Imagine you are running out of time and still have questions to complete! That would be the worst-case scenario while taking a test. If you don’t properly manage your time during exams, no matter how much you prepare and work hard, you won’t be able to perform well. Whichever test you are planning to take, it’s very important to manage your time effectively. The OET is not an exception. The Occupational English Test is no short of a savior to a healthcare professional in his or her conquest of being able to embark upon professional and academic pursuits in an English-speaking environment. In this light, time management is an aspect of the OET test, whereby proper utilization of time will yield a handsome score during the test. This blog discusses the significance of time management in the OET test and, at the same time, offers candidates practical ways and strategies that will help them manage their time in the test.

The Occupational English Test (OET) format comprises four sub-tests: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. Each of the individual sub-tests has been designed to test specific sets of skills that a health professional must be able to demonstrate.

Listening: This sub-test has three parts and is estimated to last about 45 minutes. A variety of recorded healthcare-related dialogues and monologues are played, and candidates are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the same.

Reading: The time allocated in this section is 60 minutes and contains three parts. It is designed for testing reading ability, learners are given various types of texts on healthcare topics, with multiple-choice questions, short answers, and gap-fill tasks.

Writing: it is a 45-minute sub-test that requires one to write a letter; for most parts, it is a letter of referral or discharge, based on a given case note. The focus of the task is the candidate’s capability to communicate effectively in writing in professional circumstances.

Speaking: The speaking sub-test consists of a 20-minute role play where the candidates act as professional healthcare representatives in a virtual consultation. This sub-test assesses a candidate’s ability to communicate efficiently through spoken English in a professional environment.

Effective time management in the OET test is important for several reasons: 

Maximizing Scores: Proper time management would avail enough time to complete every section of the test, thus maximizing the candidate’s chances of getting very high scores. Time management during the OET test enables candidates to allocate adequate time to understand and answer each question, thereby making sure they are able to put up the best performance.

Less Stress: The awareness of the strategies of time management reduces the nervous and stress feelings related to the real examination, translating into much better concentration on the tasks at hand. Stress can work adversely on performance, so a distinct plan for managing time can help keep the candidate calm and composed.

Enhance accuracy: Time management allows a candidate to have enough time to read the questions, understand them, and answer them with accuracy, hence eliminating careless mistakes. Mismanagement of time may result in unanswered rushed answers with too many points overlooked.

Greater Performance: Through the best time management, candidates will have much more opportunity to perform well in each sub-test and convince their examiner about their capability in the language. Proper time management during the OET exam means that, without pressure, the candidate will be able to display his/her skills in listening, reading, writing, and speaking effectively.

Listening Sub-Test

Read Through Instructions Carefully: Take time to read through the instructions and questions before listening to the recordings. Make sure that you are able to become familiar with some of the key issues that you need to listen to. This will enable you to hear and pay attention to the right parts of the recordings.

Note-Taking: By all means, you need to practice fast and effective note-taking. Try to outline what is important and jot down key points when you are going through the material. Write some shorthand that can be used to quickly jot down pertinent points.

Avoid losing focus: stay on track of the recording; when you miss something, do not stick to it, simply move on to the next element. The most important thing here is not to be captured at one part of the recording but rather to avoid losing focus.

Reading Sub- Test

Skim and Scan: First, develop techniques in skimming and scanning for any information you want to get from the text. Skimming means looking through it quickly to get a view of the general ideas while scanning is to look for specific information.

Time Allocation: The time to be used on each part should be directly proportional to the difficulty of said part. Easier parts should get less time, and more time should be spent on harder parts.

Speed in Reading Practice: Of course, practice reading health science material to acquire a good speed in reading. More practice means becoming more and more efficient to pick up things from a document faster.

Writing Sub-Test

Plan Your Letter: First, spend 5 minutes planning your letter: what the structure is and what the key points to be included are. Then, the writing process will be smoother and more organized.

Time Management: Plan, write, and review. Spend about 5 minutes on planning, 30-35 minutes on writing, and about 5 minutes on reviewing. It will help you finish your letter on time without any rush.

Practice Writing: Practice writing letters within 45 minutes so that you can write quickly and at a good speed. Know common types of letters you can be asked to write. Try to familiarize yourself and get used to organizing your thoughts quickly.

Speaking Sub-Test

Practice the Role-Plays: Read or have typical healthcare scenarios read and then work up some role-play with a friend or mentor. In fact, more practice before the actual test builds much confidence in questioning more.

Timing Response: Practice the written questions briefly and precisely with time limits. This will make you monitor your responses and ensure that you keep attention on the topic so as questions do not flicker around other issues.

Keep Calm: Do not panic while attempting the role-play. Listen to what the interlocutor is saying and respond to them accordingly. Mindfulness exercises, or even relaxation exercises, would be helpful to keep one’s nerves in control.

Make a Study Schedule: Make a study schedule that includes a specific amount of time for constant practice for each unit of the test. This will help you enhance your overall time management abilities.

Timers: Give a shot at creating sample test conditions by the use of timers while you are practicing; as much as possible, try to pretend that you are sitting in a test. Get the type of feeling the examination gives you due to the time limit of the examination.

Practice Tests: Practice a good number of full-length practice tests to get a feel for the test format and timing. Look at your performance to know where you can improve your time management.

Review and Reflect: After every practice test, review how you did and what you can do differently to use your time better. Take time to think about what worked and what didn’t and change your strategies around.

Spending Excessive Time on a Question: If you find yourself spending too much time on a particular question, shift to other questions and return to it later if time permits. This will ensure that you don’t waste valuable time on a question.

Racing Through Questions: No one should jump through questions. He/she must concentrate, think over the question, and then reply to every one of it with accuracy. When you rush you make the most careless mistakes.

Not Allowing for Review Time: Save the last several minutes of each subtest to review your answers and make changes. This review will reveal mistakes that can be rectified.

Inadequate Practice: Practice regularly. Without enough practice, you cannot possibly do well in the test and allocate your time. Regular practice will enable you to develop a feel for the amount of time each test section requires.

Higher Scores: With a properly managed time, every sub-test can be attended with the correct accuracy and speed, thus resulting in higher scores. Proper time management will make all the difference in an OET result.

Reduced Pressure: Right time management lowers the stress found during exams; hence, each candidate can be calm and collected while sitting for a test. As a result, the stress level stays low, relative to the high levels of concentration and performance.

Better Preparation: Developing time management skills during your preparation ensures that you are well-prepared—in fact—on the day of the exam. Good preparation reduces the chances of unexpected problems with the test.

To succeed in OET, one must have effective time management skills. By having such mastery, candidates can exhibit the best performance and attain intended scores, which directly result from familiarizing the test structure, regular practice, and proper time management strategies. Practice makes you perfect, and therefore, you should go ahead and work on these time management tips to implement them in your study routine for better OET exam time management.