How to prepare for your exam
It is essential to keep calm and concentrate not only on your exam but also on your preparation for it.
Below are some tips that can help you during this process.
Before the test
No matter which exam you take, you’ll have a limited time to complete it and a series of texts to read. These texts can include:
- Expository: Explains a particular topic
- Argumentative: Presents a hypothesis and its supportive arguments
- Narrative: Historical or fictional texts that cover facts or people
Keep a frequent habit of reading. Diversify the texts you read so you're reading news, stories, academic essays, and other articles, and interpret them using the extensive reading technique. This way, you will be able to get the text’s main and supportive ideas quickly while avoiding unnecessary parts that may hinder your reading comprehension.
By doing so, you will be able to resolve this part of the test effectively during your exam.
The best way to increase your comprehension and concentration levels is by reading frequently. Even though it sounds redundant, this exercise familiarizes you with the written language, helping you to adapt to the different text styles and increase your vocabulary.
It can also give you more self-confidence. Even though you may not have knowledge of the text presented, you do know the language and the type of texts given.
During the test
- Take a look all over this part of the exam to understand how many documents you have to read, as well as the number and types of questions.
- Before starting with any text, identify the primary and secondary ideas.
- Pay attention to every heading, subtitle, and detail of the text. It might provide you with more information on what you’re reading.
- Before answering any question, review the response options so you can eliminate obvious incorrect answers.
- If you have questions where you must fill in the gaps, pay attention to the words right before and after the gaps to uncover any detail that might help you get the best answer.
After the test
Once you’ve finished this part of the exam, clear your mind of the information you have processed. Take a deep breath, and continue with the rest of the process indicated by your exam guide.
Don’t abandon the reading habits you’ve acquired. The more you read, the more fluency you get.