IELTS, PTE or OET? Choosing an English test for Australia

IELTS has two versions. According to IELTS, Academic is for university-level study, while General Training is for migration and study or training below degree level. Academic is also the version Ahpra accepts for registration. Listening and Speaking are the same in both; Reading and Writing differ. Home Affairs accepts both versions for visas, including One Skill Retake for eligible visas.

The Speaking test is a recorded, face-to-face interview with an examiner, lasting 11–14 minutes in three parts: questions about familiar topics, a short talk from a task card after one minute's preparation, and a discussion. If you think best in conversation and respond well to a real listener, IELTS often suits you. See our IELTS Speaking Part 2 strategy for how to use the minute of preparation.

Pearson describes PTE Academic as a computer-based test of about two hours, taken at a test centre. Speaking and writing are combined in the first part, followed by reading and listening. Responses are scored by AI combined with human review, on a 10–90 scale, and Pearson says results usually arrive within two days.

In the speaking tasks you talk to a computer, not a person, and each task has a short timer. People who are comfortable with screens and strict timing sometimes prefer it; people who rely on the reactions of a listener often find it less natural. Home Affairs notes that the current PTE Academic keeps the old name but has different scores from the version accepted before 7 August 2025, so make sure you're reading the right score table.

OET is designed for health care. It has four sub-tests. Listening and Reading are the same for everyone, while Writing and Speaking are specific to your profession: medicine, nursing, dentistry, dietetics, pharmacy, physiotherapy, podiatry, radiology, occupational therapy, veterinary science, optometry or speech pathology.

In Speaking you play your own profession in two role-plays, with an interlocutor playing a patient, relative or carer. Because the content is clinical, many health professionals find it closer to their daily work than an academic topic. Read how an OET role-play is structured. OET is accepted by Home Affairs and by Ahpra, so a single result can serve both purposes if it meets both sets of minimum scores.

Two different bodies may look at your English result, and their rules aren't identical:

• Home Affairs (visas): accepts IELTS Academic and General Training, PTE Academic, OET, TOEFL iBT (if you selected "Taking TOEFL for Australia"), Cambridge C1 Advanced, CELPIP General, LANGUAGECERT Academic and the Michigan English Test, taken at a secure test centre. The score you need depends on the visa and on the English level you want to claim. See English tests for Australian PR.
• Ahpra and the National Boards (registration): accept IELTS Academic, PTE Academic, OET, TOEFL iBT and Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency. IELTS General Training isn't on that list. New minimum scores apply to tests taken on or after 23 April 2026, and results generally need to be from the two years before you apply.

1. Start with who needs the result. If it's Ahpra, rule out IELTS General Training. If it's only Home Affairs, all three are options.
2. Try each speaking format. Do a timed practice task for each test and notice where you freeze or ramble. The format you handle best usually matters more than small differences in score tables.
3. Look at the score tables side by side. Home Affairs publishes separate minimums for each test and each level. Compare the score you'd realistically reach in each, especially in your weakest skill.
4. Think about logistics. Test dates, centres near you, cost and how quickly you need results all vary. Check the provider's website for current details.