OET (Occupational English Test) Reading Practice Tests
10 OET (Occupational English Test) Reading practice tests in the real format, timed like the exam, with answers when you finish. 60 minutes, 42 questions, the same for every profession. Part A is a 15-minute speed-reading task on four short texts (20 questions: matching, short answers and sentence completion). Part B has six short workplace texts such as guidelines, memos and policies. Part C has two longer articles with eight 4-option questions each.
OET (Occupational English Test) Reading Practice Test 1 with Answers
A free, interactive OET (Occupational English Test) Reading practice test with answers, about 60 minutes.
TopicsRecurrent headaches (migraine with aura)Type 2 diabetes dietAntimicrobial stewardshipDelirium in older inpatientsHypoglycaemia managementHand hygieneThe placebo effectHip replacement dischargeAtrial fibrillation referral
This OET Practice Test 1 (Nursing & Medicine) has 1 paper — Reading. Choose a paper below to start; your browser will load the interactive version automatically.
Reading
Reading Part A — Questions 1-7 (15 minutes)
Part A — 15 minutes for Questions 1-20. Look at the four texts, A-D. For each question 1-7, decide which text (A, B, C or D) the information comes from. You may use any letter more than once.
- In which text can you find information about why a certain drug may not work?
- In which text can you find information about patients who may not notice early symptoms?
- In which text can you find information about the best product for a patient who needs modified-consistency drinks?
- In which text can you find information about how many times a treatment step can be repeated?
- In which text can you find information about who should be told after an episode?
- In which text can you find information about the reasons patients become hypoglycaemic?
- In which text can you find information about a concentration of solution that should no longer be used?
Reading Part A — Questions 8-14
Answer each of the questions 8-14 with a word or short phrase from one of the texts (A-D). Each answer may include words, numbers or both. Answers must be correctly spelt.
- 8. Below what blood glucose level is a patient with diabetes considered hypoglycaemic?
- 9. Which type of medication may reduce a patient's autonomic symptoms?
- 10. How long should staff wait before rechecking the CBG of a conscious patient who has been given oral treatment?
- 11. What drink should be avoided by patients with renal failure?
- 12. What should be given by IM injection if a patient has no IV access?
- 13. In what position should an unconscious hypoglycaemic patient be placed?
- 14. What dose of glucagon should be given to a child weighing 20 kg?
Reading Part A — Questions 15-20
Complete each of the sentences 15-20 with a word or short phrase from one of the texts (A-D). Each answer may include words, numbers or both.
- 15. A change in behaviour caused by hypoglycaemia may be mistaken for a ___ or intoxication.
- 16. Glucose gel should be placed between the teeth and ___.
- 17. Chocolate is unsuitable as a first treatment because its ___ slows absorption.
- 18. When 20% glucose is used, the recommended volume is ___.
- 19. After recovery, a patient could be given one slice of bread or two ___ to prevent recurrence.
- 20. The effect of glucagon wears off after about ___.
Reading Part B — Question 1
Part B: read the short text and choose the answer (A, B or C) which you think fits best according to the text.
- The guide makes it clear that the battery (A) should be replaced whenever the alarm sounds. (B) will last for six hours regardless of the infusion rate used. (C) is not suitable as the main power source for the pump.
Reading Part B — Question 2
Part B: read the short text and choose the answer (A, B or C) which you think fits best according to the text.
- According to the policy, a nurse who accepts a verbal order must (A) ensure that another nurse signs the medication chart. (B) repeat the details back to the prescriber for confirmation. (C) check that the drug is on the hospital's list of approved medicines.
Reading Part B — Question 3
Part B: read the short text and choose the answer (A, B or C) which you think fits best according to the text.
- What does the email say about staff who choose not to be vaccinated? (A) Their line managers will be informed of their decision. (B) Some of them will be asked to explain their decision. (C) They will be redeployed away from high-risk areas.
Reading Part B — Question 4
Part B: read the short text and choose the answer (A, B or C) which you think fits best according to the text.
- What does the guideline say about a patient who declines a chaperone? (A) The examination must be postponed until one is available. (B) A relative of the patient should be asked to attend instead. (C) The clinician must use judgement about whether to continue.
Reading Part B — Question 5
Part B: read the short text and choose the answer (A, B or C) which you think fits best according to the text.
- The purpose of this notice is to (A) change where specimen tubes are labelled. (B) introduce pre-printed labels for all samples. (C) announce new rules for blood transfusion samples.
Reading Part B — Question 6
Part B: read the short text and choose the answer (A, B or C) which you think fits best according to the text.
- According to the memo, a sharps container must be replaced when (A) it has been in use for three months. (B) it has been filled right up to the top. (C) the temporary closure has been used.
Reading Part C — Text 1: Hand hygiene (Questions 7-14)
Part C: read the text and answer questions 7-14. Choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
- According to the first paragraph, why was handwashing initially rejected? (A) There was no explanation of how it could prevent disease. (B) Midwives had already shown that it made little difference. (C) Chlorinated lime was considered harmful to patients. (D) Death rates on doctors' wards had not yet been recorded.
- What point does the writer make about surgeons in the second paragraph? (A) They adopted antiseptic practices because the consequences of infection were more apparent. (B) They were initially more resistant to germ theory than physicians were. (C) They were responsible for spreading infection from theatres to the wards. (D) They required decades to accept that handwashing had any scientific basis.
- What does the writer find particularly worrying about the compliance figures in the third paragraph? (A) It varies greatly between different countries. (B) Nurses perform only slightly better than doctors. (C) It has declined in recent years. (D) It is poorest in the areas with the most at-risk patients.
- In the fourth paragraph, the phrase 'the most practical of all excuses' refers to (A) the damage caused to skin by frequent washing. (B) the number of patients each nurse has to care for. (C) the difficulty of cleaning sore and cracked hands. (D) the time needed to wash hands at a sink.
- The writer suggests that poster campaigns alone are ineffective because (A) most staff already understand why hand hygiene is important. (B) behaviour is influenced mainly by habit and by colleagues. (C) they are not seen by the most senior staff. (D) patients are not encouraged to take part.
- What is the main drawback of direct observation as a way of measuring compliance? (A) It is too expensive for most hospitals. (B) It may give a misleadingly positive result. (C) It cannot identify when hand rub was used. (D) It is regarded by staff as a form of surveillance.
- In the sixth paragraph, what does the word 'it' in 'it may come to feel' refer to? (A) the hand rub dispenser (B) the patient zone (C) the badge technology (D) the electronic recording system
- What is the writer's main conclusion? (A) Further evidence is needed to prove that hand hygiene reduces infection. (B) Early advocates of handwashing deserve more recognition. (C) Efforts should focus on making hand hygiene as easy as possible. (D) Antibiotic resistance has made hand hygiene less effective.
Reading Part C — Text 2: The placebo effect in practice (Questions 15-22)
Part C: read the text and answer questions 15-22. Choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
- In the first paragraph, the writer suggests that the traditional view of the placebo effect (A) has overestimated its importance in clinical trials. (B) has been challenged mainly by the results of drug trials. (C) has treated it as something to be eliminated rather than used. (D) has made researchers reluctant to use inert pills.
- The experiment involving naloxone is mentioned as evidence that (A) the placebo effect has a measurable biological basis. (B) placebos can be as effective as opioid analgesics. (C) patients sometimes exaggerate the effects of placebos. (D) naloxone can reduce the effect of genuine painkillers.
- What does the example of asthma illustrate? (A) Placebos may improve how patients feel without treating the disease itself. (B) Placebo responses are stronger in respiratory than in neurological conditions. (C) Objective measures are more reliable than patients' own reports. (D) Anxiety can make the symptoms of asthma worse.
- What criticism of open-label placebo trials is mentioned? (A) They have only been carried out in a narrow range of conditions. (B) The benefits they report are too small to be meaningful. (C) Participants are misled about what the pills contain. (D) Their participants may not represent patients in general.
- The comparison between open and hidden morphine injections suggests that (A) hidden injections are safer for patients in severe pain. (B) morphine is less effective when given intravenously. (C) patients need to know the dose they are receiving. (D) the way a treatment is given affects its outcome.
- In the fifth paragraph, the writer implies that clinicians should (A) avoid mentioning possible side-effects to patients. (B) consider carefully how they present information about side-effects. (C) prescribe inert treatments to patients who fear side-effects. (D) explain the nocebo effect to anxious patients.
- In the sixth paragraph, 'The latter practice' refers to (A) deceiving patients about inert medical treatments. (B) prescribing antibiotics for viral infections. (C) prescribing vitamins. (D) conducting surveys of doctors.
- What is the writer's overall view? (A) Placebos should be prescribed more widely, provided patients consent. (B) The ethical problems of placebo use outweigh the potential benefits. (C) The clinician's approach to patients deserves to be taken seriously as part of treatment. (D) More research is needed before any conclusions can be drawn.
Ads paying for your free English lessons. Prefer a quiet page? Go ad-free
OET (Occupational English Test) Reading Practice Test 2 with Answers
Knee osteoarthritis (physiotherapy)InsomniaLong COVID clinicFalls prevention in hospitalPaediatric acute asthmaInfant microbiome and antibioticsHealthcare-worker burnoutDiabetes educator referral (insulin initiation)Iron-deficiency anaemia referral
Reading · about 60 min
Start Test 2 →OET (Occupational English Test) Reading Practice Test 3 with Answers
COPD inhaler techniqueAcute goutEarly recognition of sepsisMusic therapy in dementiaAnaphylaxis and adrenalineSocial prescribingPharmacogenomicsStroke rehabilitation transferSuspected Parkinson's disease referral
Reading · about 60 min
Start Test 3 →OET (Occupational English Test) Reading Practice Test 4 with Answers Pro
Gestational diabetesPsoriasisRural telehealthPost-operative opioid stewardshipPressure-injury preventionSugar taxes and obesityChronic pain and neuroplasticityVenous leg ulcer dischargeSuspected ACL tear referral
Reading · about 60 min
See Test 4 →OET (Occupational English Test) Reading Practice Test 5 with Answers Pro
Irritable bowel syndromeTinnitusNeedle-stick injuriesEarly mobilisation in intensive careWarfarin and INR monitoringNight-shift work and healthRobotic surgeryUTI with delirium: transfer to aged careHyperthyroidism referral
Reading · about 60 min
See Test 5 →OET (Occupational English Test) Reading Practice Test 6 with Answers Pro
Fatigue and iron-deficiency anaemiaCardiac rehabilitation after coronary stentingVaccine hesitancyISBAR clinical handoverPaediatric gastroenteritis and oral rehydrationLoneliness as a health riskArtificial intelligence in radiologyPalliative care discharge to district nurseSuspected rheumatoid arthritis referral
Reading · about 60 min
See Test 6 →OET (Occupational English Test) Reading Practice Test 7 with Answers Pro
Diabetic foot review (podiatry)Recurrent urinary tract infectionsMedication-error reporting cultureNutrition in cancer careBurns first aid and managementThe antibiotic pipelineSleep in hospitalPost-stroke dysphagia transferSuspected obstructive sleep apnoea referral
Reading · about 60 min
See Test 7 →OET (Occupational English Test) Reading Practice Test 8 with Answers Pro
Hypothyroidism symptomsKidney stones (renal colic)Organ donationSurgical-site infection preventionNeonatal jaundice & phototherapyAir pollution & healthFrailty in older adultsNew epilepsy in a school-age childVisible haematuria referral
Reading · about 60 min
See Test 8 →OET (Occupational English Test) Reading Practice Test 9 with Answers Pro
Asthma reviewGlaucoma eye dropsPalliative-care conversationsVTE preventionIV potassium safetyExercise as medicineThe gut–brain axis and depressionPostnatal anxiety referralLymphadenopathy referral
Reading · about 60 min
See Test 9 →OET (Occupational English Test) Reading Practice Test 10 with Answers Pro
Vertigo (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo)Fatty liver disease and alcoholInterpreters and health literacyPain assessment in non-verbal patientsFebrile neutropeniaHeatwaves and healthMRNA vaccinesOlder insulin user discharged to home-care nursingPersistent cough referral to respiratory physicianGoing home with a urinary catheterRelative requesting confidential informationAir travel after DVTInfant with bronchiolitis
Reading · about 60 min
See Test 10 →
About the OET Reading paper
60 minutes, 42 questions, the same for every profession. Part A is a 15-minute speed-reading task on four short texts (20 questions: matching, short answers and sentence completion). Part B has six short workplace texts such as guidelines, memos and policies. Part C has two longer articles with eight 4-option questions each.
How OET is scored
OET reports each sub-test on a 0-500 scale with a letter grade from A to E; Grade B (350) is the level most healthcare regulators ask for. On 7ESL, Listening and Reading give an instant score out of 42 (about 30/42 is the Grade B level). Writing and Speaking are not auto-marked: you get Grade A model answers, Grade A and Grade C sample letters with comments on each criterion, and full model role-plays. Pro members can also get an estimated grade for a letter from the AI examiner.
Other OET papers
OET (Occupational English Test) Listening practice tests · OET (Occupational English Test) Writing practice tests · OET (Occupational English Test) Speaking practice tests. Or sit a full OET practice test.
7ESL practice material written in the published OET format. 7ESL is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, OET or Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment (CBLA). OET is a registered trademark of Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment Trust. Scores and grade estimates are for practice only. Clinical details are simplified for English-language practice and must not be used as clinical guidance.