Where to study

Tests

Driving testsCitizenship testsSchool and university admissionsNursing, medicine and healthEnglish and French testsTeachingMoney, law and insuranceTrades and work licencesPilots, drones, boats and radio

Countries

United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomAustraliaNew Zealand

United Kingdom · English test

OET test scores for Australia

For tests taken on or after 23 April 2026, Australia’s National Boards ask for at least 350 in Listening and Writing and 360 in Reading and Speaking on the Occupational English Test (OET). The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) works with the boards, and all of them except the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board use the same scores, nursing and midwifery included. For visas, the Department of Home Affairs sets its own OET scores for Australia.

  • 2Sittings you can combine in 12 months
  • AnyOET profession version Ahpra accepts
  • 23 April 2026New National Board scores began
Where to study

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

What OET scores do Australia’s National Boards ask for?

Sub-testFrom 23 Apr 2026To 22 Apr 2026
Listening350350
Reading360350
Writing350300
Speaking360350

Before 23 April 2026 the boards asked for grade B in Listening, Reading and Speaking and grade C+ in Writing. On OET’s scale, B starts at 350 and C+ at 300.

The column depends on when you sat the test. If your first sitting was on or before 22 April 2026 and your second on or after 23 April, each must meet its own column. Ahpra says the change follows new score research and the Home Affairs changes, and doesn’t change the level of English needed.

Any profession’s OET is accepted. Ahpra notes OET doesn’t have a version for every registered profession, so you can use another profession’s test.

Using two OET sittings for Ahpra

  • No more than two sittings, with test dates no more than 12 months apart
  • All four sub-tests taken in each sitting
  • The minimum scores reached across the two sittings
  • For tests from 23 April 2026, no score in either sitting below 320 in Listening, 340 in Reading, 350 in Writing or 350 in Speaking

Results from different test providers can’t be combined. Which delivery modes the boards accept is on the OET online page.

OET online and who accepts it →How long results count →

OET scores for Australian visas

Sub-testCompetent English
Listening290
Reading310
Writing290
Speaking330

These are Home Affairs’ minimums for competent English in tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, when OET scores moved from letters to numbers for visa purposes. Other English levels have their own tables on the Home Affairs site. Tests from before that date may still count for up to three years, depending on the visa.

Getting an overall OET score for a visa

Home Affairs notes that OET doesn’t put an overall score on its reports. Share your results with the Department of Home Affairs through your OET account, then use OET’s Results Portal to download a Statement of Results with an overall score, which is your four sub-test scores added together.

OET for nurses →OET Medicine →
Sources: Ahpra · Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia · Department of Home Affairs and 2 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

OverviewWhere to learnBookingFeesOET onlineSample testsTest datesScores and resultsTest centres

Sub-tests

ListeningReadingWritingSpeaking

Who accepts OET

OET in the UKOET in AustraliaOET for nursesOET Medicine