To prove your proficiency in English when going to an English-speaking country for study, work, or immigration you need to sit for an English Proficiency test. The type of test you will take depends on your institution. For example, some universities prefer IELTS, whereas others TOEFL. These tests are not very easy. Even if you are good in English you need to take extensive preparation to do well in these exams. Some of the ways to prepare for the exam include reading books, enrolling in a course, reading blogs, practicing reading and listening, building vocabulary, doing past papers, etc. Among these solving sample exam papers seems to be the most effective method of preparation.
Benefits of doing past papers
By solving the past papers you get familiar with the exam format. You know how many questions are expected in each section and the time within which you need to solve them. You will understand the difficulty level of the questions. You will learn a lot of new words by doing these papers. It is a short-cut approach to learning grammar rather than reading the entire grammar book. When you start solving the questions and matching the answers you will automatically find your mistakes and learn from them. You can find out whether you can complete the test on time by giving these tests using a stopwatch. You will understand which part of the exam you have to catch up on. The past papers contain the marks allocated for each section. That way you will understand which question weighs more marks and so you can focus on those questions first.Doing past papers is a good way to practice writing. You will get a huge collection of topics to write about that appeared in real exams. So, you will get an idea about the type of topics that come in the exam. The more you practice writing, the better you will become stronger in grammar and vocabulary.
You can buy books consisting of past question papers and answers. These are available online as well. They come with an analysis of the answers. So, these past papers act as your guide showing you what mistakes you have made and how you can approach to the right answer. By solving the past papers you will get an idea about your areas of strength and weaknesses. You can then focus on areas where you need major improvements.
Some online resources let you take computerized practice exams. In these exams you don't have to check your answers, the computer will do it for you. Most of these tests are paid. They will even score your exam and give you an idea about your expected score in the real exam.
The more you do the past papers, the more your skill will develop. You will be able to recall what you have learned from books, courses, or online resources. These past question papers are a wonderful tool for revision. Days before the exam you must solve these question papers to get into the mood of giving the actual exam. It also makes a positive psychological impact as you become confident with practice.
If you have any knowledge gap then solving the past papers will bring you back on track. You will notice that you are facing problems with some particular types of paper. This is an indication of your problem area. After identifying your weakness you can act on it. You will gain lots of confidence from solving past papers. This will help you to answer questions well and reduce the chances of mistakes.
Just like the other aspects of life, in taking English Proficiency exams also, there is nothing better than practicing. By doing the past papers, you will become good in every section.
Strategies for Solving English Practice Test
Answering all the questions within the designated time is a big challenge for these tests. You should answer the questions of the practice test within the allocated time. You need to develop a sense of timing so that you don't spend too much time on one question. Learn to prioritize the sections depending on your strengths and weaknesses, the mark, and the time allocated for each. Many of these tests are lengthy. You must also learn how to stay focused for such a long time.To solve problems related to reading and listening you should read the text and listen to audio recordings. When reading the text you should note down the important information and create a mental outline of the text. When practicing listening exercises, note down the keywords and phrases so that you can recall the information when answering the questions.
Even after practicing so much, you may get a poor score. You must remember that you will lose marks for misunderstanding the question and answering wrongly. You must make it a habit to analyze the practice question paper thoroughly after giving the practice test. This way you can exactly find out your mistakes.
When you are practicing the writing section, you must learn how to structure your essay. You must have an introduction, body, and conclusion. Use the speaking prompts mentioned in the practice questions and record your answers. Then listen to your pronunciation and speech delivery technique. Find out areas of improvement and work on them.
