OET Cancellation and Refund Policy Explained
If you cancel an OET booking, OET refunds your fee minus AU$120 before the booking closing date, or minus AU$200 after it. Each test mode has a last date to cancel, and you cannot cancel once you have started. This guide explains OET's own rules for test bookings.
How much do you get back?
OET deducts a cancellation fee from your refund. The figures below are our own sums for a full test booked at AU$587.
| When you cancel | Cancellation fee | Refund on a AU$587 booking |
|---|---|---|
| Before the booking closing date | AU$120 | About AU$467 |
| After the booking closing date, up to the last date for your mode | AU$200 | About AU$387 |
| After the last date, or after you have started | No cancellation | None, unless OET accepts extenuating circumstances |
You must cancel your whole booking, a cancellation cannot be reversed, and paper candidates cannot cancel only some of the sub-tests they booked. Your bank's exchange rate on the refund may differ from the rate you paid. Source: OET Test Regulations, section 9.2.
The last date to cancel, by test mode
| Test mode | Booking closes | Last date to cancel |
|---|---|---|
| OET on Computer | 7 days before the test | Up to 48 hours before your test start time, in your local time zone |
| OET@Home | 7 days before the test | Up to 48 hours before your test start time, in your local time zone |
| OET on Paper, Friday test | 24 days before the test | 11:59 pm local time on the Saturday before the test |
| OET on Paper, Saturday test | 24 days before the test | 11:59 pm local time on the Sunday before the test |
On computer and OET@Home you cannot cancel once you have completed any sub-test of that test administration, and you cannot ask for a refund after the test. Find your own booking closing date on the OET booking page, or look it up in our OET test dates table.
How to cancel: computer and OET@Home bookings can be cancelled in your OET Account before the booking closing date. Paper bookings are handled through myOET. OET's support site has the current steps.
What if you miss your OET test?
You are not eligible for a refund unless you can show that extenuating circumstances stopped you attending. You have five business days to contact OET Support with evidence, and each case is assessed individually.
On computer and OET@Home, Listening, Reading and Writing must be taken together, and Speaking must be completed in the same test administration, usually within 8 days before or after. If you complete only some of the sub-tests, your result is not published and you forfeit the test with no refund. If OET itself cannot deliver your test, for example because of an outage or severe weather, you can rebook at no extra cost, and if no suitable date exists OET issues a full refund.
Rescheduling instead of cancelling
Rescheduling keeps your booking and moves the date. It costs the same fee as cancelling, but you do not pay the full test fee again.
| Change | Fee | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Reschedule, paper | AU$120 or AU$200 | AU$120 up to the booking closing date; AU$200 after it, until 11:59 pm local time on the day before the test |
| Reschedule, computer or OET@Home | AU$120 or AU$200 | AU$120 up to the booking closing date; AU$200 up to 48 hours before your first sub-test |
| Speaking only, computer or OET@Home | AU$30 or AU$100 | AU$30 within the same test administration; AU$100 later, including within 24 hours after a missed Speaking session; once only |
You must cancel and rebook, not reschedule, if you want to: change test mode (for example paper to computer), change profession, move a computer or OET@Home booking to another country, or change a booking bought with a discount code. A rescheduled booking cannot be reversed.
Cancel, reschedule or sit the test?
You still plan to sit OET
Reschedule. You pay AU$120 or AU$200 and keep your booking. Cancelling costs the same fee and you then pay the full fee again.
You want to change mode
Cancel and rebook, but check that seats are available first: OET warns that computer and OET@Home seats are limited.
You are not sure you are ready
Sit a timed mock test before the booking closing date, while the cheaper AU$120 fee still applies.
OET cancellation and refunds: FAQ
What is the OET cancellation policy?
You can cancel for a refund minus AU$120 before the booking closing date, or minus AU$200 after it. On computer and OET@Home the last date is 48 hours before your test. On paper it is about a week before: the Saturday before a Friday test or the Sunday before a Saturday test.
Can I get a full refund for my OET test?
Not by cancelling, because a cancellation fee always applies. OET issues a full refund if it cannot deliver your test because of circumstances outside its control and there are no suitable new dates.
What happens if I miss my OET exam?
You are not eligible for a refund unless you can show extenuating circumstances. You have five business days to contact OET Support with evidence, and each case is assessed individually.
Can I cancel just one OET sub-test?
No. You must cancel your whole booking. Partial cancellations are not allowed.
Is it cheaper to reschedule or cancel my OET test?
Rescheduling is cheaper if you still plan to sit the test. The fee is the same AU$120 or AU$200, but after cancelling you also pay the full test fee again.
Thinking of moving your test date?
Find out whether you are ready first. A free placement test and a timed mock cost far less than a second booking.