An international test or language exam usually has four components: listening, reading, writing and speaking. To successfully pass the exam, you must not only pass the test, but score the most points.
Who requires these certificates?
Universities, international companies, research centers and laboratories where you can get an internship.
What is it for?
The host organization must make sure that you speak the language at the proper level in order to study or work.
Where can I take the exam?
Language tests are held in special accredited centers around the world several times a year. Anyone can submit them. You must register for the test in advance on the exam website.
There are many language exams, is any one suitable?
As a rule, a certain type of exam is indicated in the requirements for the candidate. If the information is missing, then you can safely provide any certificate confirming knowledge of a particular foreign language.
How long is a language certificate valid?
As a rule, the validity of an international certificate is limited to several years.
Helpful Exam Preparation Resources
To make the exam go smoothly, StudyQA has put together 40 resources for you to prepare for international exams in English, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and French.
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
Basically, this language test is passed upon admission to universities in the USA, Canada, Europe and Asia. The certificate is valid for two years.
TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication)
The test required to apply for a job in an English-speaking company. Every year, 4.5 million people take this exam.
Ets.org/toeic- TOEIC official site.
Trial tests
goodlucktoeic.com- here you can find answers to questions about what TOEIC is, how many parts it consists of, where you can take the exam, as well as many useful materials and trial tests for TOEIC.
4tests.com- a large TOEIC test, which consists of 200 questions in two parts of the test.
Online.kgic.ca- Trial exam in two parts of the test. You have two hours to complete the test.
English-test.net/toeic- several examples of the test with detailed tips for each part.
Goodlucktoeic.com:
oral part
Toeic.youpla.be- a huge number of words that are needed when passing the TOEIC exam.
Quizlet.com- business idioms that will come in handy when preparing for the oral part of the exam.
www.examenglish.com- a bunch of useful resources, tests, tips on all parts of the test.
englishclub.com- examples of answers for the oral part of the exam.
TestDaF test for knowledge of the German language
Fabouda.de- free exam preparation materials.
Depending on your preparation goals, planned budget, and personal priorities, choose one of the methods listed below.
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 establishments offer several groups of programs:
- from the Upper-Intermediate level and above: form skills for passing the test;
- from a level below Intermediate: "Language for Academic Purposes" (Language for Academic Purposes), which combines language learning with test preparation;
- Foundation Program for prospective undergraduate students (combines language and academic preparation with preparation in the subjects that the applicant has chosen to study at the university).
Training abroad is immersion in the linguistic and cultural environment, getting to know the country and people. A barrier to such a choice can be cost, the inability to combine training 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 varying intensity.
For some people, working in a group serves as an additional motivation. It encourages students not to miss classes and complete assignments on time. However, most courses do not offer flexible scheduling, and missed classes will most likely have to be made up on your own or at an additional cost. Short-term intensive courses will help to systematize existing knowledge and get into conversation, but you should not hope to master the program of the whole semester in a couple of weeks.
There is an exam ahead, but you are not sure that you will have time to prepare for it? We will tell you how to prepare for the exam in English language right, without the hassle and sleepless nights.
Is preparing for an English exam stressful? Get rid of it with our tips. Despite the recent fashion in our country for everything primordially Russian, the English language is getting closer and closer to us: new technologies, the Internet, work, study - all these areas are somehow closely connected with 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 will have to work hard: preparing for the English language exam is a serious and time-consuming business.
How to quickly prepare for an English exam: tips for exam success
1. Set realistic 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 because of the 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 for submission, you will be able to plan your preparation activities to the smallest detail.
2. Get ready to work hard with a minimum of days off
You need to practice daily, at least 1 hour a day. Closer to the date of the exam, it is desirable to increase the duration of training to 2-4 hours a day. However, do not forget about 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 proficiency, find gaps and weaknesses. To do this, you can go, it will show your achievements in writing, reading and listening skills.
4. Choose the “right” teacher
What kind of teacher to deal with: Russian-speaking 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 clichés, useful vocabulary - helps your speech become "alive".
Thus, the best choice is a combination of classes with a native speaker and a Russian-speaking teacher. Lessons will complement each other and help you achieve your goal.
5. Do typical tasks
Find out what tasks await you on the selected exam, then find examples of such exercises on the Internet and complete them daily, at least a couple of tasks a day. If you are to passing the exam, purchase a special manual with typical tasks and solve it from start to finish.
You can get acquainted with the format of Cambridge exams and practice standard tasks on this website examenglish.com. 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 English knowledge: written and oral speech, listening, reading, vocabulary, knowledge of grammar, pronunciation. Each of us has our own strengths and weaknesses, the strengths must be skillfully used, and the weaknesses must be developed into strengths. How to work on each of the skills? We offer the following methods:
- Reading skill. Read texts on various topics: from newspapers and magazines to fiction and popular science literature. So you will learn new words from the context, increase your reading speed, use visual memory to remember the spelling of new words, refresh your knowledge of words and phrases on specific topics. A typical reading task for the exam is text comprehension questions. You can practice this skill on the site. There are dozens of tests on a wide variety of topics and questions for understanding.
- Writing Skill. The standard task for the exam 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. Please note that some exams may ask you to write a letter in a specific style, either formal or informal. Therefore, practice using the appropriate vocabulary and grammar correctly. In addition, try to keep within a certain amount and time when writing. For example, if you know that during the exam you need to write an essay of about 200-250 words, train yourself to write just such volumes, then when passing you will not need to count the words, you will see that you have achieved the ideal length. An important condition for working on a letter is the presence of a person who can check and evaluate your writing skills. Such a person will be able to tell you how to write and how not to write. You can get acquainted 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. Checking Understanding English speech listening is one of the most difficult parts of the exam. However, if you are engaged in listening, then there will be no problems with this test. One of the most effective and affordable ways to practice a skill is to listen 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. This part of the exam is best rehearsed with your teacher: he will help you correct common mistakes and teach you how to speak naturally. There is a simple and very effective exercise to train spontaneous speech: choose any subject 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 the 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 learn to speak English fluently. Also, do not forget to read aloud: you will improve your pronunciation, work on intonation and correct accent, learn to formulate your thoughts clearly and competently.
7. Read about the experiences of people who have passed the exam
If you are interested in a series of Cambridge exams FCE, CAE, CPE, then you should definitely read the article by teacher Svetlana “How I passed the CAE. Confessions of a certificate holder". She shared personal experience passing one of these exams good advice how to show "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. Practice the exam
Find out how the test works, how much time you will have to complete each task, etc. Together with a teacher or a friend who also needs to take an exam, try writing an essay, reading the text and answering questions, doing listening exercises and speaking the most different topics in English. In this case, you need to meet the specified 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 pie? Look for the recipe on English sites. Can't imagine your life without books? Read them in English. Do you want to learn how to properly prepare for the English language 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. Don't get distracted by alarmists
Proper preparation to the English exam - the key to success and Have a good mood. You will probably go to some English learner forum before the exam, 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 isolate them with difficulty from the stream of complaints and panic messages about how “it is difficult to pass the exam”, “super difficult tasks are promised this year”. Such messages distract and move you away from your desired goal. It is 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 language exam”, but proceed to diligent and productive work. If you need help, try enrolling in the course "". Experienced teachers will be happy to help you prepare for the test. Passing the exam is not so difficult if you thoroughly prepare for it. We wish you neither fluff nor feathers!
If you are faced with the need to pass an international test that will determine your level of English proficiency, then you are planning to move abroad in the near future in order to continue your education or employment. Prestigious universities and employers put forward quite 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 proficiency. It is impossible to fail some tests, in any case you will get at least some score, some have a “Fail” rating in the exam results assessment system - not passed.
Of course, it is better to score 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 you may not have enough if you do not calculate in advance how many minutes you will allocate to which task.
There are a huge number of tests to determine the level of English proficiency. You just need to choose the one that is right for you.
Types of international exams in English
All tests for determining the level of English are designed for those who study the language as a foreign language and are not native speakers. As a rule, 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:, and Cambridge tests.
TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication)
An exam to determine your level of business English. The TOEIC certificate is valid for two years, so 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 its American counterpart. We just want to once again draw your attention to the fact that the choice of exam will depend on the country: in the USA and Canada, TOEFL results are recognized, in the UK and Australia, IELTS or Cambridge exams are preferred.
The IELTS certificate, like the TOEFL certificate, is valid for 2 years from the date of receipt of the test results. This is where Cambridge University exams differ from IELTS and TOEFL as they do not have a time limit.
Without conscious preparation, it will be difficult to pass 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
| Name of the exam | What level is it for? |
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Every year more than 2 million people take the Cambridge language exams.
There are also special Cambridge exams for children and teenagers: Cambridge Young Learners Exams. They are designed for different ages and language proficiency levels: Starters, Movers and Flyers. The main purpose of these tests is to prepare young candidates for the future Cambridge exams for adults.
Each exam has its own characteristics, and yet there are some common features that all English tests have:
- First of all, all these exams are designed for those who study English as a foreign language
- Secondly, test results are recognized by educational institutions in English-speaking countries and employers
- Thirdly after passing the test, you will receive an international certificate
- Fourth x, you can take each of these exams only on the basis of the official test center for taking international tests
- Fifth, exams test all your language skills: reading, writing, speaking, listening
Which exam to choose?
There is also a classification that helps simplify the process of choosing a view. international exam. A number of tests measure general English, some tests assess your level of academic English, and there are exams that test your level of business English only.
General English Exams
For exams that test the proficiency in general English, we include and. The Key English Test tests the development of elementary language skills. The grade for the exam is set based on the percentages earned. If you score less than 65%, you will receive a "Fail" grade - 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 evaluated in the same way as KET. Only if you score 65-69% will you receive 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 English proficiency at the academic level and you can use the results for admission to higher education institutions.Business English Exams
In addition to the exam, which we have already mentioned, there is another exam to test business English proficiency - BULATS, whose name 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 for successful delivery This exam must be at least Intermediate. Business exams also include specialized tests ILEC and ICFE.We wish you success in preparing and passing international language exams!
