Preparing for your English Proficiency tests can be daunting, especially when you don't know where to start. It happens to the best of us so the first thing we, at Alfa Beta, ask test givers to do is to breathe and calm the nerves. Since most of the English tests have a similar pattern of testing or include sections in one way or another, we have created this blog to ease your nerves about your proficiency tests.
The first section we deal with are the listening tests. This test seems to be the easiest but in reality will test your attention capabilities and how easily you can understand what the other person is saying. The key is to listen for keywords. Keywords are words that give you an overall idea on what the sentence is trying to say. It mostly answers the ‘wh’ questions. Rather than trying to understand or paying attention to every word, listening for keywords will give you the major idea. Moving on, it is better to quickly skim your questions before the test begins which will give you an understanding on what you need to pay most attention to. This method helps you predict the answers or the type of answer the question requires you to give. Trying too hard to focus on the audio might lead to you losing focus and missing a question. Don't fret! Use the context of what you’ve already heard and guess the correct answer.
The Reading section is in a way easier as long as you can decipher what the text is trying to communicate. The best way to decode the reading test is to skim and scan the passage as long as you get the general idea and can highlight the important information. Like in the listening test, make sure to go through your questions for an easier scan. Quite often, synonyms are used for the words in the passage so don't look for the literal definition or answer. Understanding the main idea of the reading section while highlighting key information allows you to answer easily and without any hassles.
The writing section already has four aspects given based on which the answers will be marked. For more information on the aspects do check our ‘The IELTS Academic - Essentials of the Test’ blog. The most crucial part to ace your writing tests is to clearly structure your essay; you can stick to your basic rule of introduction, body, and conclusion aspect allowing you and the examiner to easily understand your point. It is also a great idea to use a wide range of vocabulary as it is one of the grading parameters when working on your writing section.
Your speaking section provides you more of a human touch as you will be engaging in conversations, either with a certified examiner or submitting your response via a computer. The key to speaking tests are practicing on various random topics related to the general environment around you like technology, health, education and more. It is also a plus point to showcase your vocabulary. It is best to keep talking when taking speaking tests unless your time is up.
Now that you have an in depth understanding of the four bands, some general things to be mindful about are time management, practice, and to let go of stress. Alfa Beta encourages you to take multiple mock or practice tests before you sit for the real test. We have the best space for practice in our building located at Baneshwor with ample resources. We offer the best IELTS and PTE-A classes in Nepal. While practicing, make sure to time your tests so you can analyze how you perform in the given time limit. Lastly, relax and unwind before the test. Working under stress will only give you more stress which might lead to underperformance during your test.
