English proficiency tests are an essential part of launching your career in an English-speaking country. Depending on your industry, your career and life goals, some language tests offer more benefits and flexibility than others. While the IELTS is a popular option, if you’re pursuing a career in healthcare, OET is a common language test choice as well. But which one is right for you?
In this blog we explore the differences between the IELTS and OET, including their cost, format, difficulty, and acceptance, so you can get a clear picture of which one you should choose for your goals.
What Are IELTS and OET?
Both IELTS and OET are language tests to evaluate your English proficiency, however, they differ in their specific uses.
IELTS vs OET for Healthcare Professionals: What Are the Main Differences?
The OET is an English language test for healthcare professionals, with content tailored for contexts in that industry. The OET is accepted in English-speaking countries like Canada, but only for specific roles and regulatory bodies within 12 professions that include nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing and medicine, with different versions of the test for each.
The IELTS has broader use cases, and your IELTS test scores can be used for immigration, professional registration, employment, and education rather than a singular industry, which means its test content reflects a wide range of contexts. The IELTS test is accepted by 13.5K+ organizations across 150 countries.
OET Test vs IELTS test: A Quick Comparison
Feature | IELTS | OET |
Main Purpose | General English proficiency | English proficiency in healthcare |
Target Test Takers | Anyone requiring proof of English proficiency (for work, migration, professional registration, or education) | Healthcare professionals |
Test Format | Listening - 30 minutes Reading - 60 minutes (including transfer time) Writing - 60 minutes Speaking - 11-14 minutes | Listening - 45 minutes Reading - 60 minutes Writing - 45 minutes Speaking - 20 minutes |
Listening Test | Time allowed: Approximately 30 minutes Number of parts: 4 Number of questions: 40 Marking: Each correct answer receives 1 mark. Your final score is given as a band score in whole or half bands, e.g. 5.5 or 7.0. Type of questions: Multiple choice, matching, plan/map/diagram labelling, form/note/table/flow chart completion, sentence completion, short-answer questions | Time allowed: 45 minutes Number of parts: 3 Number of questions: 42 Marking: Each correct answer receives 1 mark. Your final mark is converted to a scale from 0 to 500. Types of questions: Specifically identifying information (e.g. opinion, speaker’s purpose) |
Reading Test | Time allowed: 60 minutes Number of sections: 3; the total text length is 2150–2750 words Number of questions: 40 Marking: Each correct answer receives 1 mark. Your final score is given as a band score from 1–9 in whole or half bands, e.g. 4 or 6.5. Types of questions: Multiple choice, identifying information (true/false/not given), identifying writer’s views or claims (yes/no/not given), matching information, matching headings, matching features, matching sentence endings, sentence completion, summary/note/table/flow chart completion, diagram label completion, short-answer questions | Time allowed: 60 minutes Number of parts: 3 Number of questions: 42 questions Marking: Evaluated by computer or by a person, then converted to a scale from 0 to 500. Types of questions: Skim and scan short text to identify specific information, careful reading of short and long text. |
Writing Test | Time allowed: 60 minutes Number of tasks: 2 Marking: Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1 to the Writing score. Types of questions: Academic Test 1: May be asked to describe one or more graphs, charts or tables OR a diagram of an object, device, process or event. Academic Test 2: Given a topic to write about, you must write at least 250 words | Time allowed: 45 minutes Number of tasks: 1 Marking: Six linguistic and clinical criteria are used to mark your answers, and you are given a score from 0 to 500. Types of questions: Write a letter based on a clinical scenario. |
Speaking Test | Time allowed: 11–14 minutes Number of parts: 3 Types of questions: Part 1: Introduction and interview, questions about familiar topics like home, family, studies or interests. Part 2: Long turn, must talk about a topic for 2 minutes, after 1 minute of preparation time Part 3: Discussion, discuss issues related to the topic in more depth | Time allowed: 20 minutes Number of tasks: 2 Types of questions: Clinical scenario prompts that include introduction, preparation time, and role play. |
OELT vs IELTS Score Comparison | Score for each section is converted to the IELTS 9-band scale, at whole and half bands. Your overall score is an average across all four sections. | Each section is marked using a grading system from 0-500. |
Test Duration | 2 hours and 45 minutes | 3 hours and 20 minutes |
Test Cost | The cost of IELTS in Canada is between $335 and $361 (+ tax) | $530 to $550 CAD |
Results Time | When you receive your IELTS results depends on your test format and type: Computer: 1-5 days after completion IELTS on Computer (Writing on Paper): 1-5 days after completion UKV1: 13 days after completion Life Skills for UKV1: 7 days after completion | When you receive your OET test results depends on format and type: Paper: 5-13 days after completion Computer: 6 days after completion |
OET and IELTS Acceptance | 550 healthcare regulators, networks and universities across 25 countries |
OET Exam vs IELTS Exam Structure
Listening Section
OET:
Length: 45 minutes
Format:
3 parts, total of 42 questions
PART A: Dictation: 24 questions
PART B: Short Dialogue: 6 questions
PART C: Long Speech/Interview: 12 questions
IELTS:
Length: 30 minutes
Format: 4 parts, total of 40 questions
Part 1 and 2: Everyday social situations, 10 questions each section
Part 3 and 4: Educational and training situations, 10 questions each section
Reading Section
OET:
Length: 60 minutes
Format: 3 parts, total of 42 questions
PART A: Symptoms, classification, gap-fill, short-answer questions, 20 questions
PART B: Guidelines and notices, multiple-choice questions, 6 questions
PART C: 2 longer medical texts, 8 questions per text, total of 16 questions
IELTS:
Length: 60 minutes
Format: 3 parts, total of 40 questions
Parts 1, 2, and 3: Texts cover topics of general interest and come from books, journals, newspapers, online sources, etc. There is no fixed number of questions per part, but it typically ranges from 10 to 14 questions.
Writing Section
OET:
Length: 45 minutes
Format: Use case notes to write a referral letter or professional document, minimum of 180 - 200 words.
IELTS:
Length: 60 minutes
Format: 2 tasks, total of at least 400 words
Task 1: Describe a chart, table, diagram, or graph in your own words. At least 150 words in 20 minutes.
Task 2: Discuss a problem, argument, or point of view. At least 250 words in 40 minutes.
Speaking Section
OET:
Length: 20 minutes
Format: 2 role-play tasks
Non-assessed warm-up section, approximately 2 minutes
Role-play tasks 1 and 2 each have a preparation time of 3 minutes with an evaluation time of 5 minutes (total of 16 minutes)
IELTS:
Length: 11-14 minutes
Format: 3 parts
Part 1: Introduction and interview, 4-5 minutes
Part 2: Long turn, task card to discuss topic, 3-4 minutes
Part 3: Discussion, expand on the topic from Part 2 in general detail, 4-5 minutes
IELTS vs OET Acceptance
Acceptance for Healthcare Registration
OET:
Accepted. OET is accepted in English-speaking countries from New Zealand to Canada and the UK, and by many healthcare regulatory bodies, including the GMC (UK) and the AHPRA (Australia). The OET is specifically designed to support the English proficiency level needed to meet the rigours of healthcare workplace settings, with 12 versions of the test available for different healthcare roles and modeled after typical clinical scenarios.
IELTS:
Accepted. IELTS is also accepted by healthcare clinical boards in English-speaking countries, and prepares healthcare professionals with a wider application of the English language, meaning it can be used for immigration, workplace, school, and registration purposes. IELTS also has wide recognition on a global level.
Acceptance for Work Visas and Immigration
OET:
Accepted in select countries. The OET is recognized by visas and skilled immigration streams for some countries, including Australia and New Zealand. However, this is restricted solely to healthcare professionals who satisfy immigration criteria for that specific country. For work visas and immigration in Canada, the OET is not accepted.
IELTS:
Accepted. The IELTS for migration test is accepted by English-speaking countries including Canada, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia. Be sure to check the requirements for the specific immigration stream you’re applying for, since the minimum band score may vary. Remember that your IELTS results are valid for 2 years.
Acceptance by Universities and Employers
OET:
Accepted with some exceptions. The OET is recognized by healthcare employers and clinical registration boards in 18 English-speaking countries. However, its acceptance in universities is less universal and is restricted to 200 universities, colleges and departments globally.
IELTS:
Accepted. IELTS is accepted by over 13.5K institutions across 150 countries, including top-ranked companies and schools, including global tech leaders like Deloitte and PwC and universities like Harvard and the University of Toronto.
Advantages and Disadvantages of OET
Advantages | Disadvantages |
Tests language proficiency specific to healthcare scenarios and tasks | Generally, can’t be used for visa or immigration purposes, with only some exceptions |
Recognized by 550 healthcare regulators, networks and universities across 25 countries | More expensive than IELTS |
Prepares for 12 specific healthcare roles with tailored content | Only accepted by some workplaces and schools |
| Fewer test centres |
| Limited use cases, cannot be used for anything outside of a healthcare workplace context |
Advantages and Disadvantages of IELTS
Advantages | Disadvantages |
Cheaper than OET | Is not a language test specific to certain roles or industries |
Recognized by 13.5K+ organizations across 150 countries | |
Evaluates English proficiency for a wide range of use cases, including immigration, the workplace, professional registration, and education. | |
4.5K test centres across 160 countries | |
Offers 1 Skill Retake to help testers get the best score possible | |
Which Test Should You Choose?
Choose OET If:
You are a healthcare professional interested in working in Canada or an English-speaking country and completing your professional registration. You won’t need a language test for migration purposes and are more concerned with evaluating your English proficiency to prepare you for the healthcare industry.
Choose IELTS If:
You need to show your English proficiency for migration, workplace, education, and professional registration purposes in Canada or an English-speaking country. IELTS offers flexibility that prepares you both for migration and industry-specific roles.
Final Thoughts
The right English language test opens doors for you and your career, wherever you plan to go. As a healthcare professional, the OET can be an excellent way to prepare yourself for the workplace and your professional registration. For a wider range of uses, IELTS is a choice that will give you an advantage, offering flexibility to achieve your language test goals beyond your employment.
Looking for more information about IELTS? Learn more about which IELTS test is right for you here.
