PAUL CRAVEN EXPLORES THE PROS AND CONS OF EACH EXAM

Deciding which exam to take can often be a very difficult decision! Maybe you have done IELTS and you are sick of it. Maybe you've heard IELTS is really hard and you think OET might be easier? Maybe you've heard OET is expensive?

Below we have a table that compares the two exams and gives a summary. If you want more information on the two exams, I will be releasing a video about it soon. For early access to this video, contact me here.




COST

OET is more expensive than IELTS. It costs approx $400 USD. Although, unlike IELTS, it is possible to have sub-tests remarked at a price cheaper than IELTS.

The IELTS academic exam normally costs approx $210 USD. However, if you want to come to the UK, the UKVI version of the exam is slightly more expensive: approx $250 USD. ​

*Note: The UKVI Academic test is exactly the same as the normal Academic Test




SCOPE

The topics in the OET exams are restricted to healthcare, although listening and reading can relate to any of the medical disciplines. OET for Nurses/Doctors will cover things like symptoms, consultations, medical progress, monitoring, testing.

The topics in IELTS are wide-ranging. In Reading, Speaking and Writing you will be expected to understand and use ideas and information related to topics like traffic, engineering, fashion, art, food, friends, sport, hobbies, regrets, predictions




VOCABULARY

The vocabulary in OET is generally not a surprise for most students because a lot of medical education and workplaces use English. Some less formal phrases and synonyms might be a challenge.

As you would expect, vocabulary is a key part of IELTS tests and studying. You are marked on your topic-specific vocabulary and you also lose points for using vocabulary incorrectly! It's essential to grow your vocabulary to score over 6.0!




GRAMMAR

Grammar is a fundamental part of expressing and understanding language clearly. For example, you must demonstrate a wide range of tenses, sentence structures and use of the active/passive voice in order to get B in the OET Writing task. Grammar is one of the main reasons why people do not get the required score in IELTS Writing. Not only that, grammar is vital for Reading, Listening and Speaking - just like OET! OET is great for Nurses and Doctors who want to work in other countries. In the UK, for instance, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the General Medical Council recognise OET at level B for both Nurses and Doctors. The IELTS exam is recognised by a wide variety of institutions across the world - universities, medical councils, immigration departments etc. Each organisation sets the score that an individual needs to qualify with.

SUMMARY

OET is a great solution for healthcare professionals who are worried about the academic and wide-ranging style of the IELTS exam. In some areas the OET tasks are more straightforward (Writing/Speaking) but the Listening and Reading are just as difficult as IELTS. OET also helps students to develop useful language for the medical workplace in English-speaking countries. When you pass the skills you have are still relevant. However, the OET test is more expensive than IELTS and the cost will understandably be a big part of your decision. ​There is a lot to learn when you start studying IELTS Academic. It can feel a bit scary! Once you learn the main strategies, however, you quickly develop the analytic and description techniques that will help you to get high scores. People who read, watch TV and movies and are interested in the world normally do well in IELTS. Be honest with yourself - can you speak about a very wide range of subjects in your own language? If the answer is no, maybe OET is a better choice for you.