Quick answer: OET Reading is 42 marks across three parts. Part A is 20 questions in 15 minutes, separately timed. Parts B and C share 45 minutes, with 6 and 16 questions. Grade B, the score most regulators ask for, is 350 on the 0 to 500 scale, which needs about 31 of the 42 raw marks.
I have taught OET Reading for four years to healthcare professionals in more than 40 countries. Most candidates who fail Reading do not fail because their English is weak. They fail because nobody showed them how the paper is built, where the marks actually sit, and how few marks separate a pass from a retake.
This page is the map. Each part then has its own complete guide.
OET Reading at a glance
| Total marks | 42 |
| Part A | 20 questions in 15 minutes, separately timed |
| Parts B and C | 22 questions in 45 minutes, shared between them |
| Part B | 6 questions, short workplace texts, 3 options each |
| Part C | 16 questions, two long texts |
| Reported score | 0 to 500 per sub-test |
| Grade B | 350, which takes about 31 of the 42 raw marks |
The Grade B line, and why 30 is not it
Grade B is 350 on the reported 0 to 500 scale. That much is fixed. What is not fixed is how many raw marks buy you 350.
OET scores are equated. Every version of the paper is calibrated against its own difficulty index, so a raw mark is worth slightly more on a hard paper and slightly less on an easy one. There is no published conversion, and there is no raw score that guarantees anything.
I have watched hundreds of candidates aim for 30, hit 30, and open a result card that said 340. Aiming at the line is how you land under it.
So the number I teach is 31, not 30. One mark of margin is what makes the target survive a paper that turns out to be easier than you hoped.
The line moves with paper difficulty. Thirty is the edge of the cliff, not a safe target.
What 29, 30 and 31 actually mean
OET scores are equated. Every version of the paper is calibrated against its own difficulty index, so a raw mark is worth slightly more on a hard paper and slightly less on an easy one. There is no published conversion, and no raw score that guarantees a grade.
What follows is not a conversion table. It is what I have watched happen to my own students over four years, across hundreds of results.
| Raw marks | What I see happen | Read this as |
|---|---|---|
| 29 / 42 | Clears on roughly one paper in ten. Almost always lands at 340. | Not enough. |
| 30 / 42 | Close to a coin flip. Around half clear, around half open a 340 card. | The edge of the cliff. |
| 31 / 42 | Clears on effectively every paper I have tracked. | The real target. |
Read the middle row again, because it is the one that costs people their registration. Thirty is not a pass. Thirty is a coin flip, and the coin is weighted by a difficulty index you cannot see and cannot control.
That is the whole argument for 31. You are not chasing a higher score for its own sake. You are buying one mark of insurance against a paper that turns out easier than you hoped.
The marks map. Where your 31 marks come from.
This is the calculation I put on the board in every batch. Take the target for each part, add them up, and see what is left.
| Part | Marks available | Your target | Running total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part A | 20 | 18 | 18 |
| Part B | 6 | 4 | 22 |
| Part C | 16 | 9 | 31 |
Eighteen in Part A, four in Part B, and Part C only has to give you 9 out of 16. Not even two thirds. That is the whole pass, with the margin already built in.
This is also why Part A discipline matters more than most candidates believe. Part A is where marks are cheapest. Every one you drop there through careless spelling has to be bought back in Part C, where they cost the most.
Why Reading got harder, and what it means for you
A few years back, OET Reading was easier, and almost everyone was clearing it. Then the exam changed. Synonym based questions appeared in Part A. Research texts with randomized control trials appeared in Part C. Whole test days were stunned, and many students did not clear those attempts. Since then the difficulty rose step by step and settled at a higher level, and I have watched it happen exam by exam.
What does this mean for you? One thing. The old shortcut culture is dead. Doing five practice tests the week before the exam is not preparation anymore. The students who clear today are the ones who train the skills behind the questions: speed reading with purpose, synonym recognition, point making, and time discipline. Hard work beats talent here, every single time. I have seen quiet, hardworking students clear while overconfident talented ones make basic mistakes and book a retake.
See exactly where you stand today. My free Reading mock test shows your level in 60 minutes.
Part A. Twenty marks in fifteen minutes.
Four short texts, 20 questions, separately timed. The answers are words copied exactly from the texts, and a wrong spelling is a wrong answer. Part A holds nearly half the marks on the paper and it is the easiest place to win them, because you are locating information rather than interpreting it.
Target: 18 out of 20.
Read the complete OET Reading Part A guide
Part B. Six questions that quietly steal the time Part C needs.
Six short workplace texts, memos, emails and guidelines, with three options each. It looks small, and that is the trap. Part B shares its 45 minutes with Part C, so every extra minute here is taken from the hardest section on the paper.
Target: 4 or more out of 6, in about 10 to 11 minutes.
Read the complete OET Reading Part B guide
Read the complete OET Reading Part C guide.
Part C. Sixteen marks, and the slowest reading on the paper.
Two long texts, 16 questions, testing inference, attitude and writer purpose rather than location. It is the section that punishes candidates who arrive out of time, which is why the whole time plan exists.
Target: 9 out of 16. Eight is the floor you must not fall through, not the number you aim at.
How to prepare. The weekly system.
Train each part as its own sport. Part A drills at 14 minutes instead of 15, so the real exam feels easy. Part B and C questions at strict 2 minute discipline, building the subconscious clock. The Point Making drill daily, five minutes on any medical article.
And after every practice test, the error log: one line per wrong answer, naming the exact failure. Could not locate. Missed a synonym. Spelling. Half read option. Assumption theory. Your log will show your personal pattern within a week, and that pattern is your training plan.
Random practice gives random results. Diagnosed practice gives grade As.
Start with the truth about your level. My free trial gives you a full Reading mock test and a full Listening mock test, built to the current exam format and marked instantly, with your grade estimate. 7 days free. No card needed.
About the author. Dr. Nasir Bukhari, MBBS, is an OET Certified teacher. He completed OET's official Teacher Training in all four skills, Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking, certified by OET's Head of Education. He has taught OET to healthcare professionals in more than 40 countries. He is the founder of CliniVerba, the house behind OET HQ.