This page reports what the Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB) says about IELTS on its scholarship guidelines page and in its FAQ for the 2025/26 application cycle (file named as updated 11 September 2025), plus one page of the UK General Medical Council (GMC) and one ielts.org page on IELTS Online, as read in October 2026. OMSB's guidelines page is last stamped April 2023, and scores and rules change, so check each source before you act. OMSB, the GMC and the receiving institution decide what applies to you, and other specialities, countries and applicants can differ. This page gives no registration, visa or scholarship advice and promises no admission or funding.
OMSB's country sections also list requirements other than language scores, such as MCCEE/MCCQE1 for Canadian residency programmes, completion of training at OMSB in the UK section and the AMC Examination for Australian residency programmes. This page covers only the IELTS and OET lines, so read the whole section for your country.
What OMSB lists, at a glance
| Country | IELTS, as OMSB lists it | OET, as OMSB lists it | Cross-checked with the receiving body here? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | At least 7.0 in each component, for the universities of Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary and Manitoba | At least B in all components, accepted at British Columbia, Dalhousie and Manitoba | OMSB only |
| United Kingdom (for GMC registration) | At least 7.0 in each component and 7.5 overall | At least B in all components | IELTS: yes, the GMC's page states the same scores |
| Ireland | At least 6.5 in each component and 7.0 overall | At least B in all components | OMSB only |
| Australia | At least 7 in each component | At least B in all components | OMSB only |
The table is a summary, not the rule: the rule is the text on OMSB's page and on the page of the university or regulator you apply to. Only the UK IELTS figures were cross-checked with the body that applies them.
Which countries OMSB's guidelines name
OMSB's scholarship guidelines page says applications are open only for six countries it calls English-speaking (Canada, the USA, New Zealand, the UK, Australia and Ireland), plus France. It lists IELTS and OET scores for four of them. Its page gives no IELTS or OET score for the USA, New Zealand or France, so this page says nothing about them.
Do you need IELTS just to apply to OMSB?
Not necessarily. OMSB's FAQ asks whether IELTS or OET is mandatory to apply for international programmes and answers no, adding that some Canadian universities do require it at the time of application. Three more points come from OMSB's pages:
- The score is the university's or country's. The guidelines say the applicant should obtain the language test score required by the university or country of interest.
- The certificate can come later. The same page says it can be provided after OMSB gives provisional approval, and its document checklists for general, residency and fellowship applications each list a valid IELTS or OET only where the institution requires it.
- A possible exemption. The FAQ says a doctor whose medical degree comes from a country where English is the native language is exempt from providing IELTS or OET. The answer does not list those countries, so ask OMSB which case yours is.
Canada: 7.0 in each component at four named universities
OMSB lists IELTS with at least 7.0 in each component for the universities of Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary and Manitoba. It also says OET with at least B in all components is now accepted at British Columbia, Dalhousie and Manitoba.
OMSB's page leaves three things open. Dalhousie appears in its OET line but not in its IELTS line, so the page does not say what IELTS score, if any, it asks for. The page lists twelve Canadian universities and its IELTS line names four of them; for the other eight it gives no IELTS score. And no overall band is named for Canada. The FAQ does not say which universities need the test at the time of application, or whether it means application to OMSB or to the university, so ask.
United Kingdom: the IELTS figures match the GMC's page
For GMC registration, OMSB lists IELTS with at least 7.0 in each component and 7.5 overall, or OET with at least B in all components. The GMC's own page, Using your IELTS certificate, read in October 2026, states the same IELTS scores: at least 7.0 in each testing area and 7.5 overall. That is the requirement for registration with the GMC; the GMC's page does not say what a UK employer or training programme asks, so ask the one you apply to.
The GMC page adds conditions that OMSB's line does not carry:
- Academic version only. The GMC accepts only the Academic version of IELTS, including IELTS for UKVI, with its minimum scores. See IELTS Academic or General Training and IELTS for UKVI in Oman.
- Same test, latest sitting. It asks for the scores to come from the same test and from your most recent sitting of the test.
- Two years. It says IELTS certificates are valid for two years, and it sets out what applies when one is older.
- Formats. It lists IELTS taken in person, IELTS Online and IELTS One Skill Retake as accepted, and says it does not accept the IELTS Indicator test. See One Skill Retake or a full retake.
One statement conflicts. ielts.org's page on IELTS Online, read in October 2026, says IELTS Online is not accepted by governments and organisations for immigration or professional registration, while the GMC's page lists it as accepted. This page cannot settle that: ielts.org's sentence is general, the GMC's page is specific to GMC registration, and neither addresses the other. Ask the GMC about your own case before you book any format; IELTS Online at home in Oman covers how that test works there.
OET appears in the same sources
For the UK, Ireland and Australia, OMSB lists OET with at least B in all components as an alternative to IELTS; for Canada it names three universities that accept it. This page does not describe, compare or recommend OET: Band Booster IELTS teaches IELTS, and OMSB, the GMC and your institution say which test they accept.
Reading the numbers: components and the overall band
All four lists ask for a figure in each component, which this page reads as each of the four skills, and the UK and Ireland also ask for an overall band. The overall band is the average of the four skills rounded to the nearest half band: an average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band, and one ending in .75 to the next whole band. So a high overall can hide one weak skill. Only the UK and Ireland lists name an overall band, Ireland's 6.5 is the only per-component figure below 7.0, and the Ireland and Australia figures come from OMSB alone, so confirm them with the regulators. The results below are made up.
| Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking | Average | Overall | Meets the listed figures for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.5 | 8.0 | 6.5 | 8.0 | 7.75 | 8.0 | Ireland only (Writing 6.5 is below 7.0) |
| 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.00 | 7.0 | Canada, Ireland and Australia; not the UK (overall 7.5) |
| 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.25 | 7.5 | All four lists |
The first row has the highest overall of the three and still falls short of three lists, because of one skill; the third shows rounding, an average of 7.25 becoming 7.5. The IELTS band score calculator checks your own arithmetic.
Which version, which format, and how long a result counts
OMSB's page does not say which version or format counts for Canada, Ireland or Australia, so ask the university or regulator. The GMC's page says IELTS certificates are valid for two years, as most institutions' policies do; OMSB's page gives no period for any country. Since the certificate can follow provisional approval, ask OMSB and the institution how recent it must be before you choose a test date.
Checking your own case, step by step
- Read OMSB's guidelines page and FAQ for your type of application (general, residency or fellowship), and note whether the receiving institution requires IELTS or OET at all.
- Open the page of the university or regulator you apply to and compare each of the four skills, not only the overall band. Note the version, format and validity it states; if it differs from OMSB's page, ask both.
- Book IELTS with the provider you choose; Band Booster does not register students. See the Muscat page for testing in Muscat and booking IELTS in Oman for ID and moving a test.
Preparing for scores at this level
This is general study advice from Band Booster IELTS, not guidance from OMSB or the GMC, and no band is promised. When a list asks for a figure in each component, a weak skill can matter as much as a strong one, so a timed practice paper in each skill shows where to focus. The Speaking Part 2 timer helps with the long turn.
Where Band Booster fits
Every minimum score on this page is a requirement that OMSB lists or the GMC states, not a target set by Band Booster. The example results in the table above are made up.
Band Booster IELTS is a private online tutor. It is not a university, a test centre or the exam board, and it has no connection with OMSB, the GMC, IDP, the British Council or any regulator: it does not register you for IELTS, support a scholarship application or decide anything about registration or admission. Mike teaches every session himself, one-to-one and live in English on Google Meet. He holds the Cambridge CELTA, is based in Hanoi and scored 8.5 in Speaking in his own IELTS (see about Mike). Sessions can cover all four skills, with feedback in the moment; see IELTS Speaking coaching and IELTS Writing feedback (their prices are for Vietnam).
Oman is in a higher regional price tier than Vietnam. The booking page shows each time in your own time zone, and your price in your own currency with the payment options, before you pay. A paid 30-minute trial can be taken once, on your first booking, and you can reschedule at no charge up to 12 hours before a session. There is no subscription or package, and no band, registration, place or funding is guaranteed: progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions.
Related pages and fees
See IELTS and the General Foundation Programme in Oman, IELTS results in Oman and IELTS scores for study abroad. Band Booster does not register students for IELTS, so this page quotes no exam fee and no test date; the providers set them and they can change.