What OET score does Ahpra require in 2026?

For tests taken on or before 22 April 2026: Grade B in Listening, Reading and Speaking with C+ accepted in Writing. For tests taken on or after 23 April 2026: numeric minimums of Listening 350, Reading 360, Writing 350 and Speaking 360.

Can I combine two OET sittings for Ahpra?

Yes — one sitting, or two sittings within 12 months with all four components taken each time, minimums met across the two, and per-sitting floor scores respected.

Did Australia make OET harder in 2026?

Ahpra describes the April 2026 numeric minimums as an alignment, not a raise — but Reading and Speaking moved to 360 and Writing to 350 (the old Grade B boundary), so for tests taken on or after 23 April 2026 the practical bar in Writing, Reading and Speaking is higher than under the 2025 rules.

OET for Australia: the Ahpra rules — and the 2026 change to watch

One English standard covers nurses, doctors and every other Ahpra-regulated profession — and it changed materially for tests taken from 23 April 2026. If you prepared against last year’s blog posts, read this first.

Requirements checked against official sources: July 2026

Two rule sets, split by your test date

Test taken…	Listening	Reading	Writing	Speaking
On or before 22 April 2026	B	B	C+	B
On or after 23 April 2026	350	360	350	360

The new numeric minimums replaced letter grades to align with updated score research. Note what moved: Reading and Speaking now need 360 (a bare 350 no longer passes), and Writing at 350 sits at the old Grade B boundary — so the C+ Writing concession introduced in March 2025 effectively ended for tests taken on or after 23 April 2026.

Combining sittings

Ahpra allows results from one sitting, or from two sittings within a 12-month period, provided you sat all four components each time and meet the minimums across the two. Per-sitting floors apply (under the new table: Listening 320, Reading 340, Writing 350, Speaking 350 — Writing has no slack at all). Results generally need to be within two years of your application.

What this means for your preparation

Under the new numbers, Writing is back to being a full-strength hurdle and Speaking needs a clear 360 — one step above the Grade B floor of 350, so a bare floor-level B no longer passes. Both are trainable skills with the right feedback loop: OEZ marks role-plays and letters against the published OET criteria with the numeric band evidence spelled out, so you can gauge whether you’re performing around a 350 or a 370 before you book. Nurses: see nursing cases; doctors: medicine cases.

Before you book: registration requirements change, and Ahpra (ahpra.gov.au), whose “Accepted English language tests” page is the authoritative table, has the final word. This page is kept current (last verified July 2026), but always confirm the live requirement on the regulator's own site before booking a test date.

Practise this on OEZ — start free

Full speaking role-plays with an AI patient, timed writing tasks, and marking modelled on OET’s published criteria. No card needed.