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Many students feel that the PTE (Pearson Test of English) is a tough exam to crack. While it is absolutely natural to make mistakes, one must do their very best for the PTE Exam Preparation and avoid making the same mistakes again.
There are some common mistakes that students tend to make during their PTEs. So, let’s take a look at what these mistakes are and how to rectify them.
Avoid These Mistakes during PTE Exam Preparation
- Preparing without a concrete plan
Most students have the notion that taking regular practice tests are going to help improve their PTE scores. What they do not realize is that they will keep repeating the same mistakes again and again without any improvement. One needs to follow a proper plan and schedule and set goals for themselves on a weekly basis.
- Trying to be fast but not fluent
Most test-takers confuse fluency for speed. They think speaking fast is going to get them a better score. Speaking fast without clarity will only reduce your score. One needs to work on speaking fluently.
So, you must take your time, think about what you are going to say next, be articulate, and maintain clarity in the pronunciation of your words. Maintain a medium pace and be consistent with it through the course of the speaking session.
- Using too many fillers
It is one of the most common things people tend to do when they are at a loss for words. People tend to buy time by using filler sounds such as ‘aah’ and ‘uhm’, etc. However, one should not overuse such tricks as this makes it seem as though the test taker is not very articulate.
One can avoid using too many filler sounds by preparing templates for speaking. Practicing with templates will eventually get you better at speaking without filler sounds.
- Avoid false starts, hesitation, and repetition
The start of your speech plays a crucial role in your overall speaking score. Moreover, test takers tend to perform well if they start well, and tend to falter even more if they make a mistake at the very start of their speech.
Another thing to avoid is to keep repeating phrases and words and being hesitant while delivering your speech. One needs to be confident while speaking and practice extensively before the day of the test.
- Avoid long pauses
As a rule of thumb, one should know that if a test taker is silent for 3 seconds during a PTE speaking module, the microphone automatically goes off. So, any attempts to speak after that will not be recorded. So, take note of this fact and focus on continuity during your PTE Exam Preparation.
- Avoid writing too many sentences during the PTE Summarize Written Text task
Many test-takers end up writing multiple sentences in the PTE Summarize Written Text task. Practice writing a single sentence that starts with a capital letter and ends in a full stop. It may seem impossible but the challenge is to summarize an entire paragraph into a few words.
A candidate can try to summarize into as few words as possible using connecting words. During the Summarize Spoken Text questions, candidates can answer with multiple sentences to finish off with their summary.
Anyone who is in the midst of their PTE Exam Preparation must know that writing more or less than the stated word limit can result in a lower PTE score. So, avoid exceeding the word limit in the writing section tasks like essay writing and summarizing written text, and keep the essays within 200 to 300 words.
So, be diligent with your preparation and follow these guidelines to do your very best in the PTE exams.
Also Read: Best Reasons to Take PTE Mock Tests Before You Sit the PTE Academic Test
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