Preparation for testing in English. Testing in English. Who requires these certificates
Choose one of the following methods based on your preparation goals, planned budget, and personal priorities.
English courses abroad and in Russia
Training abroad is carried out on the basis of British language schools and universities. It is optimal to choose an English-speaking country for these purposes. Foreign educational institutions offer several groups of programs:
- from the Upper-Intermediate level and above: develop skills for passing the test;
- from the level below Intermediate: "Language for Academic Purposes", which combines language learning with preparation for passing the test;
- Foundation Program for future undergraduate students (combines language and academic training with preparation in the subjects that the applicant has chosen to study at the university).
Preparation abroad is immersion in the linguistic and cultural environment, acquaintance with the country and people. A barrier to such a choice can be cost, the inability to combine preparation with current work, study and, paradoxically, poor knowledge of the language.
Training in Russia is carried out within the framework of specialized programs based on language schools, courses and accredited examination centers. They offer general and special programs of varying intensity.
For some people, group work is an additional motivation. It encourages not to miss classes and complete assignments in a timely manner. However, most of the courses do not offer flexible schedules, and missed classes will most likely have to be reinstated on their own or for an additional fee. Short-term intensive courses will help systematize existing knowledge and talk, but you should not hope to master the program of a whole semester in a couple of weeks.
There is an exam ahead, and you are not sure that you will have time to prepare for it? We will tell you how to prepare for your English exam correctly, without hassle and sleepless nights.
Preparing for an English exam - stress? Get rid of it with our tips. Despite the recent fashion in our country for everything primordially Russian, the English language is getting closer to us: new technologies, the Internet, work, study - all these areas are in one way or another closely related to English. It is not surprising that more and more people every year begin to learn the language in order to obtain a certificate of English proficiency in order to have a document confirming their knowledge. But before you get the coveted certificate, you have to work hard: preparing for an English exam is a serious and time-consuming business.
How to Quickly Prepare for an English Exam: Tips for Successful Exam
1. Set real deadlines
Many can prepare for the exam for several years, each time delaying the moment of passing the exam. At the same time, a person may be ready for a knowledge test, but for fear of failing the exam, it will seem to him that it is too early. A dream is a goal with a deadline. If you have a deadline, you can plan your preparation steps down to the smallest detail.
2. Prepare for intense work with a minimum of days off
You need to do it every day, at least 1 hour a day. Closer to the date of the exam, it is advisable to increase the duration of training to 2-4 hours a day. However, don't forget about the breaks. Check out the article "", the principles of time management described in it are ideal for preparing for the exam.
3. Test your knowledge
Before preparing, clearly define your level of English, find gaps and weaknesses. To do this, you can go through, it will show your achievements in writing, reading and listening skills.
4. Choose the “right” teacher
Which teacher to study with: Russian or native speaker? As a rule, native speakers are great at helping to break down the language barrier. English-speaking teachers do not know Russian, so you have to speak English, and the teacher at this time corrects your mistakes and teaches colloquial cliches, useful vocabulary - helps your speech to become "lively".
Thus, the best choice is a combination of classes with a native speaker and a Russian-speaking teacher. The lessons will complement each other and help you achieve your goal.
5. Perform typical tasks
Find out what tasks await you on the selected exam, then find examples of such exercises on the Internet and do them every day, at least a couple of tasks a day. If you have to pass the exam, purchase a special manual with typical tasks and solve it from beginning to end.
Visit examenglish.com to learn about the format of the Cambridge exams and practice the sample assignments. There you will find free tests to prepare for IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, CAE, FCE, KET, PET, PTE Academic, PTE General, Michigan.
6. Develop all skills at the same time
Any exam consists of several parts, which test all the skills of knowledge of English: writing and speaking, listening, reading, vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation. Each of us has our own strengths and weaknesses, the strengths must be skillfully used, and the weaknesses must be developed to strengths. How do you work on each of the skills? We offer the following techniques:
- Reading skill... Read texts on various topics: from newspapers and magazines to fiction and popular science literature. This will help you learn new words from context, increase your reading speed, use visual memory to memorize the spelling of new words, and refresh your knowledge of words and phrases on specific topics. A typical exam reading assignment is text comprehension questions. You can practice this skill on the website. There are dozens of tests of a wide variety of topics and questions for understanding.
- Writing skill... A typical exam assignment is an essay. Learn to write it correctly: any letter you write should have an introduction, a few paragraphs of body text, and a conclusion. Be aware that some exams may ask you to write a letter in a specific style: formal or informal. Therefore, practice using the appropriate vocabulary and grammar correctly. In addition, try to keep within a certain volume and allotted time when writing. For example, if you know that on the exam you need to write an essay of about 200-250 words, train yourself to write just such volumes, then when passing you you will not need to count the words, you will already see that you have achieved the ideal length. An important prerequisite for working on a letter is having someone who can test and evaluate your writing skills. Such a person will be able to tell how one should and shouldn't write. You can familiarize yourself with the main types, structure and rules for writing an essay in our article "".
- Listening skill... A typical exam task is listening to an audio file and answering questions to it. Testing your English listening comprehension is one of the most difficult parts of the exam. However, if you practice listening, then there will be no problems with this test. One of the most effective and affordable ways to practice your skill is by listening to audio podcasts. We wrote about the secrets of working with audio files in the article "".
- Speaking skill... A typical task is a spontaneous speech on any topic. It is best to rehearse this part of the exam with your teacher: he will help you correct common mistakes and teach you to speak naturally. There is a simple and very effective exercise for training spontaneous speech: choose any object and try to talk about it for 1 minute. So you will learn to talk about anything, and this is exactly what you need on the exam. You can also work on your speaking skills on your own. To do this, try the following method. Take an interesting video, watch it several times, learn subtitles. After that, turn on the video without sound and try to get into the pace of the speaker. This exercise will help you learn useful vocabulary and become fluent in English. In addition, do not forget to read aloud: you will improve your pronunciation, work on intonation and correct accent, and learn to formulate your thoughts clearly and competently.
7. Read about the experiences of the people who passed the exam.
If you are interested in the series of Cambridge exams FCE, CAE, CPE, then you should definitely read the article by the teacher Svetlana “How I passed the SAE. Confessions of a certificate holder ". She shared her personal experience of passing one of these exams, gave practical advice on how to show the "class" in the oral part of the exam. Try to learn from other people's mistakes.
Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won’t have time to make them all yourself.
Learn everything from the mistakes of others. You won't have enough time to do them all on your own.
8. Rehearse the exam
Find out how the test is going, how much time you will have to complete each assignment, etc. Together with a teacher or friend who also needs to take the exam, try writing an essay, reading the text and answering questions, doing listening exercises and speaking a variety of topics in English. In this case, you need to meet a certain time allotted for each part of the exam. By the time of the exam, you should have the notorious "sense of time", which will tell you at what pace to complete this or that task.
9. Get all information in English
Try to get all the information you need during the day in English. Looking for a new microwave? See descriptions of models and reviews on the websites of foreign online stores. Would you like to bake a cake? Look for the recipe on English-language sites. Can't imagine your life without books? Read them in English. Would you like to know how to properly prepare for your English exam? Look for information in English! In this simple way, you will enrich your vocabulary with vocabulary from various areas of life and discover many useful and exciting resources.
10. Do not be distracted by alarmists
Proper preparation for the English exam is the key to success and good mood. Surely before the exam, you will go to some forum for English language learners, where you will look for tips on how to prepare for the English exam. It happens that the participants in the discussion give very valuable recommendations, but you will have to hardly isolate them from the stream of complaints and panic messages about how “difficult to pass the exam”, “this year they promise super difficult tasks”. Such messages distract and move you away from your desired goal. Better to spend precious time studying or relaxing.
We hope that after reading our article, you will no longer torment Google with the question "How to prepare for the English exam", but start hard and productive work. If you need help, try enrolling in the "" course. Experienced teachers will be happy to help you prepare for the challenge. Taking an exam is not so difficult if you prepare thoroughly for it. We wish you no fluff, no feather!
If you are faced with the need to pass an international test that will determine your level of English, then you are planning to move abroad in the near future in order to continue your studies or employment. Prestigious universities and employing companies put forward fairly high requirements for candidates, among which there are also minimum scores received for a particular language test.
In addition, if you just want to move to live in another country, you will also need to pass one of the international exams that will determine your level of English. It is impossible to fail some tests, in any case you will get at least some point, some have the mark “Fail” in the exam grading system - not passed.
Of course, it is better to get the maximum number of points. But you need to remember that your result will depend not only on the level of English, but also on the preparation for the exam format. Each of the language tests has its own characteristics, in addition, a certain amount of time is allocated for the task, which may not be enough for you if you do not calculate in advance how many minutes you will allocate to which task.
There are a lot of tests to determine the level of English proficiency. You just need to choose the one that is right for you.
Types of international examinations in English
All tests for determining the level of English are designed for those who are studying the language as a foreign language and are not native speakers. Typically, the choice of test will depend on the choice of the country in which you want to study or work.
The most popular international exams are:, and Cambridge tests.
TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication)
An exam to determine your level of proficiency in Business English. The TOEIC certificate is valid for two years, therefore it is better to take the test on the eve of your official employment or admission to a foreign university.
TOEFL or IELTS: which one to choose?
We have already talked about the exam and about its American colleague. We just want to draw your attention once again to the fact that the choice of exam will depend on the country: in the USA and Canada the TOEFL results are recognized, in the UK and Australia they prefer IELTS or Cambridge exams.
The IELTS certificate, like the TOEFL certificate, is valid for 2 years from the date of the test results. This is where the University of Cambridge exams differ from IELTS and TOEFL, as they do not have a limited duration.
Without deliberate preparation, it will be difficult to pass the exams. Picked up list of schools in Moscow to help prepare for and.
Looking for courses in another city? The service will help you choose training courses in your city for free.
Cambridge language tests
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More than 2 million people take the Cambridge language exams every year.
There are also special Cambridge exams for children and adolescents: Cambridge Young Learners Exams. They are designed for different ages and language levels: Starters, Movers and Flyers. The main purpose of these tests is to prepare young candidates for the future Cambridge adult exams.
Each exam has its own characteristics, and yet there are some things in common among all English tests:
- Firstly, all of these exams are designed for learners of English as a foreign language
- Secondly, test results are recognized by educational institutions in English-speaking countries and employing companies
- Thirdly by passing the test, you will receive an international certificate
- Quarters x, you can pass each of these exams only on the basis of an official test center for accepting international tests
- Fifth The exams test all your language skills: reading, writing, speaking, listening
Which exam should you choose?
There is also a classification that helps to simplify the process of choosing the type of international exam. A number of tests check general English, some tests measure your level of academic English, and there are exams to test your level of proficiency in business English only.
General English Exams
We include and among exams that test proficiency in general English. The Key English Test tests the development of basic language skills. The exam is graded based on the percentage earned. If you get less than 65% - you will get the mark "Fail" - not passed.
Preliminary English Test is a preparatory exam that is usually taken by those who want to participate in the Work and Travel or Work and Study programs. The test is scored in the same way as KET. Only if you get 65-69% - you get a certificate "passed to level A2".
Professional and Academic English Exams
These exams include a number of Cambridge tests: FCE, CAE, CPE, as well as IELTS and TOEFL. These exams test your English proficiency at an academic level and you can use their results to apply to higher education institutions.Business English Exams
In addition to the exam, which we have already mentioned, there is another exam for checking proficiency in Business English - BULATS, the name of which stands for Business Language Testing Service. This exam is multilingual, that is, it can assess the level of proficiency not only in English, but also in German, Spanish or French. The minimum level of English proficiency to pass this exam must be at least Intermediate. Business exams also include ILEC and ICFE specialized tests.We wish you success in preparing and passing your international language exams!
English is a language, knowledge of which makes life much easier and opens up a lot of new possibilities. If you want a good job - learn English, if you want to feel comfortable in almost any country - again, learn, you won't go wrong. If you decide to pull yourself together and start to study English hard - congratulations, this is the right decision, which is worthy of respect!
Testing as a way to test knowledge
In the modern world, one of the most common ways to control knowledge of the English language is to take a test. There are many international standardized tests such as TOEFL. Without passing this test, you will not enter any American higher education institution. TOEFL is also actively used in recruiting in foreign companies. In addition to TOEFL, among the most common standardized tests are TOEIC, IELTS, and others. 
It doesn't matter what test in English you take - a planned one at school or one on the results of which your whole destiny will depend. Correct preparation for passing the test always affects the result and will never be superfluous. We will talk about how to prepare for the English test in this article. Moreover, some tips will be useful even if instead of English you need to prepare for tests in Russian or, say, in mathematics. So, let's begin..
Read and do
1. Take time to prepare... Yes, no matter how trite it sounds, "patience and work will grind everything." So go for it, your trump card on the test is your head filled with useful information. When preparing, it is very important to schedule your time and start preparing for the test ahead of time. As one more popular saying goes, "if you don't eat, you won't be full." 
2. If possible, walk a few like the coming to you tests on one's own. In this case, you will be prepared for the specifics of the tasks, which without proper preparation can cause a "stupor" or require more time to solve.
3. Watch movies and read books in English... So you can combine business with pleasure, and your brain will automatically record and memorize established speech patterns, expressions, new words, as well as a lot of other useful information.
4. Do not be nervous... In addition to your knowledge, your emotional state can greatly influence the test result. Almost everyone is familiar with the situation when, due to too much excitement, the simplest things suddenly become difficult. For example, you can, worrying, forget a word or rule. At the same time, in a calm atmosphere, when the test is over, this most treacherous word will itself pop up in memory. To reveal your capabilities fully and give your best on the test, remain calm and balanced, do not rush to make decisions, tune in to a positive mood. Remember that anxiety is a bad ally when taking a test, and in life in general. We recommend that you study the article about in our blog. 
5. Get a good night's sleep before the test... A sound and healthy sleep has a positive effect on brain function, so you shouldn't throw a party or walk until the morning before an important test, or frantically cram irregular verbs all night long. Better sleep well, and your brain will thank you! 
We know very well how difficult it can be to pass a particular test. Often, students simply physically do not have enough time to prepare. Distance tests are widely used in the modern education system. There are situations when students have to decide how to simultaneously prepare for a test in history, mathematics, Russian, while completing a lot of other things in parallel. If for some reason you do not have time to prepare for the English test, we are always ready to help you and take any test with the required result. We hope the tips in this article will be useful and will help you prepare for the English test and you will pass it with the highest grade!
In difficult times, many begin to think about emigration. But the desire to change the country is not enough. People who are abroad are mainly expected to have good professional skills and, moreover, know a foreign language well.
To pass an interview at the embassy, the applicant for a residence permit must pass special language tests that confirm the degree of language proficiency. To successfully pass the tests, almost every applicant must undergo special training at an English language school that has an appropriate certificate.
For many years, British Skylines have been preparing graduates of educational institutions who are going to continue their studies abroad, and adults who plan to live and work abroad, to take the TOEFL and IELTS language tests.
Methodologists, on the basis of many years of practice, have worked out special educational systems that allow, in a fairly short time (taking into account the starting level of knowledge), to obtain the highest possible result based on the results of testing. The test preparation program is designed for students whose level of knowledge is at least Pre-Intermediate and is designed for about five months.
Passing the exam and preparing for the IELTS test in English includes two large blocks:
- systematization of knowledge, filling gaps in education, increasing vocabulary and mastering special vocabulary;
- working out the test execution system. As you know, one must not only have knowledge, but also be able to use it, understand how the written part of the test is filled in and what examiners expect during an oral interview.
The tests include four blocks of tasks: for comprehension of spoken English, for checking reading, writing and speaking skills. A feature of TOEFL and IELTS tests is the need to master special vocabulary. Therefore, during preparation, students are also encouraged to watch news and educational programs of the BBC news and Discovery TV channels in English, and read scientific journals.
To successfully pass the test, it is important to be able to analyze the text and clearly formulate your thoughts in order to give the correct answers to the questions.
The oral part of the test can be especially difficult, since the applicant is required to have a high level of language proficiency, the ability to formulate complex sentences and a willingness to discuss any topic. Not only dialogue skills are important, but also the ability to speak out on a given topic, deliver a monologue until the examiner stops.
As the teachers note, you can prepare for the tests yourself, but this is a rather difficult activity that does not protect against mistakes. Certified English teachers "British Skylines" are proficient in techniques that allow you to quickly assimilate educational material, work out the methods of presentation itself, dialogue, presentation of projects, help to master the methods of analyzing English-language texts of different styles.
Meanwhile, it should be remembered that the maximum educational effect is achieved due to high personal motivation. Any teacher acts exclusively as a coach. Each student is required not only desire, but also some effort to master the material, including homework and practice in conversation clubs.
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