Why Some Medical Professionals Feel OET Is Losing Its Significance?
For over three decades, the Occupational English Test (OET) has occupied a distinctive place in the assessment of English language proficiency for healthcare professionals. Designed specifically for medical and allied health contexts, it promised relevance, authenticity, and professional alignment. Yet, in recent years, a growing number of medical professionals, educators, and institutional stakeholders have begun to question whether OET continues to hold the same practical significance in an increasingly crowded language testing landscape.
This perception does not suggest that OET lacks value, but rather that its role is being reshaped by broader shifts in healthcare mobility, regulatory expectations, and language assessment practices.
The Rise of Universality in Language Testing
One frequently cited reason for OET’s declining prominence is the growing preference for universally recognised English proficiency tests such as IELTS, PTE Academic, and TOEFL iBT. These tests are accepted across…
