6 Ways to Improve your Score in OET Reading Test

Why is OET Reading difficult even when the extracts are profession-specific? A sure question that most OET aspirants are bombarded with. The reason is plain. OET is not simply assessing your reading skill, it goes one step ahead. The aspects put to test here is your ability to read, understand, locate and answer questions relevant to the given topic within the time allotted. When these steps do not work in harmony, OET reading gets challenging. But every challenge is an opportunity to improve. So let’s discuss how to bring this improvement in your Reading subtest. 

First and foremost, let’s begin with the tips to follow during your practice sessions.

1. Comprehensive Reading 

Although OET is a healthcare-specific exam, let’s not forget that the base of OET is ultimately how well you can read and identify answers from the given text. The only way out to enhance reading skills is by reading itself- reading in and out of context. While you pay specialised attention to healthcare magazines and profession-specific material, you also need to direct your focus at current affairs or articles dealing with topics for the general-interest reader. Getting used to all different kinds of text types will prove beneficial during your OET exams. 

2. Ask Questions to Yourself 

The next step to make your reading sessions effective is by asking some questions. Every time you read a long written material, pause after each paragraph and try to answer the following questions:

• The core idea of this paragraph is? - summarise it in a sentence or two
• What is the speaker’s intention? - the tone of the entire paragraph
• Is there an implied meaning in the speaker’s words? - something that is not directly stated

If self-practice is not boosting your skills. Then expert guidance is what you should look for. And courses like OET Training in Abu Dhabi is one such place to confide in. 

Now imagine you are in for your OET Reading test. Follow the steps ahead to achieve success. 

2. Read the instructions carefully

Most test-takers are confident enough to proceed without reading the instructions. It is natural to feel that you might already know the details mentioned down so why waste time reading them again. Putting it straight, skipping the instructions can be a bad idea after all. When you read them before you start your test, it’s a way to remind yourself of all the things you should keep in mind. 

3. Learn scoring tips for individual parts A, B and C

PART A

• Make a mental note of the questions before you start reading the passages
• Locate numbers, dates, names of people and countries first as they easily strike the eye
• Look for the index page or chapter summaries to find where the information lies. 

PART B 

• Do not always look for the same words in the text as in the question. The question can be asked indirectly. Therefore look for equivalent sentences or synonyms of words
• Keep in mind that the question and answers usually follow the same order. It would be pointless to search for the last question in the initial paragraphs.
• Focus on the key point that is discussed frequently if you feel that a paragraph deals with more than one main idea.

PART C 

This part requires an in-depth reading. An easy way to approach reading PART C is by trying to understand the meaning of a given text in your native language. As a result, implied meanings can be easily understood.

4. Attempt every Question

We insist that you attempt every question. Why? It’s because OET exams have no negative marking. Say you don’t have the least idea about an answer. Would it be better if you leave it blank and score zero points or make a wild guess and win a 50% chance of getting it right? Even when this is the ideal thing to practice, you also need to make sure not to spend too much time clinging on to such questions. In that case, you don’t answer the difficult question and at the same time lose out your marks on the easy questions. 

5. Check Your Answers 

Manage your time accordingly so that you get to spare a few minutes to check your answers. When you hurry reading and writing hand-in-hand, chances are high that you might go wrong with your spelling. Poor spelling can affect your scores. Also, make sure you have encircled your choice of answers completely using a B2 pencil. Using a pencil makes it easy to rectify your answer if needed. 

If you're worried or confused about your OET preparation during this pandemic, here are 5 quick ways to prepare for your OET test aftermath of COVID 19.