Hello, I am Dr. Shaheen Shaik, and I am an IMG from India. I have completed my OET recently and am looking to give my PLAB-1 and 2 as soon as possible.
In this blog, I would like to talk about:
1. My preparation schedule and resources I have personally used
2. What to expect on the exam day
Understanding The Basics Of The Exam:
OET has 4 parts as every other English exam: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing.
The difficult task for me was writing. So the preparation should start with writing first to be more confident in having a B grade. There are a lot of materials available online. My suggestion of genuine materials would be OET online portal, where there are 3 writing tasks for free.
1. Writing:
Writing a letter has 3 formats:
For instance, we usually write in chronological order, which is correct. Also, in emergency letters or referral letters, the present complaint followed by the past history would be more appropriate. It is suggested to write 2 letters a day and get them corrected by any professional or just by posting them on the Facebook OET study groups, which is of much help for students. That will be a total of 28 letters which is good practice. Always remember to write in PASSIVE form.
2. SPEAKING:
The very next thing to practice is speaking. There is a book named OET future in the Telegram groups. There are more than 200 scenarios for us to practice.
So what to do with the material?
You can ask your family to help you regarding this or maybe even your friends. Initially, you give them the interlocutor card, and you take the candidate card.
Three things to observe:
1. Are you comfortable while speaking, or are you having trouble?
2. Are you able to communicate what is in your mind effectively? Is it easy for them to understand your language?
3. Last but not least, how concerned are you towards your patients?
Remember to record the conversation by keeping a timer and listen to it. You are your best teacher!
Make sure that you are doing 3 roleplays each day. That would be a total of 42, which is AWESOME. It gives you confidence and helps you to have better time management and understanding regarding the roleplay.
3. LISTENING :
This is the easiest and most effortless task for almost everyone. The more you practice, the better you get at it. There are many past papers on YouTube. My advice would be to stick to YouTube and not any other sources. Please try to do at least 1 task a day as each task takes approximately 45 minutes. That would be 14 in total, which is also a good number. The answers will be provided at the end of the video. Be strict with yourself while correcting your answers. Mark wrong even if there are slightest spelling mistakes or if spelling doesn't matter in the real exam. You understand what you are doing wrong.
4. READING:
The trickiest part goes here:
Reading, as you know, has A, B, and C parts. Most of the marks can be gained in parts A and B. C is the most challenging part and is a nightmare for everyone who has not cleared the exam in one round. I suggest trying the Benchmark and Jashan reading collection which is in almost all Telegram groups.
Set your goal for 35+ in the listening and reading subtest; the actual exam will be a piece of cake for you. Dedicate your time per your accordance, and for the last 3 days, do all the practice at a stretch for 3-4 hours as you will be accustomed to the real exam scenarios.
WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE EXAM DAY:
Keep the ID with which you booked the test, the printout of the confirmation mail, and the stationary. Don't worry; everything is provided in the venue, including lunch, stationery, and water. Don't stress it; you're going to be okay. Don't drink too much water as using the washroom doesn't have a separate time, and Listening and Reading are very time-based tasks.
PREPARATION SCHEDULE IN SHORT:
Writing: OET ONLINE: 2 tasks each day= 28 Speaking: OET future book: 3 tasks a day= 42 Listening: YouTube: 1 a day= 14 Reading: Benchmark and Jashan: 2 a day= 28
NEED MORE TIPS AND ADVICE?
If you have any further questions about the OET or writing tasks, you can send them to my social media profiles or trewlink.com. I would be more than happy to answer them at trewlink.com. You can register using this link: https://trewlink.com?referrer=sha197375
Find me as an ambassador and follow my profile - Shaheen Shaik to receive regular support and advice.