PTE ACADEMIC

kholoudmanlucu · November 2015

@se29m hindi na ako nag mock exam, nireveiew ko lang yung mcmillan and yung Kenny N. dalawang book, buti ka pa isang try lang nakuha mo na desired score mo. Naka 4x na din ako sa IELTS

se29m · November 2015

@kholoudmanlucu don't lose hope.. if pronunciation ang problema, try mo in a different way of pronouncing the words.. or kung sa pacing pagsasalita ay media mobiles ka, i moderate mo lang.. kaya yan.. good luck

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kholoudmanlucu · November 2015

@se29m thanks, minsan nakakadown, masakit pa sa bulsa hehe. Pero i'll try again.

se29m · November 2015

@kholoudmanlucu everything will be alright..just believe..

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vanezzaveera · November 2015

@misscpa hi!nkuha mo na results mo?nakapanlalambot scores ko prng wala ako ginawa..

misscpa · November 2015

@se29m thank you for your tips!

I just got my results tonight. I did it! My scores are LRSW: 90/90/90/90
Thank you to everyone who contributed their exam tips. I may not know any of you personally but I am very grateful.

I did not expect these high results, at least not for the Speaking part. There were some items which I had not yet completed when the recording stopped. And there were a number of describe image and re-tell lecture items in which I thought that I wasn't really making much sense because I was so nervous. Below are some of my strategies which I am happy to share with all of you to pay it forward:

Speaking
Read aloud - Just read at a normal pace and try to enunciate certain words, focusing on phrasing and stress. I used the 40 seconds before each recording begins to read aloud so that I catch whatever part would make me mispronounce certain words. You will most likely finish in 25 seconds or so, giving you enough time to practice saying confusing words, if any, before the actual recording begins.

Repeat sentence - try to imitate the speaker's intonation and group the phrases in your head so that they're easier to remember. If you forget some words, just say something closest to what you understood.

Describe image - I used the 25 seconds to understand the image. Sometimes I also start talking loudly to catch where I hesitate, all the while watching the start of the recording. Don't worry much about the content of your speech. It doesn't matter how accurate your data are, just as long as you keep talking. Most practice tests like the Macmillan and Offline PTE test include just line charts/bar graphs/pie charts and pictures. But the actual test also has flowcharts and pyramids, so remember to practice speaking about those too, just so you're not taken by surprise just like I was.

Re-tell lecture - try to take as much notes as you can, but note only the important ones and try to understand the main idea of the lecture so that if you end up not understanding the flow of your notes which could happen, you can improvise by talking about what you understood. I found it quite difficult to write with the erasable note booklet and pen they provided as it's quite slippery which means my handwriting could be unintelligible at times. I encountered two items which show some sort of a PowerPoint slide with an outline. You will save yourself a lot of time if you don't write what's on the image (because you will hear it in the lecture and you will be tempted to take note of it if you haven't understood the image before the lecture starts) and instead focus on what they are talking about relating to the bullet points, sort of like taking notes in class when you have the slides as handouts. More often than not, the recording will include all the bullet points on the slide so you already have an instant outline for your speech. You just have to take note of the details supporting each bullet point and how the first bullet point transitions to the next, and so forth.

Answer short question - make sure you pay attention to the screen because not all questions are based on our stock knowledge like in Macmillan. Some questions relate to an image on the screen so have the presence of mind to very quickly study the image. The questions are not difficult.

Writing
Summarize written text - try to identify the main point in each paragraph. Often just one paragraph contains the main idea which you can start with, and then the other paragraphs contain examples or opposing ideas which you can use to expound on the main idea. Use connectives to condense your summary into one sentence.

Write essay - Use IELTS format - 4 paragraphs (intro, supp par 1, supp par 2, conclusion) - but try not to focus too much on the introductory paragraph like they would teach you in the tutorials. When I tried that during practice, it took me longer and I had to spend less time working on my two supporting paragraphs and conclusion. What I did was that I spent two minutes thinking about what to write and then started writing about my main points, essentially supp par 1 and supp par 2. I don't know if it will work for you but I put a very general intro and then reorganize as I go along. I get ideas as I write so I find it easier to finalize my intro after I'm done writing the rest of my essay. But make sure you still have time.

After the writing part, I breathed and said a prayer of thanks that the most intensive part (at least, for me) is over.

misscpa · November 2015

Reading
Multiple choice, choose single/multiple answer/s - Read the question first. If the question is asking about something specific, go on and read the choices then the passage. But if the question is something along the lines of: "Which of the following are true about...?" or "What is the speaker trying to say about...?", I suggest read the passage first before the choices because if you read the choices first, you will end up reading them twice. If you have time, try to eliminate other choices by asking yourself why all the other options are wrong. This has been a very effective strategy for me even for IELTS.

Re-order paragraphs - I prayed really hard for perfect timing for this section, as I found the Macmillan samples too confusing. Even during my second pass of the Macmillan reviewer for this section, I still couldn't get the orders right. It didn't help that they did not provide an explanation as to why such orders are correct. The offline practice test from PTE is a great help. I'm lucky that the items I got during the actual test were pretty straightforward.

Fill in the blanks - I am a very wide reader that's why I found this part easy. Sometimes I skip some sentences and focus on the ones that have gaps, but there are other times when you would need some clues on what type of word you're looking for (is it a negative or a positive one). Whatever style works for you, just remember to re-read the entire passage before you click 'Next' to make sure that it makes sense.

Listening
Summarize spoken text - For this part, I found it easier to take notes using the keyboard and the space provided on the screen rather than the erasable note booklet and pen because I'm a quick typist and as I mentioned above, I was having difficulty with the pen and glossy booklet. Just remember that the 10-minute allotted time actually includes the prompt. I didn't realize this until I was taking the exam when I was taken by surprise that I had only three minutes left to finalize my summary. Take note of word count as well. There was one item here where I wasn't sure if my last edits took effect because I ran out of time trying to condense my summary into 70 words. It took me longer to shorten my summary than to write it in the first place. If you find yourself in this situation (trying to shorten your summary), look for adjectives or example you could drop and ideas you could combine into one sentence. If you like writing your summaries beginning with "The speaker talks about...", try to take this out and write about the topic directly because this will save you a lot of words. If you need to lengthen your summary, just do the opposite.

Multiple choice, choose multiple/single answer/s - read and understand the question and scan the choices before the recording starts. As the prompt plays, try to eliminate other options and listen for the answer. For one item in the "Multiple choice, choose multiple answer", I didn't scan the choices and instead took down notes as I would in re-tell lecture. But I ended up second-guessing myself because I couldn't remember if I heard one of the choices in the lecture. So for the next items, I decided to forgo taking down notes and instead read as I listen.

Fill in the blanks - This is quite straightforward. Make use of the tab button so you don't waste time with the mouse. Don't get rattled with their accents.

Highlight correct summary - My strategy here is to take down notes as in re-tell lecture or summarize spoken text. I found it easier than reading through the options as I listen because I missed out on key points when I first did that. I found the options during the actual test easier than the Macmillan reviewer. They were quite different from one another and you could readily tell which one makes the most sense, unlike in Macmillan where they could all be correct except they include a minor item not mentioned in the prompt or they don't summarize the prompt very well.

Select missing word - Read the options, listen carefully to the prompt, understand the main idea and watch the progress bar. As it nears the end, make sure you remember the last few words that were said because this will help you figure out what type of word or set of words you're looking for.

Highlight incorrect words - Position your mouse over the first word and move it as the prompt plays. Just focus on what is being said and don't divert your attention to anything else because it's very easy to lose track. You will not be able to guess which words are incorrect if you miss them in the prompt.

Write from dictation - Again pretty straightforward. Don't worry about spelling as you type. Keep repeating the sentence in your head until you're done typing. Then check your spelling and punctuation. Breathe!

There you go! I hope you find my tips helpful. Good luck to all of us and God bless.

misscpa · November 2015

@vanezzaveera Hi! Yup, I got the email around 8:30 PM but I was only able to check it by 10:30 PM. Sorry, I didn't see your post before, I didn't mean to sound insensitive in my previous post. I'm sorry to hear about your results. Do you mind sharing your scores for both communicative and enabling skills? Did you take the mock test?

Liolaeus · November 2015

Try lang ng try. Mababawi nyo din lahat yan pag dating sa AU. Siksik, liglig, umaapaw.

se29m · November 2015

@misscpa congrats! 20 points!

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se29m · November 2015

@vanezzaveera don't lose hope.. Kaya mo yan.. Just practice and practice...

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paw07 · November 2015

hi all, anu po ma aadvice nyo sa pag take down notes sa re-tell lecture? ang hirap kasi pagsabayin ng pag take down tsaka pag comprehend nung binabanggit sa lecture e.

se29m · November 2015

@paw07 just jot down yung mga important terms.. you will remember it when you have to do the retell.. may template din yata para dun na naisend ko sayo.. good luck

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kholoudmanlucu · November 2015

@misscpa ang galing perfect ang scores mo. Yung sa speaking ba kailangan iba ibahin ang vocab. Like for example sa isang graph na may parehong change, increase and rise ang sabihin para magkaiba. Ano ang speed ng pagsasalita mo?

kholoudmanlucu · November 2015

@misscpa May times ba na nagkakamali ka sa speaking or tuluy tuloy ang salita mo?

kholoudmanlucu · November 2015

sino po dito ang nakaencounter ng maps sa describe image? Ano po ba ang template sa pagdescribe nun?

OZwaldCobblepot · November 2015

@paw07 you may prepare a script for this as well. Then gawin mong parang fill in the blanks. Tapos list ka lang ng major topic ng lecture. Ung madalas ulitin at important words lang. Gamit ka na lang ng arrows to show relations sa ibang words na nalist mo na. ganun ginwa ko. then supply ko lang ung mga important words sa script ko. And effective naman. Don't stress yourself sa content. As long as ung flow ng sinasabi mo is coherent and correct grammar, maski lumalayo ka na sa topic, ok lang. Just speak fluently, re-tell lecture is not a problem.

kymme · November 2015

@misscpa omg! na perfect mo PTE! sana mkakuha din ako ng 20 points

vanezzaveera · November 2015

@misscpa taas ng score mo..perfect..congrata po!san ka po banda nakaupo?nkkhya po scores ko eh prng un una ko scored practice test na trny ko muna bgo ako mgreview tlg.nakakalungkot..

vanezzaveera · November 2015

@se29m salamat po..grabe tlg iyak ko kagabi..pra tlg ko wala ginawa kht man lng sana 60plus lng..haaay

kymme · November 2015

@vanezzaveera ano b nngyari?

vanezzaveera · November 2015

@kymme disappointed po sa scores na nakuha.ko..nasa 50.plus lng tpos my 46 pa..

kymme · November 2015

@vanezzaveera kinabahan tuloy ako. 20 points p nmn aim ko. ng movk ka ba? ano score mo sa movk and actual?

Liolaeus · November 2015

@kymme disappointed po sa scores na nakuha.ko..nasa 50.plus lng tpos my 46 pa..

Nag take ka ba ng mock test? At nag IELTS ka ba before?

kymme · November 2015

@Liolaeus ako po or si vaneezavera?

Liolaeus · November 2015

@kymme

Sorry po, kay @vanezzaveera yung reply

Liolaeus · November 2015

@kymme, nakapag take ka na din ba ng PTEA?

vanezzaveera · November 2015

@kymme nkakahiya ishare po kasi eh..5.5 equivalent sa ielts.. pero ikaw kya mo yan..magkaiba naman tyo..ngpractice naman ako scored ok naman pero prng hnd enuf...