Have you ever practiced OET Listening so well but thrown off completely because of an unfamiliar accent? For healthcare professionals aiming for Grade B+ or higher in the OET, it is important to practice more versatility in auditory comprehension. The OET is an international exam and the recordings might have different accents from various global workforce. Do not limit your training to one or two accents, practice more and it will reflect on your results. Let’s identify the five essential English accents you must train your ear for top score.
The Accent Barrier to Success
The biggest challenge for many OET candidates is encountering accents that they haven’t prepared for. An accent is how the sounds of English are produced by someone. A simple word like “schedule” or “vitamin” can sound completely different depending on whether the speaker is from Australia or the US. This momentary confusion is a brief lag that your brain creates while processing the unfamiliar sound. This might make you miss the right answer, especially in Part A and Part B.
Training Your Ear for the Big Five
It is important to deliberately expose yourself to the main variants of different accents used in a healthcare setting. Here are the five accents that dominate the OET audio:
- Australian/New Zealand Accent: The OET exam originated in Australia, so the Australian accent remains as a foundational one. It is often characterized by high-rising terminals (sentences ending on a higher pitch, making statements sound like questions) and distinct vowel sounds (e.g., the ‘a’ in ‘car’ is often shorter).
Hack: Focus on vowel changes and the pronunciation of ‘R’ (it is often non-rhotic, meaning the ‘R’ at the end of words like ‘doctor’ is often dropped or softened).
- British/English Accent: This is a core reference accent for OET. It is the most heard accent in professional monologues and formal interviews in Part C. It is generally non-rhotic like the Australian accent.
Hack: Pay attention to the dropped ‘T’ sounds in the middle of words (e.g., ‘butter’ might sound like ‘bu-er’) and the shirt, sharp vowel sounds (e.g., the ‘o’ in ‘hot’ is a cleaner sound than in American English).
- American /US Accent: American English is a widely used accent in global healthcare and its quiet influence. It is typically rhotic, meaning the ‘R’ sound is always pronounced.
Hack: Listen carefully for pronounced ‘R’ sounds and the common flapping of the ‘T’ sound when it appears between vowels (e.g., ‘water’ sounds like ‘wader’). This will help candidates distinguish between the British and Australian accents.
- Irish/Scottish Accents: This accent is less frequent than the top three, appearing often enough in some workplace extracts in Part B and consultations in Part A. Not recognizing the accent will cost you marks.
Hack: Learn to recognize the unique “A” and “O” vowels as well as the speech’s pace and intonation, which may be quicker or more clipped than General American.
- Other International Accents: OET shows the global reality of healthcare settings, so some recordings often feature professionals with accents influenced by non-native backgrounds.
Hack: The hack is to listen beyond the accent for context and key words. The grammar and medical vocabularies remain consistent. Practice and train yourself to focus on meaning over perfection.
Master Global English with Tiju’s Academy
OET Listening is crucial to achieve that B+ score. Learning the accent challenge is the critical step with targeted exposure and strategic practice is important. Tiju’s Academy has strategic learning planning curated by experts featuring a wide, diverse range of authentic high quality accents from all five groups listed above. OUr accent training will guide you through understanding each accent and comprehend it.
Ready to take the first step toward your global healthcare career? Join the best OET coaching centre in Kerala and explore our OET preparation classes!
