OET SPEAKING BY PROFESSION · PHYSIOTHERAPISTS
OET Speaking for physiotherapists: the role play explained
OET Speaking for physiotherapists 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 physiotherapists, 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 physiotherapist. Typical cards involve motivating a patient who has stopped doing their home exercise programme, explaining pain that is expected versus pain that is not, or setting realistic recovery expectations after surgery. Marking covers relationship building and structure as well as language.
WHAT THE CRITERIA REWARD
WHO ACCEPTS IT
OET Physiotherapy is accepted by bodies including the Physiotherapy Board of Australia via AHPRA and the Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand. In the UK, the HCPC sets its own English language requirements, so check its current guidance directly. Rules change, so confirm with your regulator before booking.
See the exact current requirement
LAST REVIEWED 9 AUGUST 2026
COMMON QUESTIONS
What does the OET Speaking subtest involve for physiotherapists?
Speaking is two role plays with you as the physiotherapist. Typical cards involve motivating a patient who has stopped doing their home exercise programme, explaining pain that is expected versus pain that is not, or setting realistic recovery expectations after surgery. Marking covers relationship building and structure 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 Physiotherapy?
OET Physiotherapy is accepted by bodies including the Physiotherapy Board of Australia via AHPRA and the Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand. In the UK, the HCPC sets its own English language requirements, so check its current guidance directly. Rules change, so confirm with your regulator 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 physiotherapists · OET Writing for physiotherapists · OET Speaking for all twelve professions