Taking the proficiency test may be one of the more intimidating parts of your application to study abroad. Learn tips for acing this test here.

If you’re an international student thinking of studying abroad in an English-speaking country, taking the proficiency test may be one of the more intimidating parts of your application. Languages are tricky and insufficient skills can impede your ability to reach your goal of studying abroad. Still, there are ways to get around it, and if you follow these tips, you can be sure to ace your tests.

Do Your Research

There is no one standard language test for non-native speakers, even within each test, the requirements are different based on your desired program. For example, an English literature major would need a higher score than someone who wants to study math. The first step is to understand the requirements from you and what tests your objective school needs, as well as what scores are acceptable.

Familiarize Yourself

Knowing what test to take is easy, but knowing the test itself can be tricky. You don’t have to simply learn the name of the test, but also its structure and pacing. For example, the TOEFL has four sections are Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking components. Understanding weightage for each section and focusing your study efforts accordingly is also crucial to getting a good score.

Practice

There are millions of native English speakers in the world – get in touch with one of them! Speaking in English and listening to it is one of the ways you can improve your own English-Speaking skills. Watching movies made in English-speaking countries, and reading books in English will help you pick up how to use words naturally and how context shapes different phrases.

Pacing

Remember, with languages, you aren’t sprinting through a test but running a marathon. You can’t cram the day before and expect a good score. Pace yourself and practice over a longer period of time before the test itself, dedicate some time for each exam section during a day, and make sure you don’t go overboard. Studying too much can also be detrimental to your score, and pacing yourself to make sure that you are able to get through the test physically as well as mentally is important.

Take Notes

In the test itself, you will most likely be able to hear the audio in Listening sections only once. This is stressful, but if you’ve been in the habit of taking notes beforehand, this will help you out greatly. When doing mundane things like reading or watching TV, make notes of important words being spoken, which will help you make sense of what was being said even if you were to look at it after a while when you had forgotten. In the test itself, this will help you make sense of the audio and be able to respond better.

At the end of the day, there is no downside to howmuch you practice or prepare for your Language Test. If you work hard, you are sure to ace it and these skills will also help you later on during your career.