OET and TOEFL—English tests to go abroad

The OET and TOEFL are English proficiency tests taken by various English speaking countries such as the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand for non-native speakers of the English language looking to migrate to these countries for studies or work.

The OET is restricted to students/jobseekers in the health care space and is accepted only in Australia, New Zealand and sometimes in Singapore. TOEFL is accepted mostly by the USA but may be accepted in many other countries.

The OET is administered by the OET Centre up to 10 times a year and in over 40 locations around the world. The Test measures the language capability of health practitioners who are seeking registration and the ability to practice in an English-speaking context.

In India, for most people, English is a foreign language. The medium of instruction right up to graduation or high school in a majority of areas in India is in the vernacular or the mother tongue of the region where you study. Therefore, it is important to know that if you are not very proficient in English, but have dreams of traveling abroad, brush up your English skills and prepare for these tests.

Before enrolling for any of the tests, please make sure which country/university you are applying to and how much is the score expectation.

The OET and TOEFL, all have four parts to the test—Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. You receive results for the four sub-tests that make up the OET as one of five grades – A to E. A is the highest grade, E is the lowest.

TOEFL score will range from 0 to 120 and is calculated by combining your TOEFL scores on each of the four sections.

LISTENING:

The listening test is important because the test takers want to understand if you can follow a conversation or a lecture .These conversations are usually in foreign accents—British, Scottish, American (TOEFL) and Australian or New Zealanders’ (OET).

If you want to practice, watch TV programs/films from English channels, to understand various expressions. Although English is an international language, it is spoken differently in various countries .Familiarize yourself with the way it is spoken in these countries.

READING:

All the tests give at least 2-3 reading passages; about 500-700 words in length and you have to find answers to the questions from the passage. Reading comprehension is an important part of these tests and the key questions will be based on your understanding of the vocabulary and your expertise in gleaning out information from the passages. 

The reading test will carry on for an hour or more, so it might get a bit tiring and difficult for you, even if your English is good.

Practice by reading English newspapers and magazines and books. You can start with simple English reading like small fiction stories and then gradually start reading non-fiction. The passages are taken from scientific, historical or even medical journals (in the case of OET); therefore the reading is pretty heavy and is not very interesting. Make a practice by reading quickly and skimming through information and taking down notes.

Improve your vocabulary by going through the meanings of words you do not know, using a dictionary.

WRITING:

The writing tests come in the form of composing a letter (OET) or an essay (TOEFL).The TOEFL has an integrated writing section where you have to listen to a speaker and read a passage and write an essay on how the listening and reading are related. This is a tough test since this tests your vocabulary, grammar and spellings. Even a good English speaker may not write well.

Since the writing tasks are timed –about half an hour to one hour, the key here is to structure and write down your thoughts in a limited time. Brush up your grammar; practice writing simple essay topics and write letters pertaining to your work or subject—place an order, complaint letter, introductory letter etc. For OET practice by reading case sheets and preparing reference letters on the case.

SPEAKING:

The TOEFL has six speaking tasks out which four are integrated tasks; the OET asks you to participate in a role play between a patient and yourself. The questions may be recordings (as in TOEFL) or asked by a live examiner (OET) .All your answers are taped and analyzed by test examiners later.

As long as you display that you can speak fluently, and understand the task, you will not fail the test.Many candidates do not do well on the test just because they get nervous or tongue-tied and lose time thinking.

Practice speaking with a friend or a person who knows good English. Speak on different topics for five minutes and ask your friend to converse with you on different topics.

Start practice months before the test

1. A mistake most candidates make is to register for the test close to the admission or visa deadline. The downside of this is that if you fail the test, your admission gets cancelled and you lose your registration money. It will be a good idea to take a test date three to six months in advance---that way you will have enough time to prepare and take care of your other course work or studies or office work.

2. Even if you are good in English, never go unprepared. Spend a few weeks, going through the test format and answering questions on your own. Score yourself and see if you are capable of passing the test in the first attempt. If not, give yourself more time. 

3. If you are not good in English, take at least three months to coach yourself. Get yourself a good English teacher to coach you or enroll in a coaching institute.

Once you have enrolled for the test, buy books and CDs---available in the market and practice from them. If your score is below average, enroll for a coaching class. It is not worth losing money over repeated registrations and facing numerous disappointments