Look, I'm going to be straight with you.

There's one mistake I see almost every single OET candidate make. And honestly? It's costing you your exam success.

The worst part? It affects every single paper – Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking. All of them.

So What's This Massive Mistake?

You're not using a timer.

I know, I know. It sounds ridiculously basic, right?

But here's the thing – most of you aren't doing it. And then exam day comes, and reality hits you like a ton of bricks.

Here's What Happens Every Single Time

When students come to work with me, I always ask the same question:

"How many correct answers do you get in Reading? Out of 42?"

And I get answers like 21, 27, sometimes 29 or 30.

Great scores, right?

Then I ask the follow-up question: "Did you get those answers within the time limit?"

The answer? Almost always NO.

You're fooling yourself.

Why This Matters More Than You Think

When you actually start using a timer and monitoring your time properly, you'll discover three critical things:

1. Whether you actually have good time management or not (spoiler alert: probably not)

2. Which paper is really your weakness (not which one you think is your weakness)

3. Which specific part of each paper is holding you back

Let Me Give You a Real Example

Take OET Reading Part A.

Without a timer, you're getting 18 or 19 correct answers out of 20. You're feeling pretty confident, yeah?

Then you use a timer for the first time.

Suddenly, you're barely getting 10 to 12 correct.

That's the reality check you needed.

Now you know – Reading Part A is actually a problem. You need to change your approach. You need a better strategy.

(By the way, if you need strategies to improve your OET Reading A score, check out [this article].)

It's Not Just About Reading

Using a timer is crucial for OET Writing too.

You can write the most brilliant, perfect letter. But if it takes you 50 minutes instead of 45? It counts for nothing.

Zero. Zilch. Nada.

And you absolutely should not be finding this out on exam day. Okay?

The Bottom Line

Stop fooling yourself.

Start using a timer for every single practice session. Every listening practice. Every reading practice. Every writing task.

It's the only way to know where you really stand.

Because here's the truth – getting the right answers doesn't matter if you can't do it in time.

The OET doesn't care how good you are when you have unlimited time. The exam has strict time limits, and you need to perform within them.

So grab your phone, set that timer, and start practicing like you're actually going to take the exam.

Your future self (and your OET score) will thank you.

Need help organising your time for OET Writing efficiently? [Check out this article here].

Now stop reading and go practice. With a timer this time.

NEED SUPPORT WITH YOUR OET PREPARATION?

Either send us an email contact@vplanguages.com or DM us on our Facebook page VP MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES https://www.facebook.com/vplanguages/ or send a friend request to Valentina on her personal profile and DM her https://www.facebook.com/valentinapopescu.vp/