OET SPEAKING BY PROFESSION · DIETITIANS
OET Speaking for dietitians: the role play explained
OET Speaking for dietitians is two role plays, not a general conversation test: you take the professional's side of the conversation, and the interlocutor plays the other side from a card you never see.
This page sets out what the role plays involve for dietitians, the two families of criteria they are marked against, and how to practise the consultation itself, not only the English.
THE ROLE PLAYS
Speaking is two role plays with you as the dietitian. Typical cards involve motivating dietary change in a patient with diabetes, explaining texture modified diets to a carer, or unpicking why a plan has not been followed without blaming the patient. Marking covers empathy, structure, and checking understanding as well as language.
WHAT THE CRITERIA REWARD
WHO ACCEPTS IT
OET Dietetics is accepted by bodies including the Dietitians Board of New Zealand, and it is used in Australian skilled migration and credentialing contexts. Acceptance varies more than in the flagship professions, so confirm the current requirements with the specific regulator or credentialing body you are applying to before booking.
See the exact current requirement
LAST REVIEWED 9 AUGUST 2026
COMMON QUESTIONS
What does the OET Speaking subtest involve for dietitians?
Speaking is two role plays with you as the dietitian. Typical cards involve motivating dietary change in a patient with diabetes, explaining texture modified diets to a carer, or unpicking why a plan has not been followed without blaming the patient. Marking covers empathy, structure, and checking understanding as well as language.
How long is the OET Speaking subtest?
About 20 minutes in total: a short warm up that is not assessed, then two role plays of roughly five minutes each, with about three minutes of preparation per card.
Which criteria does OET Speaking mark?
Two families: linguistic criteria (intelligibility, fluency, appropriateness of language, and grammar and expression) and clinical communication criteria (relationship building, understanding the patient's perspective, providing structure, and information gathering and giving).
Which regulators accept OET Dietetics?
OET Dietetics is accepted by bodies including the Dietitians Board of New Zealand, and it is used in Australian skilled migration and credentialing contexts. Acceptance varies more than in the flagship professions, so confirm the current requirements with the specific regulator or credentialing body you are applying to before booking.
Independent preparation service. Not affiliated with, or endorsed by, OET or Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment. Practice feedback is based on published OET criteria and is not an official evaluation. Regulator requirements change: confirm current rules with the regulator directly.
OET for dietitians · OET Writing for dietitians · OET Speaking for all twelve professions