OET test dates 2026: booking, deadlines and results

Find your next OET date

OET offers tests through Paper at a venue, Computer at a venue, and OET@Home where available. The next bookable date depends on your city, profession, test mode and remaining seats. The earlier dates on this page have passed; the official booking search is the current calendar.

Search the live OET finder listed in the official sources at the end

Enter your city, then filter by delivery mode and review the exact date, location, booking deadline and profession before paying.

Booking deadlines and result timelines

Result times are indicative and can be longer due to holidays or quality checks. OET emails you when results are published. Read current OET results guidance.

OET fees

OET currently lists AU$587 for the full four-sub-test exam. For Computer at a venue or OET@Home in the United States, the listed price is US$455. The actual currency and final amount appear in the booking flow.

For candidates who have already taken the full test, OET offers individual Paper sub-test bookings at most venues outside the United States: AU$315 for one, AU$415 for two, or AU$515 for three, including OET’s online booking fee. Confirm your regulator accepts combined or partial test results before buying.

See OET’s current price list.

Book the right test

1. Check that your regulator, employer or visa route accepts OET and note its required scores and result validity rule.
2. Search OET Book a Test for your location and preferred mode. Availability is not the same at every venue.
3. Select your profession and verify the exact test date, sub-test timetable, closing date and delivery requirements.
4. Use an ID accepted for your location and mode. OET accepts a valid passport and, in many locations outside the US, an eligible national government ID; check its current ID policy.
5. Complete payment and save the confirmation. For Paper, the venue emails your detailed timetable within a week of test day; for Computer or OET@Home, check your booking confirmation and account.

Rescheduling charges depend on mode, location and whether bookings have closed. Check OET’s rescheduling policy before changing a booking.

How to verify every upcoming OET date for your situation

OET availability is specific to location, profession, delivery mode and remaining seats. The official Book a Test search is the current source for appointments. A worldwide article cannot list every future computer and home slot because OET adds sessions and candidates reserve seats continuously. Search your city, then inspect all relevant venues and modes. Confirm that your profession is offered on the session you select. A date seen in an old table is not proof that the corresponding booking is still open.

Paper testing can have a published date pattern, but you still need to check the actual venue and profession. Computer at a venue and OET@Home may provide more frequent choices. OET has described computer delivery across more weekdays, but that does not guarantee a seat on every weekday in every city. Filter the official search rather than projecting a weekly pattern onto a specific venue. Write down the exact test date, booking cutoff, price and any separate Speaking appointment before you pay. Then rely on the confirmation for your own timetable.

When comparing future dates, include the result date and the regulator's deadline. A test can be available yet too late for a registration or visa application. Conversely, an early appointment may leave insufficient preparation time. Our international exam timetable

Choose the right profession and mode

OET is built around healthcare communication. Listening and Reading use healthcare contexts across professions, while Writing and Speaking reflect the selected profession more directly. Choose the profession that matches your registration pathway, such as Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Pharmacy or an allied-health field. Do not select a profession merely because its seat appears sooner. Your regulator may require a result for your own profession and may specify which delivery modes or score combinations it accepts.

Paper at a venue, Computer at a venue and OET@Home are different delivery modes. Paper candidates receive a venue timetable before test day and should check whether Writing and other components occur at the expected time. Computer candidates follow their account and confirmation for the test and Speaking schedule. OET@Home has technical, room and supervision requirements, so it is only a sensible choice if you can meet the current rules and your recipient accepts it. Check availability by mode and destination before paying.

A useful decision grid includes five questions: Which profession is required? Which modes does the receiving body accept? What minimum grades or scores are needed in each skill? Can results from different sittings be combined? How old may the results be when assessed? These rules come from the recipient, not from a general OET timetable. If the answer is unclear, obtain written confirmation from the regulator or employer. This prevents a convenient booking from becoming an unusable result.

Booking cutoff dates explained

OET says bookings for Computer at a venue and OET@Home generally close seven days before the test at 11:59 p.m. UTC. That time zone matters: the deadline may fall at a different local date or hour in Dubai. Paper bookings generally close 24 days before the test, subject to change. These are outer limits; seats may sell out much earlier. The closing date shown for your actual session should be checked in the booking flow. Never wait until the last evening if your ID details or payment could require correction.

Paper's earlier cutoff is a practical reason to plan ahead. A candidate who starts looking three weeks before a desired Paper date may find that the booking has already closed even when the calendar date has not passed. For Computer or Home, the seven-day rule still leaves little time to troubleshoot an account or technical requirement. If you require special testing arrangements, allow additional time to request and receive confirmation. A live seat and an open deadline are both necessary for a valid booking.

When your application date is fixed, calculate backward. First reserve time for the result, then for score sharing and recipient processing, then for the test itself and preparation. For computer testing, the six-calendar-day result measure starts after all four sub-tests are complete, not necessarily after the first one. If Speaking is scheduled separately, that can shift the effective start of your result window. For Paper, result timing differs by region and can vary due to checks or holidays.

What the current OET result windows mean

OET's current guidance says computer results may be released as soon as 48 hours after completion of all Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking sub-tests, with 95% within six calendar days. That is a statistical service description, not an individual guarantee. Paper results may be available from five days after the test in India and the Philippines, and from thirteen days in other regions. Additional quality assurance, holidays or other factors can extend a particular candidate's wait.

Keep the four sub-test completion dates in your record and monitor your account and email. OET says it emails candidates when results are published; check spam as well. After you receive scores, compare every skill against the recipient's exact rule. Some regulators require minimum scores in every skill; an attractive average does not fix one component below the threshold. Ask the recipient whether it accepts a later individual sub-test, a combined result across sittings or a complete retake before spending money.

Sharing is a separate step. OET lets candidates grant recognising organisations access to secure results in the account. For some destinations there are additional identifier or verification steps. Do not assume a screenshot of your result satisfies an application. Read the receiving body's instructions and complete the appropriate sharing action with enough time for its processing. If your name differs between the OET booking and application, resolve the mismatch promptly because it can delay verification.

OET fees and partial sub-tests

The published full-test amount in the table above is a dated OET list price; the price and currency displayed at checkout are decisive for the selected mode and location. A move to another city may alter travel costs even if the test fee is unchanged. Budget for any rescheduling charge and for the possibility of a second test if your first score does not satisfy the regulator. A cheap-looking early date is not necessarily economical when preparation time is inadequate.

OET offers individual Paper sub-test bookings at many venues outside the United States for candidates who have already taken a full test, with published prices for one, two or three components. This is a booking option, not a promise that a regulator will combine the results. Before selecting it, check the recipient's current policy for combining scores, maximum interval between sittings and delivery mode. Some recipients may insist on four results from one sitting. Keep the written rule with your application plan.

Before paying for any service, inspect the final order for profession, mode, venue, all component dates and fee. Save the receipt. If you use a discount code, read how it affects changes or cancellations; OET's rescheduling guidance warns that a discounted booking may need cancellation and a new purchase instead. Avoid assuming the general rescheduling fee always applies to a promotional booking.

Identity documents and account details

OET's ID policy requires the document in your booking account to match the one you present on test day. A valid passport is one accepted route; eligible national government-issued IDs can be accepted in many locations outside the United States when they include the required details. Rules differ by country and can be revised. Read the complete current ID policy for your venue and mode, and check expiry before selecting a date. A photocopy or a document with a mismatched name may not be enough.

Use a personal email you can access during booking, before the test and when results arrive. Enter your full legal name carefully and check date of birth and document number. If the professional regulator uses a different spelling or you recently changed your name, ask both organisations how to document the relationship before the test. For international medical graduate pathways, additional applicant identifiers may be required when results are shared. Correct details early rather than hoping a venue can repair them on test day.

OET's booking help says the selected seat may be held for only about fifteen minutes while you complete payment. Have your ID and payment method ready. If checkout fails, inspect the account before trying a second order. After successful payment, locate the confirmation and keep the booking number. This record is essential if you need to contact support about a change, score or timetable.

Prepare for healthcare communication, not just generic English

OET measures language in professional healthcare situations. A clinician needs to understand patient information, explain decisions, read clinical material and write appropriate communication to another professional. Preparation should therefore combine English accuracy with task purpose and audience. Start with a diagnostic of all four sub-tests. Identify whether the main gap is comprehension, time management, clinical register, spoken interaction or writing structure. Use the chosen profession's sample material where available.

For Listening, practise tracking a consultation or workplace discussion while noting key facts accurately. Pay attention to who is speaking, what has been confirmed and what has changed. For Reading, practise locating clinically relevant details and distinguishing a stated fact from an inference. Do not read every passage at one slow speed; adapt your approach to the task. Review wrong answers with the source text and write down the reason, not merely the correct letter.

Writing usually involves selecting relevant case notes and shaping them for a particular recipient and purpose. A good letter does not simply copy every note. Identify why the reader needs the message, organise key background and current concerns, and use a clear professional tone. Ask a qualified reviewer to point out irrelevant details, missing context and unclear sentences. Rewriting a corrected letter is more useful than collecting a stack of unreviewed attempts.

Speaking uses role-play situations. Practise opening the interaction, gathering or providing information, showing empathy, checking understanding and closing appropriately. Memorised phrases have a place as language tools, but they should not override the patient or colleague's response. Record role plays and review whether you answered the actual concern. The intended skill is flexible clinical communication, not a script delivered irrespective of the other person.

An eight-week OET preparation example

Week one: confirm the regulator's acceptance rule, profession and target scores, then take a realistic diagnostic. Weeks two and three: learn the format and address the largest skill gaps. Weeks four and five: practise profession-specific Writing and Speaking with feedback, while maintaining Listening and Reading. Weeks six and seven: complete timed full-section practice and review the reasons for errors. Week eight: rehearse the chosen delivery mode, confirm ID and timetable, and reduce avoidable logistical stress.

This is a planning example, not an OET requirement. A candidate already near the target may need less time; a candidate with several skills below the minimum may need more. Your application deadline and live seat availability also matter. Avoid booking just because a date is visible. Choose a session that fits a credible preparation plan and leaves enough time for the result and any new attempt. For local study planning, see private tutoring in Dubai.

If another accepted English test better fits your application, compare it carefully. Our IELTS booking guide and PTE schedule guide explain live-seat booking and result planning. OET's healthcare context is a reason many professionals choose it, but acceptance and minimum score rules should lead the decision.

Test day by delivery mode

For Paper at a venue, look for the detailed timetable email during the week before test day and contact the venue if it does not arrive after checking spam. It should show dates and start times for the sub-tests and the venue details. For Computer at a venue or OET@Home, the confirmation email and the Bookings area of the OET account contain the schedule. Read them closely, especially if Speaking is separate. Save the address or technical instructions where you can access them without searching on the morning of the test.

For a venue test, plan the route, reporting time and ID. Follow the centre's current rules for belongings and arrival. For OET@Home, inspect the current technical and room requirements early, run any required checks and choose a quiet space that meets supervision conditions. A home test is still a supervised professional assessment. If a technical issue occurs, use the authorised support process at the time rather than waiting until after the session to report it.

Special testing arrangements require early action. OET's guidance for Computer and Home candidates describes requesting accommodations soon after booking and providing supporting documentation within its specified window. Availability can vary by country and mode. If you need an arrangement, read that guidance before selecting a last-minute session. A booking date that looks convenient may not provide enough time to complete the approval process.

Changes, cancellation and a missed target

OET's rescheduling policy differs by mode and timing. Paper candidates can generally defer through the account until late on the day before the test, subject to fees and other conditions. Computer and Home candidates can generally reschedule up to two days before the first sub-test. The fee is different before and after the booking cutoff and can differ in the United States. Check the actual current rule and price before pressing a final confirmation button; a change may be irreversible.

If you must cancel, read the separate withdrawal policy because cancellation windows and refunds are not the same as rescheduling terms. Keep evidence of any exceptional circumstances and contact OET through the official channel promptly. Do not assume that being unable to attend automatically creates a credit. A test booked with a discount code can have different change handling. Retain screenshots and emails showing what your account offered when you acted.

After a result below target, identify which skill and how far below. Verify whether the regulator accepts an individual Paper sub-test, a combination of sittings or a full retake. Then choose a targeted preparation plan. A new booking without a diagnosis can waste both money and an application window. If several sections are below the requirement, a comprehensive plan is usually more appropriate than focusing on one component.

Final booking and application checklist

1. Confirm that the receiving organisation accepts OET for your profession, mode and route.
2. Record its minimum scores, combination policy, result age rule and deadline.
3. Search the official live booking system for city, mode, profession and open dates.
4. Check the session's exact booking cutoff and all sub-test appointments.
5. Verify ID, name, email, price and any accommodation requirement.
6. Pay within the booking window and save the confirmation and timetable.
7. Prepare using current profession-specific tasks and timed practice.
8. After results arrive, grant the correct organisation access and allow processing time.

Questions candidates should resolve before paying

Is the earliest date also the best date?

Only if it allows enough preparation and enough time for the result to reach the recipient. Compare three dates: the proposed test, the expected result window and the regulator's actual submission deadline. Add a margin for quality checks and administrative processing. If a candidate needs a particular score in every skill, the ability to retest or take an eligible individual component may matter too. A slightly later initial seat could improve readiness, while a seat too close to the deadline could remove every recovery option. Use evidence from timed practice to judge readiness.

Do all OET professions have the same dates?

No. Search results are tied to what a venue or delivery mode offers, and a profession may not appear at every session. Verify the selected profession on the booking summary. Even when Listening and Reading cover general healthcare contexts, Writing and Speaking are profession specific. Booking the wrong profession can make the result unusable for professional registration. If you are unsure which profession category applies to your licence, ask the regulator in writing before committing to a seat.

When does the computer result clock start?

OET's current guidance measures from completion of all four sub-tests. If your Speaking appointment takes place later than the other components, counting from the start of the first test understates the wait. Record the final component date and plan from there. The 48-hour figure is the earliest reported release, and the 95% within six calendar days statement still leaves some results outside that period. Build a buffer for applications with a hard deadline.

Will a result be sent automatically to a regulator?

Do not assume so. OET provides account tools for managing verification access, and some recipients require extra identifiers or steps. Follow the recipient's exact process after your result is published. Confirm that the organisation can view the correct result, particularly if you have more than one sitting. Keep your name and date of birth consistent across the test account and professional application, or provide supporting documentation when the recipient requests it.

What if an acceptable Paper date is unavailable locally?

Check other authorised venues you can realistically reach, and consider Computer at a venue or OET@Home only if the receiving body accepts that mode and you can meet its requirements. Compare total travel, cost, reporting time and result window. Do not assume that a neighbouring city shares the same booking cutoff or offers your profession. Use the official search and inspect the exact session before paying. If the only available session is too late for the application, ask the recipient about its next intake or accepted alternatives.

How do I decide between a partial test and a full retake?

Start with the recipient's policy. A partial Paper sub-test can be economical when one skill missed the threshold and combined results are accepted. If the recipient requires one-sitting scores, the option has no value for that application. Then consider your performance: if several sections are below the minimum, a full retake with broader practice may be more sensible. Leave enough time for the new result and verification. OET's fees and availability should be checked for the new booking rather than assumed from the first one.

A practical twelve-week application calendar

If you have about twelve weeks before a professional application deadline, use the first fortnight to confirm acceptance rules, find live seats and diagnose your four skills. Reserve several weeks for targeted preparation and book a session that leaves a result buffer. After the test, monitor the account, share the result and verify that the recipient can access it. Keep the remaining time for corrections or a permitted second attempt. This example is deliberately flexible: a fixed calendar makes little sense until the actual venue, mode and profession are known.

When the deadline is shorter, identify the critical path. The Paper booking cutoff may be the earliest obstacle. The later Speaking appointment can govern the computer result window. Recipient verification can be another separate delay. Some applicants also need professional licensing documents or visa evidence unrelated to OET. Put each step in a calendar with its owner and deadline. A score is useful only if the right body receives it in the right way and on time.

Frequently asked questions

Official OET sources

• Live test availability and booking
• Results timing
• Test fees
• Booking process
• OET accepted ID policy
• OET rescheduling rules
• OET result sharing

Updated 26 September 2026. Live dates, seats and prices can change before checkout.