Post by Deborah Udy Okusaga Akanne (@deborah_udy_okusaga)

I'm so sorry for not being able to post 5 pm's post yesterday—due to unforeseen circumstances beyond my control.

Before we start the day, here is the post that didn't make it.

OET vs IELTS

There are two English language tests accepted by the GMC and NMC.

Most candidates pick the wrong one and then spend months retaking it.

Here is how to choose correctly the first time.

IELTS Academic covers general academic English. Reading passages about science, geography, history. Writing tasks are essays and data interpretation. None of it is clinical. If you have spent your career in a hospital, those scenarios feel unfamiliar.

OET is built entirely around healthcare. The listening component uses clinical conversations between doctors, nurses, and patients. The reading passages are clinical in context. The writing task asks you to produce a referral letter or discharge summary. The speaking task is a clinical role play with a simulated patient. If you work in clinical practice every day, OET tests skills you already use.

The minimum requirements:

For NMC registration: OET Grade B in all four components — Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The NMC also accepts IELTS Academic with a minimum score of 7.0 in each individual component.

For GMC registration: OET Grade B in all four components. The GMC also accepts IELTS Academic. Check the GMC website directly for the current required scores as these are subject to update.

Results from both tests are valid for two years. Both can be taken at approved centres across India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and many other countries.

My honest view: if you work in clinical practice, OET is the more appropriate preparation. The failure rate for IELTS is higher among clinical candidates partly because the academic format is unfamiliar.

I offer structured OET preparation as part of my service. DM me OET if you want to understand what that looks like.

That is Day 1 complete. Tuesday starts at 7am with something that catches hundreds of international healthcare professionals by surprise — the connection between your NHS band and your visa eligibility that most people do not discover until it is too late.

#OETPreparation #IELTSvOET #NMCRegistration #GMCRegistration #InternationalNurses #IMGDoctor #HCPCregistered #SovereignHealthcareAdvisoryGroup #NHSJobs2026 #OETExam #EnglishLanguageTest #NHSRecruitment2026 6 #InternationalHealthcareProfessionals #OETNurse #UKHealthcareJobs

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