Latest Updates on English Exams for Registered Nurses

Good morning everybody and welcome to Lefora Talk Show. This is season 5 episode 2. We are so excited to have you here today. My name is Danielle Freedman and I am the host here from AMN International where we are the only company to have both direct hire and staffing options. We have direct hire with Connetics USA and we have staffing with O'Grady Peyton, we have opportunities all over the United States. Let's bring up that map of where we have all our opportunities. There you go so you can see every single state is highlighted everything is outlined. So everywhere is an opportunity for you we call ourselves career matchmakers. So our recruiters are on hand they are ready and waiting to help you find your perfect match your American dream in the United States, we are so excited.  

So please go ahead and apply our website is AMNHealthcare.com/International and our recruiters are ready to help you. So I am so excited Today we have a brand new topic we are going to be talking about the latest on the English exams. I know when it comes to English exams, you have many options. There's lots of information online, it can get a little bit confusing, you have new options that pop up sometimes. So we are going to be talking about all of these different options and we are going to be taking your questions. So please feel free to put your questions in the chat. Let us know where you're watching from we always want to see where our viewers are watching from. We know you are viewing from around the world. Let's see I see we already have some chatter in the in the comments. I see we have Clemente from India hello to you, we have Ken wishing me good luck that's so nice thank you so much Ken. We have Karen who's watching from Ireland good morning, good evening, good afternoon, wherever you may be watching from.  

Let us know in the comments and let us know if you have any questions about the English exams. So let's get started we have two amazing guests for you today. They may look familiar from AMN Academy good morning to you Michelle and good morning evening to you, Brian It's nice to see you go. If you watch our AMN Academy, you might see you might notice a familiar face. Brian is often on there talking about English exams so we are very excited to have them both here with us today. Let's do a quick minute of introductions so Michelle, I'm gonna let you go first. 

Good morning I'm actually in Tennessee in the Smoky Mountains this week. My name is Michelle Kilkenny. I'm the Senior Director for immigration licensure and credentialing with AMN International O'Grady Peyton, I am an immigrant myself I came to America 35 years ago and started working with OGP back then. So I've been around for a long time and hopefully, I can answer any questions you have. Thank you, Danielle. 

Thanks, Michelle. Michelle is right she's a very seasoned expert. So she's seen it all so whatever questions you might have put it in the chat, and I'm sure she has some thoughts. Brian, you want to go next?  

Sure hi, everyone, and welcome to the show. My name is Brian from 9.0 Niner English review and tutorial center. I'm one of the lecturers or the company and I've been training

and preparing candidates to take their English exams for the past 13 years. I have personally sat a couple of these exams, particularly the IELTS and the PTE, in which I've gotten stellar marks in both exams. I actually got a band nine overall band score for the IELTS and a 90 over 90 for the PTE. I'm so glad to be here on the show again, I haven't been around for some time. But yeah, let's make this exciting. 

All right, Brian, well, we're happy to have you. And those are some amazing scores so Brian is clearly an expert on anything English related. So if you have any questions for Brian, feel free to put them in the chat. So we are going to be talking about the latest on English exams today. But we have a special surprise for everybody. The second half of our class is actually going to be a bonus class that Brian is going to teach. So Brian, do you want to give us a quick little snippet of what you're going to be talking about in the second half of the class? 

Yes, surely in the second part of this session, we are going to be doing a discussion on the IELTS, PTE and OET. So basically, I'll be comparing the three different exam options for you guys. And who knows, maybe I'll be teaching you how to write for those exams. So yeah, stick around till the end of the show, so that you'll be able to watch me writing live. 

All right, well, that sounds very exciting. Some free material, some free instruction from an expert so there you go. The forums, you can watch the second half of the show a class with Brian. All right, guys so let's get started. So we're going to be talking about the latest on English exams. So let's get started with some basics. Michelle, can you tell us what exams CGFNS currently except for visa screen and I think we have a graphic as well to pull up.  

Okay. And currently they accept of course, IELTS and Cambridge English TOEFL, TOEIC and OET, which I believe used to be called me lab MET. And I think I said PTE. So there are a lot of different exams that you can take there are seven, which are accepted by CGFNS offer visa screen purposes, I should say. 

Okay, thank you, Michelle and Brian, can you maybe talk a little bit about the each exam, especially the ones that most nurses take or that you recommend that they take? 

Right now the most popular choices for nurses who are bound to the US are as follows. So we have IELTS and particularly this is the most popular English examination out there because it's accepted in literally every place. And the IELTS has four components listening, reading, writing and speaking, just like any other English examination in the roster, so we have a long list of exams that are now accepted in the US. And another popular option is a computer delivered and computer assessed exam, which is the PTE, the Pearson Test of English academic is quite popular nowadays, because the test results are out much faster. Usually in the first 24 hours to five days, you get your test results right away. So if you're in a rush, this is a very good option. Also, there are test dates almost every day, especially here in the Philippines, there are plenty of test dates in Makati. So this is also one of the better options. OET is now gaining popularity this is a profession specific examination in which you're being tested for English. But at the same time, the context of the questions you're going to receive are going to be in the healthcare setting. And we also have a TOEFL iBT. And this is actually also a popular English examination, although not as popular these days, because you will have to wait a bit for you to get your test results. And if you're looking at the cost, probably the most economical right now would be a toss between IELTS and PTE. And the OET is perhaps the most expensive examination out there for which is going to be at 587 Australian dollars. So that turns out to be 455 US dollars, quite expensive. So if you're looking for a cheaper alternative, then perhaps you might want to take the IELTS or the PTE, but there's a new player, which is the MET and right now, if you're going to compare the cost against the other two that I've mentioned a while ago, it is actually relatively more affordable. So if you're looking for an affordable English examination, the MET is a good choice. Not a lot of people are familiar with MET. And I just want to, you know, get a take this opportunity to introduce you what this exam is all about.  

The preparation time for MET is significantly shorter compared to other English exams. Because it's just an English exam. Generally, it's concerned more about your English than anything else. So if you're looking for an examination that will just assess your language capacity, and you don't really have to prepare for an extended duration of time, then the MBTI is also a good option. And I know that can be very confusing. So my suggestion for you guys who are about to take an English examination is number one, try to figure out if your state or territory would accept that examination. Of course, the CGFNS will accept all of these exams, but you have to know if your state board will ever require an English exam, and it's accepted there. And number to try out a few of the mock exams that are available online for each one of those different exams to figure out which one is best for you. Because not because it works for one person, it works for everyone. Different folks, different strokes, you have different strengths and weaknesses. We have different testing styles, you have to figure out what works best for you. 

Okay, thank you, Brian, a lot of good information, some older exams, that we might be really familiar with some newer exams that are coming into the fold. Michelle, I want to turn to you. I know there's a lot of information about the MET Brian gave some of that information. I also know that there's a lot of misconceptions that I'm seeing online. Could you talk a little bit about that? 

Well, MET is becoming more prevalent. Now like I said, it used to be called the mi lab. It's the Michigan test. But while it's becoming very popular, we have to remember and Brian said it already for visa screen. All of those tests are accepted But depending on what state you're going to work in, they may not be an mi lab. If I let's accept it in quite a few states, it may not be where you're going to work. So we have concerns over are the different tests and sort of really doing the research. If you come to AMN International, we've already done the research, we can already advise. But I know that recently, we placed a nurse in Missouri, who had PTE. And now she needs to retake English so that she can get a license in Missouri, because they don't accept PTE. I'm not sure that they accept MET either. But we have that information.  

And we've done the research and it changes. And every day, the English companies the whether it be ETS are IELTS or MET are adding new states. But we have concerns, you really have to know where you're going to work. Because you don't want to have to take English twice if you don't need to. So that's where it comes and like I said, MET is definitely coming to the Lefora right now. Just like PTE did six months ago. 

Okay, that's very interesting. That's an interesting topic that you bring up I'm sure a lot of viewers are watching and kind of feeling like, okay, there's a lot more options, which is great. But I know some are accepted for visa screen some are accepted for licensing, it's a little confusing. How do you kind of figure out, which is going to be the right exam for you? Like what are the major things you should be considering or thinking about your journey to the United States? Michelle, I'm gonna let you take this one first. 

Well, first off would be where you taking NCLEX? would be the first question. And because again, those some boards require English for your first test for the NCLEX, whereas they don't for endorsement. So the first question is, where are you going to take NCLEX? And what English exams do they accept, because you probably will need English for NCLEX. Then when you go to endorse, many of you won't need English for certain states, because I would say the majority of the people who are on here today, were educated in English, no matter what country you're from, as you know, most countries they are in nursing, they're educated in English. And so you may be exempt from English but you have to know those states where you are going to need scores. And they may need to be current.  

So not only do you have to think in terms of I need English for my visa screen, I need and I know I can do any of the tests. But when it comes to NCLEX, are it comes to licensure? I may need English again. And does it need to be current? Or can it be expired? You have to do the research, you have to ask those questions. And again, we're here to help you with those questions. But we need to know specifically where you're going to work. But it's so complex to us. And I know in my 35 years working in in the staffing industry, and English has always been sort of more critical than NCLEX, because you're all nurses. And I will say the majority of you are going to pass NCLEX I know you're scared if you haven't taken it yet. But if you do the study, you're going to pass NCLEX because you're a nurse, you have the basics and knowledge within you. And for we do see that English is more concerning for people. Because it can be it can feel subjective so in some ways, and but Brian can answer that. I'm sure Brian, you may tell a nurse from Ghana to take a different test, maybe then a nurse from Spain, or a nurse from the Philippines and a nurse from South Korea.  

Sometimes different tests are more suitable to different countries, just based on how you and how you learn as well. What were you learn? But I think Brian could answer those sorts of questions better because he's been doing it for 13 years. 

Okay, all right, Michelle, thank you. Well, that's some good information. I think as a viewer, if I I've never taken an English exam, truthfully, I mean, I'm not a nurse, and I was educated in English. So I have not had that opportunity. But as the experts, Michelle and Brian are telling you, I think probably the biggest thing is to make sure that you're working with a partner, an English Review Center and a partner in immigration, like AMN International who can really guide you through this process. Because when it comes to which exam is accepted for visa screen versus this and which one can I do for licensing in this state versus this, it can get confusing. And as Michelle said, things change. So you want to make sure that you've got the most up to date information, and you have somebody who's helping to guide you through that process. Brian, so I want to turn to you. So we've talked we've talked about some of the MET myths, but I know there are other myths and misconceptions about some other exams. Can you walk us through some of those with some of the other top exams that we've been discussing? 

Certainly. Yeah so I'm just going to give a few of the myths that you get, particularly when you go and search online for information about different exams. So let's talk about the IELTS first. One of the most common misconceptions that people have when it comes to IELTS is that it since it's an English examination, the more you use complex language, or sophisticated terminologies, the higher the score you get. But this is not necessarily true, because the IELTS is more focused on basically your ability to communicate and not really you brandishing your ability to speak or to write in English. So impressing the examiners would have bigger words, especially if they're inappropriately used will actually not work to your advantage and will definitely take out points from your score because of the clarity will be affected. So just keep it simple, and make sure to prioritize your communication. Number two, having a native English accent is the only way to ace the speaking test. This is definitely untrue. Because what's important in the examination is that your language is clear, your pronunciation is clear, you're understood by the examiner, maybe you can still have some sort of a neutral accent. It doesn't necessarily have to be a Native American, Australian or British accent, it's fine.  

As long as you're speaking in a clear way, you're still going to get a good score on your IELTS test. Now on to the OET since this is a profession specific examination, common misconception is that the OET is a test of your professional knowledge as a nurse. So what that means is that you have to be knowledgeable and the diseases that you're going to be asked about or about the case of a particular patient, you have to be very much aware of the concepts and everything. But it's not really true. Because even if the context is in the healthcare setting, this is still an English examination. So even if what you're writing there is not necessarily true, or not correct, according to the healthcare practices that are accepted, it's okay or even if you're not really knowledgeable about what you're speaking about, as long as you spoke in a very professional and informative manner, if you're empathetic to your interlocutor, you're still going to get a good score. So it's about your language. And number two, writing below 180 words or beyond 200 words in there in the writing section, sorry, will automatically make you fail the test, there is a recommendation and they're writing examination of the OET for you to write 180 words to 200 words, but that is not really very stiff, it's very flexible. In fact, if you write a little over 200 words, or a little under 180 words, as long as you're putting the correct information there at this appropriate to your reader, you're still going to get a good score, so don't worry about your word count too much.  

Now on to the PTE this is very commonly done when you're taking the BTN. Notice that people around you speaking loudly improves scores in the speaking section. This is definitely untrue. And if you are going to speak so loudly during your examination, you're going to be called out by your invigilators on the floor. They're going to give you a warning because you're distracting other candidates, you don't really have to shout at the top of your lungs when you're taking the PTE. Just make sure to test your microphone and make sure that your voice is audible when you test your equipment, and then just proceed with your examination. Anyway, the computer will recognize your speech regardless. Number two, using memorized templates enables all candidates to pass the test easily. This is probably the most common misconception.  

When it comes to the PTE, a lot of people feel that if they use memorized script, on test day, they're going to pass but right now, I mean, I need to be very honest. In the past, probably if you took the exams in 2015, this would work. But right now because the AI is a little bit more advanced. It picks up on those templated responses that you probably prepared ahead of time. So you might actually do better if you're using something organic or something that is not prepared, because the computer is going to mark it down significantly for not producing original content. And finally, for TOEFL, there are two here longer essays always score higher in the writing section. And this is not true. What's important, not only for TOEFL, but also for other English exams is that your content is powerful or compelling. And at the same time, there's really good control when it comes to your language ability, your faculties, like your vocabulary and your grammar doesn't have to be extra long. And the problem with a very long essay or response is that you have a greater tendency to commit mistakes. If you have a longer piece of writing, it's harder to edit a longer composition compared to a shorter one or a more concise one.  

And number two, memorizing responses is an effective strategy for the speaking section. Actually, it doesn't work in TOEFL and it wouldn't work in any other English examination, be it IELTS OET, or PTE, you're being assessed for your natural ability to communicate, and not your ability to memorize statements read before your exams. So be very careful when you digest information from online sources. Don't believe anything, and everything you see, take everything with a grain of salt. And always consult with the experts so that you get the right information, because it's harder to unlearn things than to learn new stuff. And I think everyone will agree. 

I like that I haven't heard that before. It's harder to unlearn than to learn new things. I like that that makes a lot of sense. Thank you, Brian, for going through all of those different myths and for myth busting for us, I'm sure all of the nurses who are watching, find that very helpful. There's a lot of information out there, but it can get really confusing, especially when you have so many options. If you found what Brian was saying to be very interesting and helpful. I did want to let all of our nurses who are watching around the world know we have more information online on our website. We have a lot of content, a lot of videos, a lot of video clips, you can go to our resource library, we'll put the link in the chat. And as you can see, we have sections English exam overview sections from our what used to be kinetics, college is now am and Academy. And each section is split out into OET, PTE, all of those different exams. So you can go in, you can look you'll see Michelle's face, you'll see Brian's face and some of those familiar videos, where they help our nurses figure out all of the ins and outs of all of these English exams. So I see we got lots of chatter in the chat so let's take a couple of questions while we still got a little bit of time before the exciting bonus class that Brian is going to be teaching.  

So I see we asked what English exams you are planning to take. Let us know what exam are you planning on taking? Or are you still not sure still trying to figure it out? Is that maybe something we can help you with? So I see a question from Jen, Jen says How about TOEIC? If compared with the MET? Do you have any suggestions? So Brian, I kind of see you nodding your head a little bit. Do you have any thoughts on this question for Jen? 

I think when it comes to the format, they're a little identical because the TOEIC is concerned about your business English, your ability to communicate in the workplace settings. So it's very relatable just like how MET is formatted. However, the difference here is that the TOEIC, you can take into different locations, like you can take your listening and you're reading test first and then wait a bit, prepare a bit more and then take the second leg of your examination for speaking and writing. Whereas the MET have to take in one sitting. So I think these are the major differences between the two exams. But if both of them are accepted in the state, or the territory where you're planning to go, you can actually choose any of the two again, my suggestion is to always try them out first, try to figure out if one works for you better than the other because they are different exams. I mean, they're all English exams, but they have their own kind of branding or their own flavor. 

Okay, thank you, Brian. So hopefully, that's some good information for you if you're poor, and you can make a decision that's right for you. So I see we got lots of questions and not so much time. So I'm going to try and take as many as we can. But I see there are some specific questions about specific boards. I will ask our team to go into the comments if you have a specific question, and they will be able to answer for you. So Michelle, we have a question from Abby, Abby says from an English speaking country, is it required to do IELTS I want to apply to AMN. But we don't have IELTS and NCLEX units, any thoughts on this question?  

Yes so, I'm looking at the question. And the only countries that are exempt fully from English would be the five major English speaking countries, which would be Ireland, I always put them first, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. And that doesn't include Quebec. Those are the five exempt countries that are considered exempt. And of course, US educated. If you come from another country, and you are educated in the UK, or in the US, as a nurse, or in one of those other five countries, you are exempt.  

Every other country even though you're educated in English, and may not be exempt from English for NCLEX, for example, or they won't be for visa screen, unless you happen to be from a to one to our countries what we call it. So while Jamaica may not be exempt from English, if you're from Jamaica, and you have a current Illinois license, then you will be exempt. So that is considered you will be eligible for a 212, our visa screen. And again, we can answer any of your questions if you ask us what country you're from, where were you educated. So it's all about where you're educated as a nurse where you did your basic training. So if you did your basic training in Ghana, for example, and then you came to the US and you did your BSN, your basic training was done in Ghana. So you will be required to have English probably where you will be for a visa screen. However, if you did all of your nursing education in the US, you will be exempt from English. Or if you went to the UK, you will be exempt from English. So there's a lot of nuances that you have to be aware of. And that's why we're here. We're here to answer your questions. But we can help you with that. It's just there's a lot of material to go through. We have those answers for you. 

All right, thank you, Michelle. So if you missed the question, Michelle was just answering which countries would be exempt, in a nutshell, is what she was answering. So as you can hear, there's a lot of information you want to turn to your experts to make sure that you are getting it down, right, especially when it comes to those English country exemptions. So I see we have a question from Clemens says how to apply to a nurse job in the USA. So I'm sure a lot of nurses are watching right now. They're kind of thinking about what's the sequence of everything. When do I need to have everything done. So real quick, we're just going to pull up our success path. And this is how an international nurse will come to the US. I know there's a lot of information out there, which is great. But sometimes it can be confusing. So what we've done here at AMN Healthcare International is distill it down into seven easy steps, you can find the success path on our website. So I'm not going to go through it in detail. You can see step one is passing the NCLEX. That's your golden ticket to starting the process. Step two is interviewing and getting a job offer in the United States. Step threes and four are going to be the visa framework and the licensing and credentialing. And under that step four, before you go for that visa interview, you need to have your English exam done. So that is where this all kind of comes into play. And I will let Michelle and Brian talk about you know, when's the best time to take the English exam. But at that step four is when you need to complete that English exam. And then steps five, six, and seven are everything that comes after, when you're getting ready to come to the US the arrival in the US, and then enjoying and prospering and our team, as you've heard here, including Brian 9.09.  

Our team are all here to support you throughout this whole journey and make sure that you are comfortable and you're ready and you're prepared. And if you did want to apply comment, if you were inspired by anything we said on the show today, you can apply at our website. It's AMNHalthcare.com/International. And we are would be very honored and excited to help you through this US journey. So I know we are coming up on time I want to give Brian and Michelle one final opportunity to give us some closing thoughts. Any final pieces of advice for nurses who are considering taking the English exams? Brian, I'm gonna let you go first. 

Okay, to all of the nurses who are planning to go to the US, my best advice for you guys is to always consult experts so that you don't end up going astray. So consult experts so you know the right English examinations to take, you know the right requirements you have to submit and you know, the right pathway towards achieving your American dream. And when it comes to English exams, my primary advice is to always trust the experts. Don't just go online and search for information, because there's plenty online, but there can be a lot of wrong information as well or unverified sources online. So you have to make sure that you entrust your preparation with the experts. So you don't waste your time, your money and your sanity. Thank you so much. 

Thank you, Brian. I like that sum up. Very, very good. That's some good advice for our nurses who are watching. Michelle, what about you? And what final pieces of advice do you have?  

Well, firstly, I want to second Brian, because he said exactly what I was thinking, sometimes we have our nurses will contact us and say, Well, my friends said this, are my friends friend said, This is what I should do. And they're getting wrong information. And so really do consult the experts. I saw some questions in the comments like one was asking about Georgia? Well, the exam for Georgia is TOEFL. That's the only English exam they accept if you are required to have English. So you have to see, do I really have to have English? Another question was, can I do PTE for Oklahoma? Well, right now, based on the knowledge I have, no, you can't, they won't accept it. Just like Missouri doesn't accept PTE. So these are questions, asked the experts don't waste time, and waste money getting an exam that you may have to repeat through another vendor.  

So but it's always it's good to do the research, but it can get very, you can go down a mineshaft with all of the research that's online. And so it's nice to be able to come on here and ask these questions and be able to get responsible answers. But I wish you the best. I will say with staffing. You know, we do require you to have English so we can get you a visa screen. That's the most important. And we will guide you on what English exam you may need, depending on where you are going to be placed. But we're excited for you. And we're very happy to be here to answer your questions. 

Okay, well, thank you, Michelle. And Brian, I very much appreciate you both being on and answering all of our nurses questions, giving some good advice. I know it was a little bit of a shorter session. But we have our bonus class with Brian coming up. So we are excited to learn and watch and see what Brian is going to be teaching. So please continue to put your questions in the chat. We'd love to hear from you. I'm sure Brian will keep an eye on those and you know, kind of be guided where he can. But we are excited. And I'm going to turn it over to you now. Brian, please take it away. 

 

Thank you so much. All right thank you so much AMN. For this opportunity for me to teach here tonight here it was It's nighttime here in the Philippines. Hello guys and I would want to discuss the IELTS OET and PTE speaking component for tonight's session. And I know that the speaking examination is quite important if you're bound to the US and you're planning to land a job as a healthcare professional, particularly or particularly a nurse in the US. So I have chosen to talk about this topic now before I get to the nitty gritty of things and talk about the format of the test and how you're going to take your English exams, at least for the speaking component. I want to just remind everyone that the first thing that you need to do when you are applying for an English Examination, or when you're preparing for an English examination, for that matter is to know exactly what the exam requires from you. I mean, there are a lot of people who come into the test like they take the examination, but they don't even know how they're supposed to perform so that they're gonna get a high score. And these English exams the IELTS, PTE and OET will tell you exactly what they need from candidates, like the rubric or the criteria for grading, so that you would be guided on how you're going to approach the examination.  

So you're gonna get a good score, because not all exams are made equal. So let's start with the IELTS first. So for IELTS there are four components by which you're going to be graded. First one is fluency and coherence. You also have lexical resource, we have pronunciation, and grammar. So these are the four aspects by which you're going to be graded in the exam. So again, that's fluency, vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar. So when we talk about fluency, a common misconception is you have to be very good when it comes to English to conform whether it comply with the requirements of fluency for you to be called the fluent person. They have to have very, very strong English but it's not really like that because fluency is just your talkativeness, your ability to talk at length, your ability to expand your answers and your willingness to talk. I mean, when you Having an interview, it's very important that you're willing to talk. I mean, you can't just keep quiet during the entire conversation because it's a speaking test, right? So the longer your answers, the more interactive you are, and the more willing you are to communicate with your examiner, the higher score you get for fluency and coherence. But of course, you have to have sense, you have to make sense. I mean, if you're asked a question, your answer should match that of the question. I mean, you can't just provide an answer that is so far fetched or just so far away from the question itself. So it is really crucial that you understand the question, you have really good listening skills. And then you provide a response that this relevant to the question that is being asked.  

Number two you're going to be graded for and I want you to listen carefully, because this is also the same when it comes to the PTE and also the OET for the language aspects grammar and vocabulary. Now vocabulary, first, let's talk about that. This is the range of words you can use in your examination, we're not talking about, you know, like high level English, here, we're just talking about the range of words that you can utilize, correctly and appropriately. So in the examination, what's important is that you're using the language correctly. And at the same time, you're using a wide range, you're not repeating the same words over and over again, you're trying your best to find synonyms, perhaps, or to paraphrase some of the sentences or some of the words, so that you'd be able to communicate the same message differently with a different set of words.  

And also, you're using the words correctly, you're not just using a word just because you want to impress the examiner, or it sounds good, but because it is appropriate to the context that you want to convey to your examiner. And then the next one is your grammar. When it comes to speaking, it is understandable that sometimes you will commit mistakes just like how natives actually commit mistakes or make mistakes every once in a while. So if you commit an error in your examination, that's perfectly fine. As long as you have relatively good control, what's important is that you're not actually making a lot of errors that are consistent, or repetitive. These are called systematic errors. So if you're making the same mistake over and over again, that's going to qualify for a deduction or a penalty in your test. But if it's just a stray minor error, then you don't get a penalty at all, and you can still get a 9.0 in your examination.  

What's really, really sad is that sometimes because people are so focused on grammar, it impacts already, their fluency. They can't talk anymore, because they are so concerned about making sure every sentence is perfectly crafted or making sure that in their head, everything is composed correctly. Sometimes they talk too slowly, or they talk in a kind of labored fashion, just because they want everything to be flawless. And again, that impacts your score because fluency is another aspect by which you're going to be graded for in the IELTS. And lastly, we have pronunciation again, I've mentioned this a while ago. It has something to do with the clarity of your speech, but pronunciation is divided into a couple of things. The first one is your pronunciation sounds like enunciation your ability to pronounce the sounds correctly. That's one of course. And the second one is delivery. It's your ability to sound very conversational in your speaking examination, because sometimes you can pronounce every one of the English sounds, but you sound a little flat. I mean, there are no dynamics and the way you're speaking So my best advice when you're taking the IELTS is to sound interested and engaged. It's like you're interested in what you're talking about, you're selling yourself or something because if you are monotonous throughout the entire examination, even if your pronunciation is really good, even if your enunciation is strong, it's still going to give you a low score because the livery is part of how you're going to be created in the test.  

Now, all of those will comprise your total score or total band for the IELTS Speaking component. So 25% for each one of the four components for grand total 400% And your grade will be from zero to nine for the IELTS. Now, is this the same when it comes to the PTE? No are partly yes, but not really. Absolutely, because in the PTE, you will not really be given a lot of opportunities for you to talk at length, like you're not going to talk for two minutes. You only have 40 seconds to respond to certain questions like retell lecture or describe image. These questions will be a little bit longer compared to the other parts of your exam, but yours Still going to talk for just around 40 seconds, more or less. And so, for the PTE, the two most important components that you're going to be graded for it would be fluency. That's oral fluency and the other one is your pronunciation. 

Okay, so their rest will be graded in your writing examination. But for speaking, the two most important components are oral fluency, and your pronunciation. So these are the top two most important things that you will have to prioritize when you're taking the speaking examination for the PTE, it's not going to be graded by humans, AI is the one that's going to score you in the test. So you have to make sure that you sound flawless when you're speaking, right because every mistake, like any hesitation that you're showing, or if you're repeating some of those, the words or sentences even, or if you're if you're stumbling upon a few words, and you're struggling while you're talking or you sound labored, you're gonna get penalties for that when you take the PTE because every component is going to be scored or every one of those will be graded. 

Now on to the EU at the OET, is very identical to the IELTS in terms of the grading criteria. Although for the OET, you would know that there are certain things that you're going to be graded for which are kind of different for from the IELTS and other English exams, because this is a healthcare focused examination. So of course, the language components are identical. Yes, you have your fluency still, you still have your language aspects like your vocabulary, and your grammar, these are still going to be graded. Although they're term differently. For example, pronunciation is going to be called intelligibility for OET, and then fluency is the same for vocabulary appropriateness of language. And for grammars, resources of grammar and expression, just the same basically, for the linguistic criteria. And for that, you get six points each. However, you will also be graded for some other indicators, which are your clinical communication criteria. So what are these number one your relationship building your ability to connect to your patient, because this is going to be a roleplay, when you're doing the OET is going to be a real play between you and an interlocutor who will assume the role of the patient, or maybe a caregiver of the patient, such as a relative or a parent.  

Number two, you will also be created for your understanding and your ability to incorporate the patient's perspective. For example, if the patient has very negative emotions, you should know how to acknowledge that. Okay, another one that you're going to be graded for would be your ability to provide structure. So when you you're speaking, you should speak in a very organized fashion, it can't be like you're asking a question now. And then you're explaining already and then you realize, oh, I forgot to ask this question, I need to ask the question again. So it's going all over the place. And so it's going to impact your structure. The next two would be information gathering, and information, giving your ability to provide information and your ability to elicit information from your interlocutor. And, for each one of those that I've mentioned, the clinical communication criteria, I think you get three points, Max. Okay, so you get three points for each one of those. So in the OET, right now, it is not sufficient to that your English is topnotch, you should also be empathetic to your patient. Or you should show that you are in control and you're a professional, you should show that you're not only knowledgeable, but you're also understanding and caring. And you demonstrate all of those great attributes of being a healthcare provider.  

Now, if you understand all of these criteria for the different examinations that you're going to take, then you have an upper hand because after the test is over, you would know whether you did well in your test, or you did not ever wondered why some people actually walk out of the room after their test is over praying. Like they pray really hard that's perhaps because they don't even know the standards or the level of performance that be demonstrated during the test and whether it is going to be enough for them to get the scores that they want. But if you know the criteria, and you know the rubric, then certainly you have already an idea after the test is over whether your performance was good enough, or whether it's going to cut it already or not. And you're not going to end up praying. Probably you're going to pray because you did really Well, just for Thanksgiving and not praying for a miracle to happen.  

Okay, so now let's talk about the test format so that you will be acquainted. And probably you can make an informed decision after this session is over, on which exam among the popular ones you're going to take for your overseas application to the US. Of course with AMN, right. Number one, let's talk about the IELTS. The IELTS is going to be an interview, just like any other interview that you have taken in your life. So the format is very, very familiar to many candidates who are taking this exam. There are three parts in your IELTS speaking examination, the first part is going to be your introduction and interview. In this first part of the examination, the examiner is going to ask you questions about yourself. And the questions are very casual. Don't take it too seriously don't just provide a generic response to the questions here. Don't be the kind of candidate who would assume that this is a pageant of some sort in which you need to provide the best answers or a winning answer. You just have to be yourself and just talk about your individual likes and dislikes, your preferences because this is all about you. In the second part of the examination, you're going to have your individual long term, it's going to last two minutes, you have one minute prep time, you can prepare what you're going to say about the topic that's going to be provided for you. You will be provided a piece of paper and a pencil where you can write your notes and you will also be given your question. And then after that one minute preparation time, you will have to talk uninterruptedly for two minutes. You heard me right, it's uninterrupted. What it means is that you're going to talk and talk and talk until the examiner tells you to stop because it's already two minutes. My personal advice here is to maximize the time, you would know when time is up when the examiner tells you to stop. So until the examiner tells you to stop, keep on talking. That's the secret to getting a high score in the second part of your speaking exam.  

And the third part is the hardest part in the IELTS but it's one of the most important if not the most important because it's going to make or break you. That's called your discussion part. In the discussion, part of the examination, the questions are going to be a bit more abstract. I mean, the format is going to be identical to that of the first part of the test. But the questions are going to be much harder, more challenging, and they will require a little bit of your critical thinking and your decision making skills. You need to defend your answer and you need to stick to your stand from beginning to end. Some examiner's might want to sway your opinion might argue with you might debate with you. But you have to stick to your stand, you can acknowledge what the examiner says you can acknowledge the opinion of your examiner. But make sure that you're sticking to your stand and you're defending your stand. Even if it sounds a little crazy already. It doesn't make any sense. Just keep on trying the game that's going to help you to overcome the difficulties you're going to encounter in the third part of the test and might actually make you end up victorious in your speaking examination for the IELTS. The entire thing will last around 11 minutes to 14 minutes making it the shortest exam in your IELTS.  

Right now if you have any questions, you can also ask me those questions down in the comment section just you know type in your questions. I'll try to answer them in the best way I can. But let's proceed right away to the OET, I'm sorry, the PTE was the PTE to computer delivered and computer assessed English examination where everything is going to be just recorded. And you get assessment directly from the AI system the PT E is making use of there are actually several types of questions for the PTE, the first one is read aloud. So what is read aloud it's like you know, you're going to be given a passage that you have to read. And then you will be given some preparation time for you to practice or rehearse first before you start reading out loud. Whatever it is that you're seeing on screen. For every correctly read word, you get a point for every mistake, you get a deduction. Easy, right? Another part of your exam and this is actually kind of difficult. For a lot of candidates this is called the repeat sentence, you will hear a sentence about 10 to 12 words to a maximum of maybe 15 words, and you have to repeat the sentence after hearing and there's no prep time whatsoever.  

After you hear the sentence you have to repeat that out loud immediately. You have to repeat as many words as you can and try your best effort to capture the essence of the message that was given to you through the recording. And then the next one is describe images. So you will be provided a chart or a figure or a diagram an illustration, and you have to describe that in 40 seconds, you will be given some time to look at the chart first, and then when you hear a beep, you will have to record your answer. The next one is retell lecture in which you will be hearing an entire recording for one minute and 30 seconds, and you will have to jot down notes on your erasable note that by the way, you're provided an erasable note that in your PTE. You can actually write some notes there. And then you will be given 10 seconds to organize your thoughts then deliver a summary of what you have heard. In your own words, of course. And the final part of your examination is actually like a game show. It's called your answer short questions, you get trivia questions, for example, whom do you consult when you have painful teeth? And of course, the answer is dentist and you just have to blurt out the answer immediately.  

Just one or two words or maybe a short phrase will be sufficient as an answer for answer short questions. For every correct answer, you get one point for every wrong answer, you get no points. So that's it for your speaking examination for the PTE, it's actually very streamlined. Although there are more types of questions you're gonna get for the PTE. But again, one of the advantages here is that you're not facing an examiner. So if you're the kind of person who gets really anxious when you're around other people, if you're very introverted, this might work for you. And lastly, probably in my prep, like in from my point of view, this is the most exciting English examination, especially for nurses, the OET, although it's very expensive. Okay, so the OET speaking exam is a roleplay, you will assume the role of your position. So for example, you are a nurse. So you will be playing the role of a nurse, it can be a different type of nurse, or a different position you're going to play, for example, maybe you are, you know, a surgery nurse like an or nurse. And all of a sudden you have to play the role of a community health nurse in that conversation, you would still be a nurse, but it can be a different occupation altogether, or a different position or a different designation. And you will be talking to a lay person, this layperson can be the patient, the parent of the patient, a relative of the patient or the caregiver of that patient. Most of the time is the patient him or herself. And so the interlocutor, the person you're talking to not the one who's grading you, but the person you're going to communicate with is the one playing that role, the laypersons role.  

What's going to happen here is you're going to be given kg of like your roleplay card. And your interlocutor will also be provided an equivalent roleplay card, and you're going to actually do a roleplay. And you're going to use the guide bullets in your roleplay card to communicate with the person that you're talking to, you're going to introduce yourself as a nurse, give probably some information, ask some information, provide guidance, provide reassurance, and comfort your patient and stuff like that. And the patient will have respond for each one of the roleplay you're going to be doing them for five minutes. You have three minutes or two to three minutes right before the start of your role plays to prepare what you're going to say so you can jot down some notes. There will be a sheet of paper provided for you which is the question card you can encircle key words there. You can also write some notes if you want. And then after your three minute preparation time, you will have to talk to the interlocutor and it's going to be more of a back and forth not really like an interrogation. It is a more interactive examination for speaking. By the way the interlocutor doesn't really grade you. So during the preparation time, if you have any questions whatsoever about your roleplay card, you can ask your interlocutor and if the interlocutor can answer, then he or she will say for example, you're not familiar with a disease condition. Or perhaps you're not acquainted with how a role play works.  

You can ask questions and direct them to your interlocutor. Now you might be wondering who's going to grade me when I'm taking the OET It's not the interlocutor that you're going to be communicating with. But an examiner who will be listening to the recording of your performance after the test is over. And it's not just one examiner but a couple of examiner's for the OET and they're stationed in Melbourne, Australia. They're going to be listening to your performance and they will be the ones to award a score depending on their profiles and also the average scores that you're going to get for the two examiners, you're going to get your final grade for speaking, which is going to be published after 16 business days. So that's how Your exams are going to go. So I hope this gives you already some sort of idea on what the exam formats are. So you can more easily pick which one to take for your overseas application for your US dream. But more importantly, ask hmm, you know, ask the experts and try to talk to your case managers figure out what examination is perfect for you, because you might end up taking one exam, and then all of a sudden, you realize it's not accepted in your state.  

And you might need to take a different examination altogether. It's not just a waste of money and resources. It's also a waste of time, because your English examination does not only involve like a three hour examination or two hour tests, it involves a lot of prep time. And a lot of mental conditioning along the way, it will take a lot of time, definitely. So make sure that you're taking only one exam, and you don't have to repeat an examination just because it's not accepted in your territory or a state. So ask the experts consult and AMN, they're going to be able to provide for you useful insights on what examination to take, and which ones are accepted in your state. So they're going to be able to provide for you better options as well on what examinations will get you to the US much, much faster. So there we go, the different examinations. And if there's one final tip that I have for you guys, because I'm running out of time, I have three minutes on the clock. If there's one final tip that I want to share with you when it comes to English exams, each English examination is different from the other not because you did well in one exam, it's going to also translate to good performance in another English exam.  

There are different ballgames you know, there are different animals, you have to attack them differently. So you have to ensure that you, you prepare, you train, you get feedback for your performance and make sure that your performance matches the requirements of the examination that you have chosen. Okay? These English exams did not just test your English, they also test your ability to take the test under timed conditions. So make sure that you're mentally and physically prepared to take your English tests right so there you go. I hope you enjoy that mini session about your speaking examination for the different exams. 

Thank you Brian. Some super great information there I'm sure our nurses watching found that very helpful. All the tips, all the overviews, a lot of good information. If you want more information, you were inspired by what Brian said you can go to our website, we have a resources library where we have a ton of information on all of the different English exams will pop the link in the chat. You can see we have different sections for an overview. We have our Connetics College, which is now the AMN Academy we have a section on IELTS OET, PTE, lots of different sections, lots of different information. So go ahead, check that out. Take advantage of all the free information from our experts just like Brian.  

All right well, thank you, Brian, for being on today. I'm so appreciative. We love working with 9.0 Niner. And we are also very grateful for our partnership. Before we go, I want to take a look at our upcoming shows for this next month. Let's pull up that schedule. So we have our onwards and upwards show and immigration Q&A this Friday. So the visa bulletin came out last week. So we will be discussing that very positive update and taking all of your questions with our immigration experts. We also have the next Lefora Talk Show episode on April 16. We'll be talking about embracing your new life in the USA. So some good information there. And as a reminder, the shows are always at 7am Pacific Standard Time. And we want to hear from you we want to know what do you want to see for upcoming shows for the rest of the year.  

Our schedule is open and available and we want to make sure that you are getting the information that you want to see so please put in the comments. Our team is watching what shows are interesting to you. What do you want to learn? What do you want us to focus on? What do you want us to cover? Let us know and we look forward to giving you all of the information that you need. So once again, thank you and we have AMN Academy can't forget about the Amen Academy are upcoming shows every Monday 5am pacific standard time with our partners iPass, Swoosh, Aspire RN and 9.0 Niner. And those are free classes so free information taught by experts.  

So you definitely want to check those out. So thank you to everybody who joined us today. Thank you for your comments and your questions. Once again, please put in the chat what you want to see for future what kind of shows do you want to see for the future? Let us know one in the chat thank you for being here today thank you for my guests for all of the information onwards and upwards everybody and we'll see you next time.