Tuesday 7 August 2018

Things to Avoid for a Perfect PTE Score



We all want it! The perfect 90! Wouldn’t life be easier if you had a bag of tricks to perform well on the difficult question types? Yes! But when reality strikes we can do nothing but keep our fingers crossed. Are you that person? If yes, let’s see how keeping a few things in check could help you reach your coveted score.
                    
1.      Taking PTE Off the Cuff: Native speakers or those who regularly use the language for their everyday conversation often think that they don’t need to practice for the test as achieving a perfect score in an English test is a cakewalk. This is huge misconception as a lot of native speakers actually don’t score well on the PTE Practice Test because the test not only assesses your English but also your ability to put critical thinking, or problem-solving skills to work.

2.      Studying Alone: Peaceful surroundings certainly help in concentrating, but the real PTE centres are NOT free of noise. So, get ready to give your best even in the noisy environments. If you are someone who can’t concentrate in groups, join a PTE coaching class <link for BetterThink>.

3.      Pacing Up: Speaking too fast and speaking fluently DON'T mean the same. You must learn to speak at your natural pace and that doesn’t mean too slow. Try to make your speech as clear as possible in your normal tone and pace.

4.      Overuse of Fillers: The test expects you to present formally. Speaking sentences full of too many 'ah’, ‘um’, ‘like’ or ‘so' or 'you know' would indicate that you are not prepared for the response. Use them only sparsely. Using them at several places in a sentence would bring down your score in Fluency.

5.      Incomplete Sentences: Why leave the message half way? Remember you are being tested and not the other way round. If you realise that you have forgotten what you had to say, continue any way (to the best of your abilities).

6.      Colloquial Language: Speak as if you are appearing for an interview and not as if you are talking to your partner or friend. After all, it is an academic test.

7.      Complicated Sentences: Jamming a sentence with so many ideas makes it incomprehensible. Simple, Short and Grammatically Correct sentences would help you grab your perfect score.

8.      Jumping Straight to Writing: Take some time to plan your essay. Decide upon the order of ideas as it would keep you away from restarting all over again.

9.      Avoiding Lexis: Good vocabulary works in your favour. Vocabulary is one of the enabling skills; so use a variety of academic words can increase your score. Here is a fine list of academic words to help you get started. Check whether you use them in your writing or speaking. Also check the word pairs (collocations) and remember them.

.  Not Using the Preparation Time:  You have to learn how to manage time. Using the preparation time and speaking within the response time well will only come with regular practice.


Here is a guide that you can follow:
1.      Assessment: Get yourself the online mock tests and attempt one or two to know where you stand. Take TCY’s scored online mock  test to know where you stand.
2.      Practice: Work on your weak aspects. Some platforms such as TCY even offer item-wise tests specifically meant to improve your weak areas.
3.      Reassessment: Once you have practiced, check where you stand and what next you should do to achieve your target score.

A final word: PTE is not tough to crack; what you need are the correct strategies.

Things to Avoid for a Perfect PTE Score