining shared time.
Sample question
Original sample · not from an official test
Extract (original): "Telehealth follow-ups were hailed as a way to save everyone time. Yet the clinicians I spoke to were uneasy: a stable patient on a screen is easy to review, but the subtle signs they relied on, such as a change in gait or colour, rarely made it through a webcam." What concern do the clinicians have about telehealth follow-ups?
- AA. They take longer than face-to-face appointments.
- BB. Patients find the technology difficult to use.
- CC. Some physical warning signs may be missed.
- DD. Stable patients are reviewed less often.
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Answer: C. Some physical warning signs may be missed.
The concern is that 'subtle signs … rarely made it through a webcam'. A contradicts the 'save time' claim, and B and D are not mentioned.
Tips that work
- Read the title and first paragraph slowly to identify the writer's overall position before tackling the questions.
- Separate reported views ('critics argue') from the writer's own view; questions often test this difference.
- For reference questions ('this' or 'it' in paragraph 3), read the sentence before the highlighted word.
- Eliminate options that are too extreme, such as 'always' or 'no evidence', unless the text is equally strong.
Common mistakes
- Answering from general medical knowledge instead of the article.
- Matching words rather than meaning; distractors often reuse the text's vocabulary.
Questions candidates ask
How long are OET Reading Part C texts?
About 800 words each. There are two of them, with eight questions per text.
Do Part C questions follow the order of the text?
Yes, they follow the order in which the information appears.
Do I need specialist knowledge for Part C?
No. Articles are written for a general healthcare-professional readership, and every answer is supported by the text.
Other OET Reading tasks
OET overviewOET Reading: all partsOET full mock testsOET articles on the blog