Using your Occupational English Test (OET) certificate

We may be able to accept your OET certificate as evidence of your knowledge of English.

What are our criteria?

Types of OET we can accept

We can accept the following versions of OET:

• OET on paper
• OET on computer
• OET@Home

You must take the Medicine version of the test.

Our minimum scores

For us to accept your OET certificate it must show that:

• you took the medicine version of the test
• you achieved at least a grade ‘B’ in each testing area (speaking, listening, reading and writing)
• you achieved those grades in the same test
• you obtained the grades in your most recent sitting of the test
• it shows your candidate number.

If you wish to submit acceptable OET scores to book PLAB part 1, please log in to your GMC Online account and go to the ‘My Tests’ section to enter them. Your scores will then be sent for verification, which could take up to two working days to complete.

Please make sure you have selected the ‘General Medical Council’ as your recognising organisation in the ‘my OET’ portal so we can verify your scores without delay.

How long is your certificate valid for?

OET certificates are valid for two years. If you are taking the PLAB test, your certificate must be valid on the day you sit PLAB part 1. If you are applying for registration with a licence to practise, it must be valid when we approve your application. If your OET certificate is more than two years old, please refer to the next section of this guidance.

Your OET certificate is more than two years old

If your OET certificate is over two years old, you may be able to provide additional evidence to demonstrate you’ve maintained your language skills.

I am applying to take the PLAB test

If you’re applying to take the PLAB test, you can submit your OET candidate number plus references from a tutor or lecturer of a postgraduate course or from an employer completed in a country where English is the first and native language. All references submitted for consideration must cover at least three months full-time study or employment within the last two years.

I am applying for registration

If your OET certificate is over two years old, and you have passed PLAB 2 recently, we may be able to extend the validity of your certificate based on your PLAB pass. To be eligible for this extension, you must meet both of the following criteria:

• Your IELTS or OET certificate must be less than three years old on the date your application for registration was received
• You must have passed PLAB 2 less than three months prior to the date your application for registration was received.

If you do not meet these criteria, we may consider additional evidence that demonstrates how you can prove you have kept your English skills up to date since the date you sat the test. You can do this by submitting your OET candidate number plus references from a tutor or lecturer of a postgraduate course or from an employer completed in a country where English is the first and native language. All references submitted for consideration must cover at least three months full-time study or employment within the last two years. 

If you are applying for registration with a licence to practise through the sponsorship route, we are unable to extend the validity of your IELTS or OET certificate. If you are applying for registration through this route, you must demonstrate your knowledge of English using either an acceptable OET or IELTS certificate awarded within the last two years. This does not apply however if you are a national of a country where English is the first and native language and you were awarded your primary medical degree from a country where English is the first and native language. Please check our list of countries where English is the first and native country towards the end of this guidance.