OET Strategies
OET Clinical Communication Criteria in Action
Oct
In the previous article, we looked at the basics of the Clinical Communication Criteria in the OET Speaking test.
This time, we’ll go through the flow after the greeting stage and the essential phrases you should practice.
Clinical Communication Criteria Strategies
Let’s quickly review the overall flow of a role-play scenario:
- A polite greeting
- The patient emotionally explains their symptoms
- History taking (information gathering)
- Explaining diagnosis, symptoms, causes, treatments, and side effects
- Checking the patient’s understanding
In this article, we’ll focus on stages two and onward.
2. Patient Emotionally Explains Their Symptoms
Once the role play starts, the patient will often describe their own (or a relative’s) symptoms with emotion.
At this stage, two things matter most:
- Show active listening through backchanneling
- Use empathetic phrases
It’s important to exaggerate slightly more than in daily life. Since your performance is evaluated on a recording, a bit of emphasis helps.
Backchanneling can be simple:
- I see.
- Okay.
- Um-hum.
The goal is to show, “I’m listening.”
When the patient becomes emotional, add empathy phrases. For example:
- That sounds difficult.
- I understand how uncomfortable that must be.
- I’m sorry to hear that.
- Thank you for sharing that with me.
- I can imagine that was worrying.
At first, focus on 2–3 phrases you can say smoothly. Once you’re comfortable, expand your range.
3. History Taking
If the role-play card doesn’t include specific history-taking tasks, it’s better to ask a few questions before explaining the diagnosis.
Jumping straight into an explanation risks being judged as “diagnosing based only on subjective patient information,” which can negatively impact the Information Gathering criterion.
Useful questions include:
- Can you tell me more about your symptoms?
- When did it start?
- Is the pain constant or does it come and go?
- Have you noticed anything that makes it better or worse?
The key is to move from open questions to more closed ones.
For example, if the patient presents with insomnia, you might ask:
- What has your sleep been like recently?
- On average, how many hours of sleep do you get per night?
- Have you noticed if stress or worry makes it worse?
- Do you drink coffee, tea, or alcohol in the evening?
- Do you take any medication to help you sleep?
Notice how the questions gradually become answerable with “yes” or “no.”
4. Explaining Diagnosis, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and Side Effects
Once you’ve gathered enough information, use the task card to guide your explanation. You can start with:
Based on the information I got from you, your possible diagnosis is ~~~.
The actual expressions will vary depending on the condition, but the principle is clear: keep explanations simple. Avoid textbook-style medical jargon.
For example, with insomnia:
- Overview: Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that can make it hard to sleep.
- Cause: There are many possible causes. Often, stress, worry, or irregular habits can disturb sleep.
- Treatment: As a treatment, we may consider short-term medication to help you sleep.
- Side Effect: Some people may feel drowsy the next morning. But most people do not have serious problems if they use them as advised.
This structure can be adapted for many topics.
As you explain, pause occasionally to check comprehension:
- Does this explanation make sense to you?
- Okay?
This prevents overwhelming the patient and ensures they follow along.
5. Checking Patient Understanding
If time allows, confirm whether the patient has understood. Think of it as summarizing your explanation.
For example:
- So, just to summarize, ~~~
You can also ask the patient to restate the plan:
- Can you tell me, in your own words, what the plan is from here?
- What will you try first at home to improve your sleep?
- What will you do if your symptoms get worse?
This checks understanding while reinforcing the next steps.
Conclusion
As you can see, OET Speaking differs from IELTS or TOEFL. Because the role-play structure is predictable, mastering set expressions gives you a higher chance of consistent results.
What you shouldn’t do is practice role plays randomly. Instead, decide on your target expressions and drill them through pattern practice until they stick. This approach is far more effective in a short time.
We hope many more IMGs will succeed with this strategy.
If you’re preparing for OET, consider exploring our practice resources at OET Bank. We’re designed not just as mock tests, but as powerful review tools that make it easier to analyze weaknesses and focus on what’s needed to pass.
