Hi everyone!
For future test takers of PTE Academic, I want to help by giving a few review tips to boost your scores. As a background though, medyo strong na ang foundation ko sa English, in the sense that I can speak, understand and write well using this language.
However, in PTEA, it is not enough to know English and how to use it. It helps if you have no problems with pronunciation, but if you don't have an "attack plan" and don't manage your very limited time wisely, then, kahit BBC anchor-ish pa ang English mo, babagsak pa rin sa PTE exam. ๐
So here are a few suggestions based on my own experience.
Btw, I took PTE once after failing IELTS twice, and got straight 90s on my first try (see attached scorecard snip).
<b class="Bold">Tip 1. Gauge your English proficiency first and foremost. </b>
This way, you will be able to divide your review time wisely. Focus on your weakest points (e.g., may punto ang English mo when you speak, or di ka maka-gets ng mabilis na English convo recording) by spending more time on them during practice. What I did was make a table listing all the exam types (Write from Dict., Answer Short Quest., Retell Lect., etc) then I ranked them all as EASY or HARD. This helped me focus on my weakest which are Write Essay (dahil sa 20-min time limit), Retell Lecture (dahil sa poor note-taking skills ko) and Describe Image (dahil natataranta ako sa 35-38 sec time limit and overwhelming ang graphs).
<b class="Bold">Tip 2. Depending on your review time frame, spend at least 2 hours of undisturbed study per day.</b>
I am an 8-5pm working mom, and a 5-11pm yaya to my makulit toddler. So basically, I can only review on weekdays pag natulog na sya. Madalas umaabot ako ng 1 or 2 am lalo pag nasimulan ko na. If you can't make it everyday, at least 3x per week ka mag-dedicated self-review. Don't find time, MAKE TIME. You have to.
<b class="Bold">
Tip 3. Practice your keyboard typing skills.</b>
It really helps if you type fast. Dati, I can't type without looking at the keyboard itself. Eventually, I can type just looking at the screen. This helps kasi very fast ang takbo ng oras during the actual exam.
<b class="Bold">Tip 4. Record yourself while reading English passages, or doing a pretend interview.</b>
This strategy helped me become confident using the language. Nag-print ako ng mga passages from Sciencedaily.com, and yung mga Interview Questions ko dati from IELTS Speaking review ginamit ko din. I recorded myself to hear kung pangit ba tunog ko, OA ba ang slang, or marami ba akong "uhmms" and "ahhs". Importanteng MAWALA ANG MGA UUHM while doing the PTE exam. Grabe. Bawas points pag marami kang ganyan.
<b class="Bold">Tip 5. Familiarize the spelling of English words.</b>
I did not do something big about this, though I tried downloading yung sa E2Language na collocation word list, sobrang na-overwhelm ako na hindi ko na sya talaga naaral nang matindi. What I did was zooming in on the spelling of unfamiliar or complicated words everytime I encounter a passage (bible passage, science passage, article sa magazine, etc.). Ang key dito is EXPOSURE to these words.
<b class="Bold">Tip 6. PRACTICE, EXPOSE ALL SENSES to English, and PRACTICE with a timer.</b>
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to immerse yourself during practice. Pag may opportunity ako to read an article, or watch an English movie without subtitles, or listen to a British podcast, pinapatulan ko. In short, sinasanay ko ang tenga ko and all other senses sa accents ng mga native speakers. ๐ Sa office, I eat lunch fast and spend the rest of my break doing Reorder Paragraphs and Write from Dictation, kasi sila ang pinakamabilis tapusin per item. The more difficult ones, like Write Essay and Retell, ginagawa ko na sa bahay when baby is asleep.
So there, andami pang pwedeng tips na maibigay, but so far yan ang naiisip ko now.
Haha. If may tanong pa kayo regarding strategies na inapply ko for a specific question type, message nyo lang ako, haba na eh. ๐ ๐
GOD BLESS everyone!