Saturday, January 24, 2015

How to crack PTE in first attempt.

I am writing this blog for people who are planning for immigration and need to produce English fluency proof. Since I cleared this exam in first attempt, I would like to share few experiences.
Recently Australian immigration department allowed PTE as English fluency exam. To score an equivalent of 7 bands in IELTS, you need to score 65 marks (out of total 90), in each skill like reading, speaking, listening and writing.
I have a limited hold on English language since my initial studies were in Hindi medium and also my region in the country faces most difficulty with the English.

  • This test is trickier than difficult
  • When you will sit for test, There will be a lot of noises ( other people speaking at same time), Don't get irritated & lose you concentration
  • Attempt maximum questions, Don't leave anyone
  • Remember, The actual test will be easier than practice one, So don't lose your moral when preparing.

Keys for PTE examination:
1.      Understand the format
2.      Practice you speaking skills
3.      Practice your reading skills
4.      Buy online model tests

How to understand the format
PTE is a totally computer-based system, computer algorithms judge your score. To crack this test it is very important to understand the format very clearly. I would suggest to really spending around thousand rupees to buy PTE book provided buy Person (creator of this test)

How to Practice you speaking & reading skills
Use adaptive technique developed by me to improve your speaking skills.
Download freely available sound recording tools (I used audacity). Now read book, newspaper or any other content of your choice record it same time for approximately 10 minutes. Now playback the recording and match actual source and your voice.
Most of us will surprise, we can’t understand your own English when hearing in recording. Now identify gaps and fill them. In my case, few mistakes were like not enough gap between two words, Missing articles, Not correctly pronouncing plural words ending with ‘s’ for example books, students.

How to Practice you listening & writing skills
This learning technique is a fun! Watch an English video of your choice (YouTube, CNN  ...). I personally prefer the YouTube since it provides subtitles.
Put on your headphone, Listen 1-2 lines (don’t watch the video). Write what you listen & match it with subtitle. Practice it few hours daily.

Buy online model tests
Enjoy few free of cost test provided by Pearson. You can buy a whole lot test case very cheap from tcyonline.com. I bought a full month access to around 15 full set in just 425 rupees. You can also try paid mock test cases provided by person.