OET · Speaking
OET Speaking: Two Clinical Role-Plays
OET Speaking takes about 20 minutes. After an unassessed warm-up, you do two role-plays set in your profession. For each one you get 3 minutes to prepare with a role card and 5 minutes to talk with an interlocutor playing a patient, relative or carer. Four linguistic and five clinical communication criteria are assessed.
- Time
- About 20 minutes
- Warm-up
- About 2–3 minutes, not assessed
- Role-plays
- 2, each 3 minutes prep + 5 minutes speaking
- Linguistic criteria
- 4, scored 0–6
- Clinical communication
- 5, scored 0–3
How OET Speaking works
Speaking is profession-specific: you play your own professional role, and the interlocutor plays a patient, relative or carer (an animal owner in Veterinary Science). The two role-plays use different settings and concerns. Speaking may be scheduled separately from the other three sub-tests.
The linguistic criteria are Intelligibility, Fluency, Appropriateness of Language, and Resources of Grammar and Expression. The clinical communication criteria cover relationship building, understanding the patient's perspective, providing structure, information gathering and information giving. Medical accuracy is not what is scored; how you communicate is.
OET Speaking tasks
Tips that work
- Practise planning in exactly 3 minutes so the preparation time feels normal.
- Use plain language and explain any technical term you need.
- Ask open questions early to understand the person's concerns.
- Finish each role-play with an agreed plan and a check of understanding.
Questions candidates ask
How long is OET Speaking?
About 20 minutes: a short warm-up, then two role-plays of 3 minutes preparation and 5 minutes speaking each.
Is the OET Speaking warm-up scored?
No. The warm-up is not assessed.
Can I practise OET role-plays online?
Yes. EnglishHub's practice uses an AI interlocutor that plays the patient role and gives AI feedback afterwards. It is not an OET examiner.
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