From our research
What this interview looks like
The OET Speaking sub-test is a recorded one-to-one session with an interlocutor lasting about twenty minutes, taken on the same day as the other sub-tests at a venue or at home. It is profession-specific: a nurse receives nursing role cards, a doctor medical ones, and the same applies to pharmacists, physiotherapists, dentists and the other professions OET covers. The session opens with a short warm-up about your professional background that is not assessed. Then come two role-plays of about five minutes each; before each you get a role card with the setting, the patient and your tasks, and three minutes to read it and ask the interlocutor anything that is unclear. The interlocutor plays the patient, carer or relative from a matching card you do not see, and you lead the conversation as the healthcare professional. The recording is assessed afterwards by two trained assessors, independently of the interlocutor, against four linguistic criteria, intelligibility, fluency, appropriateness of language and resources of grammar and expression, and five clinical communication criteria, relationship building, understanding and incorporating the patient's perspective, providing structure, information gathering and information giving. Results are reported on a 0 to 500 scale with grades A to E for each sub-test; regulators such as the UK NMC and GMC, Australian AHPRA and Irish boards typically ask for grade B, 350 or above, in Speaking. ExamPilot compresses the session to fourteen minutes with the same structure, a two-minute warm-up, two role-plays with the preparation time described verbally, and a neutral close, and then scores both role-plays against the nine OET criteria.
How it is weighted
Speaking is reported separately on a 0 to 500 scale; regulators generally require grade B, 350 or above, in each sub-test, with no averaging. For pharmacists the clinical communication criteria are where marks are usually lost: counselling delivered as a list without finding out what the patient already knows, no check of understanding of inhaler or insulin technique, and a flat tone with an irritated customer. The linguistic criteria reward clear pronunciation of medicine names and plain-language explanations of side effects.
Who this is for
For BPharm, MPharm and PharmD graduates registered with a State Pharmacy Council who are applying to the UK GPhC, the Australian Pharmacy Council and AHPRA, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, or Gulf health authorities that accept OET. Many candidates work in hospital or community pharmacy in India; the role cards assume they can counsel patients and carers on medicines, adherence and technique in a dispensing or ward setting.
The panel focuses on
- Counselling on a new medicine in chunks, purpose, how to take it, side effects, what to do, and checking understanding at the end
- Exploring why a patient stopped a long-term medicine before persuading, and agreeing a plan they will actually follow
- Declining an inappropriate over-the-counter request politely and offering a safe alternative or a referral
- Explaining an interaction or a brand change without alarming the patient or undermining the prescriber
- Demonstrating and checking device technique, inhaler, insulin pen or eye drops, with the patient describing the steps back
- Handling a frustrated customer about a delay or a cost with acknowledgement, an explanation and a next step
Step 1
Pick your subject
The expert on the panel probes these areas at the level of this post. Optional here; you can choose during setup.
Step 2
Choose how you want to be interviewed
1:1 interview
One interviewer runs every round and adapts the focus as you go. Lower pressure; ideal for a first attempt.
Ms. Anjali Menon
Language expert
Panel interview · 2 members
Most realisticEach member leads their own round and hands over to the next. They hear each other, so a weak answer will be revisited.
Ms. Anjali Menon
Language expert
Dr. Vikram Shetty
Language expert
What to expect
4 rounds · 14 minutes
A faithful run of the OET Speaking sub-test. One interlocutor conducts a recorded, one-to-one session of about twenty minutes in the real test: a short unassessed warm-up about the candidate's professional background, then two role-plays of about five minutes each, with three minutes to read the role card before each one. The interlocutor plays the patient, carer or relative; the candidate plays the healthcare professional in their own profession. The role cards are profession-specific, so a nurse is handed a nursing scenario and a pharmacist a pharmacy scenario. Audio is scored afterwards by two separate assessors against four linguistic criteria, intelligibility, fluency, appropriateness of language, and resources of grammar and expression, and five clinical communication criteria, relationship building, understanding and incorporating the patient's perspective, providing structure, information gathering and information giving. The interlocutor never teaches, corrects or gives feedback, stays in role, and only steps out of role to manage time. ExamPilot compresses the session to fourteen minutes: a two-minute warm-up, two role-plays of five minutes including a verbal summary of the preparation time, and a short close.
- Round 1
Warm-up: professional background
· 2:00Settle the candidate with a short, unassessed conversation about their profession, workplace and interests, exactly as the OET interlocutor does, so they are speaking comfortably in English before the first role card.
Ms. Anjali Menon2–3 questionsup to 1 follow-up each - Round 2
Role-play 1: profession-specific scenario
· 5:00Run the first role-play from the candidate's own profession bank: read the candidate role card aloud, describe the preparation time, then play the patient, carer or relative faithfully from the interlocutor brief, so the candidate's clinical communication and language can be scored in a realistic consultation.
Ms. Anjali Menon1–1 questionsup to 2 follow-ups each - Round 3
Role-play 2: contrasting scenario
· 5:00Run a second role-play that contrasts with the first in setting and emotional register, taken from the shared situational bank, so the candidate is tested on a different communication challenge such as an angry relative, an anxious parent or a patient who refuses the plan.
Ms. Anjali Menon1–1 questionsup to 2 follow-ups each - Round 4
End of the sub-test
· 2:00End the sub-test the way the OET interlocutor does: a neutral thank you, confirmation that the recording will be assessed separately, and no feedback or indication of grade.
Ms. Anjali Menon0–1 questions
Sample questions
OET Speaking Pharmacy interview questions
Questions panels commonly ask in the OET Speaking Pharmacy interview, with what a strong answer covers. Practise them aloud with the AI panel.
- Warm-up
To start, could you tell me about the kind of pharmacy you work in and what a typical day looks like?
What a strong answer covers
An unassessed warm-up: two or three natural sentences about your hospital or community pharmacy role and daily tasks. Use it to settle your pace. Avoid a long memorised answer or worrying about grammar here.
- Role-play
Role-play: you are a community pharmacist. Mrs Rao has been prescribed warfarin for the first time. Counsel her about how to take it safely.
What a strong answer covers
Introduce yourself and purpose, check what she knows, explain purpose, dosing, regular blood tests, bleeding signs, interactions with other medicines and diet, and when to seek help, in chunks. Ask her to repeat key points. Avoid an information dump or jargon.
- Role-play
Role-play: you are a hospital pharmacist. A patient with high blood pressure stopped his tablets because they made him dizzy. Explore and agree a plan.
What a strong answer covers
Ask open questions about when dizziness happens and his beliefs, acknowledge it, explain why treatment matters, suggest strategies and agree to liaise with the prescriber. Avoid blaming him or simply telling him to restart.
- Role-play
Role-play: you are a community pharmacist. A customer wants to buy strong painkillers over the counter for a family member's toothache. Respond appropriately.
What a strong answer covers
Ask questions about the person and symptoms, explain why you cannot supply the requested product, offer a safe alternative and advise seeing a dentist. Be polite and clear. Avoid simply refusing without alternatives.
- Device technique
Role-play: you are a community pharmacist. Mr Davies, 45, says his blue reliever inhaler does not work. You notice he breathes in before pressing it. Check and correct his technique.
What a strong answer covers
Explain why technique matters, then go through the steps one at a time: shake, breathe out fully, press as you start a slow deep breath, hold for about ten seconds. Ask him to show you, praise what he does right and correct one step at a time, then have him describe it back. Avoid only telling without checking.
- Role-play
Role-play: you are a community pharmacist. Mrs Lee, 70, notices her blood pressure tablets are a different colour and shape this month and fears a dispensing mistake. Reassure her.
What a strong answer covers
Take the worry seriously, check the prescription and pack with her, then explain that a different manufacturer can make the same medicine with the same active ingredient and strength. Address concerns about effect and side effects, and invite her to return if anything feels different. Avoid dismissing her or using the word generic without explaining it.
- Role-play
Role-play: you are a hospital pharmacist. A patient is taking St John's wort and has just been prescribed an antidepressant. Explain the interaction.
What a strong answer covers
Explain the interaction risk in plain terms, why combining them may be unsafe, advise stopping or discussing with the doctor, and check understanding. Avoid alarming the patient or undermining the prescriber.
- Role-play
Role-play: you are a community pharmacist. A customer is angry that his prescription is not ready after waiting thirty minutes. Respond to him.
What a strong answer covers
Acknowledge his frustration and apologise sincerely, explain briefly and honestly why it is delayed, such as a query with the surgery or stock, give a realistic time and offer options like waiting, returning later or delivery. Keep your voice calm and steady. Avoid arguing, blaming the doctor or making a promise you cannot keep.
- Role-play
Role-play: you are a pharmacist. A parent wants advice on giving paracetamol to a feverish four-year-old. Counsel the parent.
What a strong answer covers
Explain correct dose by age or weight, timing, maximum daily dose, using the measuring device, and warning signs to seek medical help. Check understanding. Avoid giving adult doses or vague advice.
Reading is not rehearsing. Answer these out loud to an AI OET Speaking Pharmacy panel that follows up like the real one.
Practise these questionsMeet the panel
Your AI interviewers
Distinct personas, voices and questioning styles, briefed on this post.
Ms. Anjali Menon
ChairLanguage expert
OET Speaking interlocutor and nurse educator; former staff nurse (Kochi), OET preparation provider trainer
Warm, patient, utterly convincing in role, neutral out of it.
Female voice · 1 languages
Dr. Vikram Shetty
Language expert
OET Speaking interlocutor and medical English trainer; MBBS, formerly a junior doctor in Mangaluru and Melbourne
Measured, realistic, quietly demanding; plays difficult patients and relatives convincingly.
Male voice · 1 languages
Languages
Answer in the language you think in
The panel asks in your chosen language. Switch mid-answer if you like.
- English
How scoring works
A report you can act on
Every round is scored on the rubric
Each interviewer scores only the criteria their round covers. Weights add up to your overall score out of 100.
Only what you actually said counts
Feedback quotes your own answers. Rounds you skip show as “Not assessed” rather than a zero.
Communication is always measured
Fluency, clarity, confidence and structure are tracked across the whole interview, in any language.
Pass mark, then a plan
You see the pass mark for this interview, your gaps, and the courses that close them fastest.
Scored on
- Intelligibility15%
How easily a patient could understand the candidate's speech: clarity of individual sounds, word stress, sentence stress, intonation, rhythm and overall pace. An Indian accent is never penalised by itself; only strain on the listener is. Score high when every clinical term, dose instruction phrase and reassurance is clear the first time, pace is steady, and intonation signals questions, lists and emphasis. Score mid when the listener occasionally has to work, when word endings are swallowed, when key medical words such as antibiotic or physiotherapy are mis-stressed, or when speech speeds up under pressure. Score low when meaning is frequently lost, when words are run together, or when a patient would plausibly ask the professional to repeat themselves more than once in a role-play. Map OET grade C to about 50, C plus to about 60, B to about 75, A to about 90.
- Fluency15%
The smoothness and naturalness of the candidate's speech across the whole role-play: rate of speech, length of pauses, hesitation, false starts, and whether the flow of the conversation is maintained when the patient pushes back. Score high when speech is continuous and natural, pauses are for thought about content rather than for searching words, and the candidate can switch from information giving to responding to an interruption without stalling. Score mid when there are noticeable hesitations before clinical explanations, repeated fillers, or self-corrections that slow the conversation but do not break it. Score low when long silences, fragmented sentences or restarts make the patient wait and the interaction feels effortful. Do not reward speed; a measured pace suited to an anxious patient is fluent. Map OET grade C to about 50, C plus to about 60, B to about 75, A to about 90.
- Appropriateness of language15%
Whether register, tone and vocabulary suit a healthcare professional speaking with a patient, carer or relative. Score high when the candidate uses plain language instead of jargon, explains any necessary medical term immediately, adjusts tone for a distressed, elderly, angry or young listener, uses polite softeners and signposting, and avoids being either too casual or too formal. Score mid when jargon slips in unexplained, when phrases are stiff or textbook-like, or when the tone stays flat regardless of the patient's emotion. Score low when the candidate lectures, uses clinical shorthand such as NPO or BID without explanation, sounds dismissive or condescending, or uses language a lay patient could not follow. Also judge whether the candidate stays in the professional role rather than drifting into a general conversation. Map OET grade C to about 50, C plus to about 60, B to about 75, A to about 90.
- Resources of grammar and expression15%
The range and accuracy of grammar and vocabulary available to the candidate, and whether limitations get in the way of communicating with the patient. Score high when the candidate produces a wide range of structures accurately, including conditionals for consequences, modals for advice and permission, passives for procedures, and reported speech for what the doctor said, with precise everyday and professional vocabulary and effective paraphrase when a word is missing. Score mid when meaning is clear but errors recur in tense, articles, prepositions or subject-verb agreement, or when vocabulary is adequate but repetitive and the candidate avoids complex explanations. Score low when grammatical errors cause misunderstanding, when the candidate cannot rephrase an explanation the patient did not follow, or when vocabulary gaps force long detours. Map OET grade C to about 50, C plus to about 60, B to about 75, A to about 90.
- Clinical communication criteria40%
Score the five OET clinical communication criteria together, weighting them equally. Relationship building: a proper introduction with name and role, a warm and respectful greeting, attentive listening, acknowledgement of the patient's feelings and situation, and non-judgemental language even with a non-adherent or angry patient. Understanding and incorporating the patient's perspective: eliciting and exploring the patient's ideas, concerns and expectations, picking up verbal cues such as I'm worried or I don't see the point, and relating explanations back to what the patient said. Providing structure: an orderly sequence from opening to closing, signposting such as first I'd like to ask a few questions and then we'll talk about the plan, summarising, and checking the patient is ready to move on. Information gathering: open questions before closed ones, one question at a time, not interrupting, clarifying vague answers and avoiding leading questions. Information giving: finding out what the patient already knows, giving information in small chunks, checking understanding by asking the patient to say the plan back, using plain language, inviting questions, and tailoring reassurance to the specific concern rather than offering blanket comfort. Score high when all five are visibly present and the role card's tasks are completed within the patient's agenda; score mid when the tasks are completed but mechanically, with little exploration of the patient's concern or no check of understanding; score low when tasks are missed, the candidate talks over the patient, ignores a stated worry, or gives clinically unsafe or invented information such as specific dosages that are not on the role card. Map OET grade C to about 50, C plus to about 60, B to about 75, A to about 90.
Pass mark 60 / 100 · OET Speaking — two profession-specific role-plays
Keep exploring
More OET Speaking interviews
- OET Speaking Nursing interviewRegistered nurses and nursing graduates seeking registration abroad
- OET Speaking Medicine interviewDoctors seeking GMC, AHPRA, Irish or Gulf registration
- OET Speaking Physiotherapy interviewPhysiotherapists seeking HCPC, AHPRA, CORU or Gulf registration
- OET Speaking Dentistry interviewDentists seeking GDC, ADC, Irish Dental Council or Gulf registration