OET Reading: The Complete Guide - Part A = ww h - =f _ = _ In a healthcare setting, you may need to quickly find relevant information when dealing with a patient or client. Part A simulates this by putting you under timed pressure as you first locate the information and then read it more carefully. In this guide, we'll cover the format of OET Reading Part A and review the skills you're being tested on. There's a sample task, plus test tips and preparation recommendations.Test format: The four Part A texts are extracts from reference materials that you would encounter when caring for patients. They include medication tables and dosage charts, instructions, treatment pathways and options, descriptions of presenting factors, symptoms and diagnostic tools, and at least one may contain information in a visual format - a table, flowchart or diagram, for instance. There are 20 questions and three question types: Matching, Short Answer and Sentence Completion. As this part is testing expeditious reading, Part A is strictly timed and you must complete all 20 question items within 15 minutes. OET Reading Part A at a glance: - Four texts on a single healthcare topic « 20 questions: « Matching + Short Answer « Sentence Completion - 15 minutesSkills: Reading Part A is structured to mirror your professional practice. It tests your ability to read expeditiously, to locate information and then accurately record specific information. Sample task: For OET on paper, you have a separate Question Paper and Text Booklet. The instructions on the Question Paper instruct you to write your answers on the spaces provided and remind you about the 15-minute time limit. The text booklet contains your four texts, labelled A, B, C, D.The text booklet contains your four texts, labelled A, B, C, D. Fractures, Salocations and prin: Tots a SSEERSEES EE eee Seanuspretanpies esheets ele at tno ae Eeeutoetn-sag amg of rer orp yon pn ey i dn SEE Seer ‘Sesion anata coer ” Se rem [ome [Reet [memento [Sane rots | yas | tng anor = mrs | sco | Ngmsyapmcrnrinfeaudccrgecconn eee * Some inser aeseaenasece 2 anc pang ourp tet cite ot 2 mete oer gen ac fnMatching questions: The first set of questions is always matching questions and there are usually between 5 and 7 of them. For these questions, you need to decide which text (A, B C or D) each piece of information comes from. Your answer to each question will be one letter only. A B C or D. Questions 1-7 For enc queston, 17. decide which eel (A.B. € oD) Be oman comes rm, Wie Be er ‘A.8.CorDinte space provided. You may ue any le more than once. Inti text can you ti inermation about procedures for dlverng pin at? {he procedure follow when sping a ature nb? ato record when assessing a patent? the ters sed to dese trent peso ractres? hata ok for whan necking in? ow aces canbe cused? Reading Part A (OET on paper) matching questions For instance, question 1 asks: In which text can you find information about ‘procedures for delivering pain relief’ Where is this information? When you find it, you simply write the letter, in this case,Keep in mind that C might also be an answer to other questions,(2-7). But each question will have one letter only as the answer. Short answer questions: The next set of questions will be either short answer or sentence completion. In this practice test, questions 8-14 are short answer questions. Here, you need to answer each of the questions with a word or short phrase from one of the texts. Each answer may include words, numbers or both. You should not write full sentences. ‘Questions 8-14 ‘Answer each ofthe questions, 8-14, with a word or short phrase from one ofthe texts. Each answer may include words, numbers or both. You should nat write fll sentences. 8 What should be used to elevate a patient’ fractured leg? 9 Whats the maximum dose of morphine per kilo of a patient's weight that can be given using the intra-muscula (IM) route? 10 Which pants of a imb may need extra padding? Reading Part A (OET on paper) short answer questionsSentence completion questions: Sentence completion questions work in a similar way. Again, you should read the sentence, locate the correct text and read carefully to find the exact answer to fill the gap. Questions 15-20 ‘Complete each ofthe sentences, 15-20, with a word or short phrase from one of the texts. Each answer may include words, numbers oF both, 15 Falling on an outstretched hand isa typical cause of a of the elbow. 16 Upper eo fractures should be elevated by means of a 17 Make sure the patient isn wearing any (on the part ofthe bbody where the plaster backslab is going to be placod. 18 Check to see whether swollen limbs are or increasing 19 Ina plaster backslab, there isa layer of ‘losest tothe skin. 20 Patents aged ‘and over shouldn't be given the higher dosages of pain reli. Reading Part A (OET on paper) sentence completion questions Test tips: Here are 5 tips to succeed in Part A.1) Do the questions in order. By starting with the matching questions, you will be better prepared to locate the answers for the rest of the questions because you will know what each is text is about, what its purpose is and who the audience is. 2) Copy exactly from the text. For short answer and completion questions, you must copy the text exactly as its written into your answer spaces. If you make a spelling error or add words that aren’t needed, your answer will be marked wrong. 3) Keep your answers short. Answers are usually between 1 and 3 words. Writing full sentences or including extra information will mean your answer is wrong. 4) Write clearly. If you're taking OET on paper, your Part A is marked by human assessors. If they cannot understand your writing, you will not get the point.5) Manage your time. There's only 15 minutes for this part of the test, so you need to work quickly. Don’t spend too long on one question. If you're struggling, have a guess, move on and come back to it later if you have time. Watch this video to find out some common errors in Reading Part A and ensure you don’t make them! How to succeed in Reading PartA Preparation recommendations: To prepare for Part A, you need to practise expeditious reading, reading quickly and effectively. Here are some ways to work on this: 1) Practise skimming texts. To do Part A well, you need to be able to get the idea of a text quickly without reading every single word. You can practise this by taking any kind of text and setting a timer for yourself. Skim the text by only reading titles, headings, subheadings, introductory sentences, bullet points and by using labels on visual information.2) Practise scanning. Another useful skill is scanning. This is when you look for a particular word or piece of information, again without actually reading. Think of it like the Control F function on your computer. You might be looking for a particular drug or an age group to answer a question. Use practice Listening tests with transcripts to work on this skill. Look at the question and scan the text to find the relevant place. The key to scanning is not to read, so try moving your eyes backwards through the transcript or up and down rather than left to right, which is how you would normally read. Another fun way to work on scanning is by doing wordsearches.3) Start slow. When you begin your Part A preparation, throw away the clock and focus instead on your skills and strategy. Make sure you know the instructions to the different tasks and how to answer the different question types. When you’re confident with how to tackle the questions, then you can start working on doing it faster. Being able to locate information quickly and record it accurately is a key skill in the healthcare workplace and these are skills you will improve by preparing for OET Reading Part A.