Are you preparing for the OET exam and finding Part B of the listening module challenging? You’re not alone! Many candidates, especially non-native speakers, struggle with this section, given its fast-paced format and varying accents.
But don’t worry—Khaira Education, the best OET coaching center in Mohali and a leader in online OET training, is here to help. In this blog, we’ll explore essential tips that can make a significant difference in your OET Listening Part B performance, helping you achieve the scores you need.
Here are a few tips that will help you get those desired exam scores.
1. Make the most of those 15 seconds in Part B
It might seem like 15 seconds is no time at all, but those 15 seconds can make or break the situation for you. So, what do you do in these 15 seconds before the audio starts?
First, read the context sentence. Yes, we all know that the context sentence is already spoken in the audio, but reading it again can provide useful context before the audio even starts.
For example, if the context sentence says, ‘You hear a GP and his practice nurse discussing a vaccination program,’ you can gather a lot of information from it.
You’ll know that there will be two speakers and that the GP is male, as it mentions ‘his practice nurse,’ indicating the nurse is likely female. You also know they will be discussing a vaccination program. So even before the audio plays, knowing what the speakers will talk about will activate relevant knowledge and vocabulary – priming your mind to recognize and understand key terms more quickly.
2. Highlight the keywords:
As we have already established, using the 15 seconds wisely can be very helpful in grasping the fold of information as it unfolds once the audio plays. After we read the context sentence, we move on to the question, and while reading the question, we should highlight the keywords. What are these keywords?
For example, if the context sentence says, “You hear a surgeon and a patient talking about the impending surgery.’ your question asks, ‘What is the patient most concerned about?’, here our keywords should be ‘patient most concerned.’ Since we know we’ll be hearing a surgeon and a patient talking in the audio, your attention should be on the patient’s concern. So, highlighting ‘patient’ and ‘concerned’ will help you look for specific details when the audio plays.
Another example can be when a context sentence says, ‘You hear a surgeon addressing a group of medical students about patient risk in emergency surgery.’ The question might be, ‘What is the surgeon trying to emphasize?’ Here, our keyword is ‘emphasize,’ not ‘the surgeon,’ because we know that the surgeon is the only speaker from our context sentence.
So, we won’t highlight ‘the surgeon’ as we did in the previous example, since we already know there’s only one speaker. Instead, we’re focused on what he is trying to emphasize in the audio.
3. Focus on the question, not the answer!
The focus should always be on the question, not just the answer. For example, if the context says, ‘You hear part of a hospital management meeting where a concern is being discussed,’ and the question asks, ‘What is the committee most worried about?’, you need to pay attention to the words ‘most worried.’
The committee might be worried about many things, but you’re only looking for the main one. That means, all three options might come in the audio, but you need to focus on the main concern, not just any concern that gets mentioned in the answer options.
Another example could be when the context says, ‘You hear 2 doctors discussing a patient’s current condition,’ and the question asks, ‘What do they agree on about the treatment?’ The key here is the phrase ‘what do they agree on.’ The audio might mention things that one doctor wants to do but the other doctor doesn’t agree with, or the other way around.
If you focus only on the answer, you might end up picking the wrong one. So, you’ve got to focus on the question, which means you need to pick the answer that shows what both the doctors are on the same page about.
In short, don’t just match the words you hear—focus on the question and match the meaning.
Mastering OET Listening Part B doesn’t have to be daunting when you have the right guidance and strategies. At Khaira Education, we specialize in offering the best OET coaching in India, both online and in Mohali, to equip you with the skills to excel in every section of the OET exam. With focused preparation, attention to context, and strategic listening techniques, you can approach your OET exam with confidence. Ready to get started?
Enroll in our OET training center near you or access OET online classes to boost your preparation!