How Nurses Can Use ChatGPT to Improve OET Reading Skills

How Nurses Can Use ChatGPT to Improve OET Reading Skills

The OET Reading sub-test is one of the most underestimated parts of the exam for many nurses. While it may look simple at first glance, it actually tests a complex set of skills: speed, accuracy, critical thinking, and the ability to extract key information from healthcare-related texts under time pressure.

You’ll need to handle:

• Part A: Skimming and scanning four short texts within 15 minutes

• Part B: Identifying main ideas in six short workplace texts

• Part C: Understanding opinions, attitudes, and inferences in longer articles

For nurses who aren’t used to reading dense English quickly, this can be overwhelming.

The good news? You can train all of these skills using ChatGPT.

Whether you’re just starting out or preparing for your second attempt, ChatGPT can help you:

• Generate realistic sample texts and questions modeled on the OET format

• Summarize complex articles or documents into plain English

• Create vocabulary quizzes based on clinical or academic texts

• Practice information processing using news articles, journal abstracts, and patient leaflets

And unlike a textbook, ChatGPT can adapt the difficulty, topic, or style to your preferences in seconds.

In this article, we’ll show you:

• How to simulate Part A, B, and C reading tasks with ChatGPT prompts

• How to train your speed and comprehension through AI-driven repetition

• How to use medical news, guidelines, or case reports as daily practice material

Let’s explore how you can turn ChatGPT into your personal OET reading trainer, anytime, anywhere.

1. Understanding the OET Reading Sub-Test Structure

Before you can improve your OET Reading performance, it’s essential to understand what you’re being tested on—and why. The Reading sub-test is designed to assess your ability to process different types of healthcare-related texts quickly and accurately, just as you would in a real medical setting.

The test is divided into three distinct parts:

‍♂️ Part A: Expedited Reading (15 minutes)

• Task: Skim and scan four short texts to find specific information

• Text types: Patient information sheets, guidelines, notes, flowcharts, FAQs

• Questions: 20 fill-in-the-blank items across 3 tasks (matching, short answer, sentence completion)

Goal: Test your ability to quickly locate precise information under pressure—just like finding protocol steps during an emergency.

Part B: Careful Reading of Workplace Texts (45 minutes shared with Part C)

• Task: Read six short healthcare workplace texts

• Text types: Policy documents, memos, handovers, safety instructions

• Questions: 6 multiple-choice (1 per text)

Goal: Evaluate your ability to understand the main point or purpose of a short, real-world nursing document.

Part C: Reading for Opinion and Attitude

• Task: Read two longer texts (800 words each)

• Text types: Articles from medical journals or health magazines

• Questions: 8 multiple-choice questions per text (total 16)

Goal: Assess your understanding of tone, opinion, implied meaning, and how arguments are structured—critical for understanding longer documents or patient education materials.

The key to success in all three parts is a mix of:

• Speed and accuracy

• Familiarity with medical English

• Practice with various text types

2. How ChatGPT Can Simulate OET Reading Tasks

One of the most powerful ways to prepare for OET Reading is to simulate the test environment as closely as possible—and with ChatGPT, you can do exactly that. Whether you’re practicing skimming, identifying main ideas, or interpreting professional opinions, ChatGPT can help you generate custom reading tasks in the same format as the official test.

Here’s how to simulate each part:

Part A – Skimming and Scanning Practice

What You Need: Short factual texts about a single medical topic (e.g., asthma, wound care, vaccination)

Sample Prompt:

“Create 4 short texts (each 100–150 words) about different aspects of asthma care: symptoms, treatment, patient advice, and emergency steps. Then give me 6 fill-in-the-blank questions that require scanning for specific information.”

What It Trains:

• Speed reading

• Locating data across multiple sources

• Differentiating similar terms (e.g., “drowsiness” vs “dizziness”)

Part B – Workplace Texts and Main Idea Identification

What You Need: Realistic hospital communications like memos or policy updates

Sample Prompt:

“Write 3 short professional memos that nurses might receive at work. Each should include a title and a clear purpose. Then create 1 multiple-choice question per text to test understanding.”

What It Trains:

• Reading short texts carefully

• Recognizing tone and function

• Spotting implied messages

Part C – Opinion, Attitude, and Inference

What You Need: Longer healthcare articles (around 800 words) with professional commentary

Sample Prompt:

“Write a short article (400–500 words) on the use of AI in nursing, including a professional’s opinion. Then write 4 multiple-choice questions that test attitude, tone, and implied meaning.”

What It Trains:

• Understanding author perspective

• Interpreting indirect communication

• Analyzing structure and argument

⏱️ 3. Practice Strategies to Build Speed and Comprehension

Knowing how the OET Reading test works is important—but what really leads to improvement is daily, targeted practice. With the help of ChatGPT, you can turn reading into a powerful daily habit that builds both reading speed and deep comprehension.

Here are 5 strategies to help you get the most out of your practice:

1. Practice a Little Every Day

Instead of studying once a week for hours, spend 15–20 minutes a day on one small task:

• Monday: Part A simulation (skimming/scanning)

• Tuesday: Part B memo + question

• Wednesday: Part C paragraph + inference question

Consistency is more important than intensity.

⏱️ 2. Use Timers to Build Speed

Speed matters—especially in Part A. Try this:

• Set a 5-minute timer to answer 5 scanning questions

• Use a 60-second rule for reading short Part B texts

• Review only after the timer ends to simulate test conditions

This helps train your brain to scan under pressure.

3. Ask ChatGPT to Rephrase or Summarize

After reading a passage, ask:

“Can you summarize this in one sentence?”
“Can you explain this paragraph in simpler words?”

This improves retention and understanding—especially if you struggle with academic or medical vocabulary.

4. Build a Personal Glossary of Medical Terms

Whenever you find new vocabulary, ask:

“What does ‘chronic wound management’ mean in simple terms?”
“How is it used in a sentence?”

Keep a notebook or spreadsheet to track useful phrases that appear often in OET texts.

5. Reflect After Each Task

After each session, write or think:

• What was easy or difficult?

• Did you misunderstand a question—and why?

• What will you do differently tomorrow?

Reflection turns practice into learning.

4. Using Real-World Articles with ChatGPT to Prepare for Part C

OET Reading Part C focuses on your ability to understand longer, more complex texts that present professional opinions, arguments, and implications. But you don’t need official OET materials to train for it—real-world medical articles work just as well, especially when combined with ChatGPT.

Here’s how to turn authentic content into OET-style training.

Step 1: Choose a Reliable Article

Look for articles that are:

• Healthcare-related (e.g., nursing, public health, medical innovation)

• From trusted sources like WHO, Mayo Clinic, The BMJ, or Harvard Health

• Around 500–800 words, ideally with expert commentary or opinion

You can even use blog posts or summaries of journal studies if they include a point of view.

Step 2: Ask ChatGPT to Turn the Article into a Practice Task

Once you paste the article (or a key section) into ChatGPT, try this prompt:

“Please generate 4 OET-style Part C multiple-choice questions based on this article. Focus on opinion, attitude, and inference.”

Optional follow-up prompts:

“What is the writer’s tone in paragraph 3?”
“What is implied about the role of nurses in this article?”

✍️ Step 3: Check Your Reasoning, Not Just the Answers

Ask ChatGPT:

“Why is this the correct answer?”
“Can you explain why the other options are incorrect?”

This helps you practice critical thinking, which is essential for Part C.

Bonus: Learn Academic Vocabulary in Context

Ask:

“List 5 advanced words from this article and explain them simply.”
“How can I use these in other medical writing?”

You’ll improve not only your reading, but also your writing and speaking skills—all at once.

✅ 5. Final Tips: Make OET Reading Prep a Sustainable Habit

Consistent OET Reading practice doesn’t require hours of study every day—it just needs a smart, manageable routine. With the help of ChatGPT, you can integrate powerful reading exercises into your week without feeling overwhelmed.

Here are some final tips to help you build a long-term, low-stress study habit:

1. Create a Weekly Rotation Plan

Instead of doing everything every day, rotate your focus:

• Monday – Part A (skimming/scanning)

• Tuesday – Part B (main idea + tone)

• Wednesday – Part C with real articles

• Thursday – Review incorrect answers with ChatGPT

• Friday – Vocabulary & phrase list building
  → Take weekends off or use them for light revision

This plan keeps things fresh and prevents burnout.

⏱️ 2. Keep Sessions Short but Focused

Stick to 15–30 minutes per session, and don’t multitask.
One high-quality task with review is better than 10 rushed questions.
Use timers to stay sharp and simulate real test conditions.

3. Combine Reading with Listening or Writing

To boost retention, connect what you read with:

• Speaking: Summarize aloud what you just read

• Writing: Turn a paragraph into a short summary

• Listening: Ask ChatGPT to read the text aloud (via TTS tool)

You’ll learn faster by using multiple skills at once.

4. Save and Organize Your Best Practice

Use a notebook, spreadsheet, or app to:

• Save your best ChatGPT prompts

• Copy useful feedback or answer explanations

• Track new vocabulary with definitions and examples

This becomes your personalized OET Reading toolkit.

‍♀️ 5. Don’t Aim for Perfection—Aim for Progress

It’s okay to get questions wrong. The goal is not to be perfect every time—it’s to learn something from every session. With time, your reading speed, accuracy, and confidence will naturally improve.

When used intentionally, ChatGPT isn’t just a practice tool—it’s your daily reading coach, helping you move closer to OET success, one session at a time.

OET For Nurses