Tests
OET or IELTS: which test to sit
In short
Sit OET if your goal is healthcare registration: the NMC and AHPRA accept it, and its reading and writing tasks use clinical material rather than general academic text. Sit IELTS if you are applying to a university, because acceptance is close to universal while OET acceptance is not. Check the specific programme or regulator before booking: the two are not interchangeable everywhere.
The answer is not the one people usually give. For the general four-test picture, see [IELTS, PTE, TOEFL or Duolingo](/guides/english-test-comparison); this piece is the clinical comparison. Neither test is easier in the abstract: they test different things, and they are accepted by different bodies.
What each test actually is
IELTS scores you 0 to 9 across listening, reading, writing and speaking, using general and academic material. It is accepted by essentially every university and visa route in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
OET scores you A to E per sub-test and builds every task around a healthcare scenario: a patient consultation, a referral letter, a case note. It is accepted by healthcare regulators including the UK's NMC and Australia's AHPRA, and by many but not all universities.
Which one to sit
If the goal is registration as a nurse, midwife or doctor, OET is usually the better fit, not because it is easier, but because the writing task is a referral letter rather than an essay about a chart, and clinicians write referral letters.
If the goal is a university place, default to IELTS unless you have confirmed in writing that your programme accepts OET. Many do. Enough do not that booking on an assumption is expensive.
- NMC registration in the UK: OET or IELTS, both accepted
- University admission: IELTS almost always, OET sometimes
- Student visa English requirement: check the route separately from the university
- Doing both a course and a registration: confirm one test covers both before booking
The section minimum is what catches people
Most rejections at this stage are not about the overall score. They are about a single sub-score falling below the minimum, most often writing. Both tests set per-section minimums, and a strong overall band does not compensate.
Visa routes frequently set a higher bar than the university does, and they apply it per section. Read both requirements before you decide the score you are aiming at.
When you might need neither
A medium of instruction certificate from your college or university can waive the university's English requirement at many institutions, particularly for taught master's programmes in the UK, Ireland and parts of Canada and Australia.
It almost never waives the visa requirement, which is assessed separately. And several UK universities accept only a university-issued MOI, not a college-issued one, so check which signature your offer letter wants before queuing at the wrong office.
Related questions
Is OET easier than IELTS?
Not inherently. Healthcare professionals often find it more approachable because the vocabulary and scenarios are familiar and the writing task is a referral letter rather than an academic essay. Someone outside healthcare would find it harder, not easier.
Does the NMC accept OET?
Yes. The UK's Nursing and Midwifery Council accepts OET and IELTS for the English requirement in overseas nurse registration, alongside the CBT and OSCE stages of the process.
Can a medium of instruction certificate replace the test?
It can replace the university's requirement at many institutions. It rarely replaces the visa authority's requirement, which is assessed separately, so check both before assuming you can skip the test.