Hi Everyone,
I just want to thank everyone who have been so helpful in sharing their resources and time sa thread na ito. To @jerm_au16 @albertus1982 napa ka matulungin niyo. Nawawalan na ako ng pag-asa because twice na ako nag IELTS (laging 6.5 yung Writing) and then nag shift ako sa PTE-Academic because hirap maka 7 sa IELTS. Mas mahirap itong PTE-Academic than IELTS in my point of view but there is a greater chance to get the desired scores and even higher if ma accustomed ka sa test format and nababad ka sa practice.
It took me 4 PTE-Academic exams (1st exam in Feb, another exam in March and 2 exams this April [Di ko tinigilan kahit paubos na ang funds at naiiyak na yung bulsa ko]. Pinaka mahirap is yung everytime na bubuksan ko ang result in pdf. file, laging mababa ang speaking ko. Mababa lagi ang pronunciation ko, hirap ako dahil may braces ako, medyo may slight unnecessary air coming out pag nag bibigkas ng letter 'v' minsan tunog 'f' (below 65 lagi, hay ang sakit sa kalooban). And I dreaded the describe Image and na memental block sa Repeat Sentence.
It always a daily struggle for me to get up and then decide if itutuloy ko pa ba mag re-take and mag self-study ulit. But because pangarap ko talaga, I decided to continue the fight. Bakit fight? kasi sa PTE-Academic exam, ma tetest ang fighting spirit mo especially kung lagi kang nag ffail. If you dream something and eagerly wants to make it come true, kailangan mo ng puso and matinding paniniwala that you can do it, against all odds...and until the odds favor you. Saka kailangan ng maraming dasal rather than hope for a stroke of luck.
Dahil sa 'never say die' attitude kahit luhaan everytime, Finally, thank God, l got my desired minimum scores nung huling exam ko nung April 24, hinde ganun ka taas but all were beyond 65 (S/W/R & L).
I think marami ng na share na helpful tips here from the pros! 🙂. But I would still like to pay it forward, alam kong marami dito ang katulad ko na naka kailang takes na rin ng exam at halos mag give up na, I say don't. I'll share few tips as well below.
Check with your physicians first if you can take food supplements/vitamins such as fish oils and Vitamin B complex. Fish oils are good source of Omega-3 that supports the brain functions and B-complex supports the nerves, helps your memory and concentration improve. For me helpful yung products from Healthy Options (ni recommend ng physician ko). If you still have enough time, take the supplements even prior the exam, kahit nag rereview plang kayo, take it. Guys, ingatan niyo ang neurons (brain cells) niyo dahil sila ang mag sasalba sa inyo sa exam.
Refrain muna from social media especially pag ang laman ng feeds niyo ay puro jejemon words, or with incorrect sentence formation and grammar or walang kabuluhang chismis. 😃
Nag deactivate ako ng FB for 3 weeks but may app parin ako ng messanger to receive important message from relatives sa U.S. Nanonood ako ng NETFLIX during breaks or free time tulad ng Riverdale, Stranger Things and 13 Reasons Why, Legion (puro English). Watch English movies/TV Shows, news (BBC, Australia Plus Channel), listen to English podcasts and inexpose ko sarili ko sa youtube pte sample exams.
Keep your thesaurus and words of collocation (list) handy, basa basahin niyo or install kayo ng 'Dictionary.com' na app sa mobile phones niyo. It can help, maraming mga malalalim na English words na lumalabas madalas sa reading and listening exam.
Magbasa ng English articles on a daily basis. Old school ako, so i still read Philippine Daily Inquirer but i prefer reading yung back issues ng Reader's Digest, marami cyang topics, nakakatulong sa write essay dahil marami kang malalaman about anything under the sun.
Mag practice ng Repeat Sentence sa medyo crowded na lugar, like fast food chains or inside the mall (tamang tama habang mainit ang panahon, free aircon pa, and andyan yung noise). Ganyan kasi sa testing center maingay, parang palengke pag nagka sabay sabay sa speaking.
Kumain ako sandwich, 2 boiled eggs (kasi di ako nakatulog sa anxiety, need to buffer with proteins) before the morning exam, isang cavendish banana and maraming tubig (dahil everytime matatapos ang speaking parang nanghihina ako, parang biglang nag ddrop ang potassium ko hehehe). Feeling ko may good effects sila sa akin. 🙂
Prayers, bago pumasok sa testing room and prayers after leaving the testing room. prayers, while waiting for the results, prayers when opening the pdf. result, Prayers, after knowing the result.