OET for Doctors · Updated 2026
OET for Doctors: GMC, AMC, MCNZ requirements and a 12-week preparation plan
For international medical graduates pursuing registration in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, or the UAE, OET is the most common English proficiency route. This guide covers the 2026 score requirements for each medical regulator, the specific Writing task doctors face, a realistic preparation plan, and the vocabulary and letter-writing conventions that separate a grade B from a grade C+.
Medical regulator score requirements
Each medical council sets its own minimum. The summaries below reflect the 2026 position — verify against the regulator's website before booking.
UK — General Medical Council (GMC)
The GMC accepts OET medicine with a minimum grade B (350) in each of the four sub-tests. Scores from two sittings within a six-month window can be combined under specific conditions. Results must be no more than two years old at the point of application.
Australia — Australian Medical Council (AMC) and AHPRA
The Medical Board of Australia (under AHPRA) accepts OET medicine with a minimum grade B (350) in each sub-test. Combining two sittings within 12 months is permitted for eligible candidates. Many IMG pathways — including the standard, competent authority, and specialist pathways — accept OET on the same terms.
New Zealand — Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ)
MCNZ requires a minimum grade B in each of the four OET sub-tests. Results must be current at the time your application for registration is being assessed.
Ireland — Medical Council of Ireland
The Medical Council of Ireland accepts OET medicine with a minimum grade B (350) in each sub-test. Results remain valid for two years.
United Arab Emirates — DHA, DOH, MOHAP
All three UAE health authorities accept OET for medical licensing. Current minimums require grade B in each sub-test. Specific emirates and specialist categories occasionally have additional requirements — confirm directly with the licensing authority for your emirate and speciality.
The Writing sub-test for doctors
The medicine Writing sub-test centres on clinical correspondence. You are given case notes covering a patient's history — often 6 to 24 months — and asked to write a profession-specific letter, most commonly:
- A referral letter to a specialist requesting assessment or intervention — the most frequent task.
- A discharge letter to the patient's general practitioner after a hospital admission.
- A transfer letter between clinicians or services, or a handover to a different team.
The examiner's mindset is useful to internalise: your letter is being read by the named recipient for a specific decision. Your job is to give them exactly what they need — no more, no less — in the register and format that the medical profession expects.
The six scoring criteria
- Purpose — an opening paragraph that names the reason you are writing to this recipient.
- Content — selective, relevant case information that supports the purpose.
- Conciseness and Clarity — tight, unambiguous prose with no padding.
- Genre and Style — registers appropriate to medical correspondence between clinicians.
- Organisation and Layout — logical paragraph structure with appropriate salutation and closing; no bullet lists.
- Language — grammar, tense control, vocabulary range, spelling.
Common grade C+ patterns
Analysis of candidates who plateau at C+ rather than B reveals three recurring patterns:
- Summarising the entire case rather than selecting information that matters to the reader.
- Over-reliance on the passive voice and nominalisations that weaken clarity.
- Tense slippage — mixing past, present, and present perfect without a consistent temporal anchor.
Medical vocabulary to prioritise
The OET medicine Writing task rewards precise clinical vocabulary. The clusters most worth revising are:
- Presenting and history-taking — presenting complaint, onset, exacerbating factors, associated symptoms, past medical history
- Examination findings — unremarkable, auscultation revealed, palpation demonstrated, bilateral, localised
- Investigations and results — raised inflammatory markers, within normal limits, non-contributory, awaiting results
- Management and plan — commenced, titrated, escalated, weaned, step-down
- Referral conventions — I would be grateful for your assessment, kindly review, thank you in advance, please do not hesitate to contact me
OETgo's curated medicine flashcards cover these clusters with native-language translations and spaced-repetition scheduling, which substantially accelerates retention for non-native speakers.
A 12-week OET preparation plan for doctors
This plan assumes a C1 English baseline and about 10 hours of weekly study. Adjust by 4 to 8 weeks in either direction based on your Writing diagnostic.
Full timed mock for baseline scoring. Daily 15-term medical vocabulary set. One timed referral letter per week with AI feedback. Alternate Listening and Reading practice papers.
Two timed letters per week rotating through referral, discharge, and transfer formats. Speaking role-plays twice weekly. Address weaker scoring criteria explicitly in each Writing iteration.
Weekly full mocks under strict timing. Maintain one Writing letter per week. Refine Speaking on relationship-building and patient-education criteria.
Final full mock eight days before test day. Light vocabulary review, one final timed letter, and deliberate rest in the 48 hours preceding the exam.
Practise doctor letters with OETgo
Create a free OETgo account to get your first AI Writing Coach correction on a doctor referral letter, plus unlimited access to medicine flashcards in your native language.
Create free accountFrequently asked questions
What OET score does the GMC require?
The General Medical Council (GMC) requires a minimum grade B (350) in each of the four OET sub-tests. Results must be from a single sitting or, under specific conditions, combined from two sittings within six months. The scores must be no more than two years old at the point of application.
Does the AMC accept OET for IMG doctors?
Yes. The Australian Medical Council (AMC) accepts OET medicine with a minimum grade B (350) in all four sub-tests for international medical graduate (IMG) applications. Combining scores from two sittings within 12 months is permitted for eligible candidates under current AHPRA policy.
What is the Writing task for doctors?
Doctors are given patient case notes covering approximately 6 to 24 months of care and must write a single profession-specific letter. The most common letter types are referral letters to a specialist, discharge letters to a GP, and transfer letters between clinicians or services. You have 45 minutes total: 5 minutes reading the notes and 40 minutes writing 180-200 words.
Is OET accepted for DHA and MOHAP licensing in the UAE?
Yes. The Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH), and the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) accept OET for medical licensing with a minimum grade B in each sub-test. Always confirm the current requirement with the specific authority you are applying to.
How long should doctors prepare for OET?
Most IMG doctors at C1 level need 6 to 10 weeks of focused preparation, with Writing consuming roughly half of that time. Doctors at B2 level typically need 12 to 20 weeks. Stamina for the three-hour test is an underrated factor — plan at least two full timed mocks in the final month.
Can OETgo's AI Writing Coach handle medical referral letters?
Yes. OETgo's AI Writing Coach scores doctor referral, discharge, and transfer letters against all six official OET Writing criteria and returns annotated feedback plus a fully corrected version in under a minute. It is designed for iterative Writing sub-test practice.