OET READING PART A

Mastering OET Reading Part A: Strategies for Success

OET Reading Part A tests your ability to locate specific information quickly in multiple short healthcare-related texts. With the right strategies and regular practice, you can significantly improve your score in this section of the OET exam.


Understanding the OET Reading Part A Format

  • Number of texts: 4 short workplace texts (about 150-200 words each), such as patient information leaflets, guidelines, or drug charts.

  • Questions: 20 questions in total in matching (always first), and then short-answer and  gap-fill format.

  • Time: 15 minutes to find all the questions and this is something that causes the most amount of difficuty in the exam. 

  • Task: Find and extract specific information from the texts under exam conditions.

  • Skills assessed: Ability to scan quickly, identify precise details, and synthesise information from different texts.


Effective Strategies for OET Reading Part A

To excel in this section, keep these strategies in mind:

  • Skim the texts first: Spend 1–2 minutes quickly familiarising yourself with layout, headings, and key themes. Quickly underline any words you think may be significant (numbers, drugs, etc.)

  • Read the questions carefully: Identify keywords before looking back at the texts.

  • Scan for keywords and synonyms: The exam often paraphrases the questions, so watch for equivalent wording.

  • Use the SET 'Categories Technique': want to find out more? Try out free OET course here: Free OET Course to find out more details. 

  • Use time wisely: You have just 15 minutes for all 20 questions — about 45 seconds per question.

  • Write answers exactly as required: Use words from the text where appropriate, without unnecessary changes.


Improving Your Reading Skills for OET Reading Part A

Developing your general reading strategies will help boost your OET Reading Part A performance:

  • Expose yourself to real healthcare texts: Patient leaflets, drug guidelines, discharge summaries, and policy notices. Try this website called Medscape for texts that are very similar to the exam: Medscape Website 

  • Build your medical vocabulary: A wider word bank makes recognising synonyms and paraphrases easier. This is crucial when you are scanning: the word you need is sometimes a synonym of the one you are looking for. 

  • Practice scanning and locating detail: Focus on speed and accuracy under timed conditions. Here is a free OET Reading worksheet to practice scanning: OET Scanning Worksheet. 
     


✅ Enroll in Our Free OET Reading Part A Course

Ready to improve your Reading Part A skills? Join our free OET Reading Part A Course today. You’ll get:

  • Live OET Demonstration Classes on Zoom

  • Video lessons with expert strategies

  • Timed practice to sharpen your speed and accuracy

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