OET Reading: How to Approach PART C

The style of texts found in the third part of OET reading is mostly general information regarding the medical field. These are mostly about the current developments or discoveries that one might read in his or her leisure time. So reading the right way might make all the difference here.

There are mainly 3 ways you can read a text:

• Skim over everything just picking up the raw facts.
• Carefully and slowly understand every word there is in the text.
• Understand what the writer is saying.

STAY AWAY No.1: Picking up just the facts won't help anybody as the questions you will receive won't be asking you for these.

STAY AWAY No.2: Trying to understand every word will cost you dearly in ways of time management.

WHATS THE BEST OPTION?

So the best option here is to go get speed on your side and take into account what the author is trying to tell the audience. This will save you time and since all the questions you get on this part will be related to the ideas and opinions that are discussed in the text, this is the perfect approach to take here.

OPINIONS MATTER

The opinions are what require the most attention in these texts. They can be from the author or anyone who has been mentioned in the text. The tricky part is to understand what the opinion clearly is regardless of the way the opinion is presented. 

For example, "This idea, in my opinion, has its beauty in its simplicity" which means the conclusion does not turn out to be true but here, it is quite easy to miss the exact tone of the opinion.

So needless to say, your ability to comprehend the opinion is what is being judged. So the overall tone of what is being said is what is important here. Although the facts and figures will provide you with hints as to what the opinion is, they should always be the second priority in this part of the reading subtest.

Just matching the keywords will not ensure you the right answer as a person can easily be thrown off by these.

So remember, always understand what the writer is trying to convey and understand the meaning of the text rather than skimming across collecting all the numbers.

Happy scoring!