Do you have any Spoken English tests scheduled?
If yes, You must be looking for some expert advice on how to prepare for the test to get your desired outcomes. Achieving the passing scores in the spoken test is easier than you may have thought. Speaking tests in colleges or schools are programmed to check your fluency, comprehension, grammar, word accuracy, and pronunciation. Colleges and schools have standard passing scores, but the passing scores in an interview can vary as per the needs. The range lies between 60% to 85% in most cases.
In this blog, you will understand how to prepare for these tests.
Enhance Your Vocabulary
A common mistake that people commit before doing the test is learning every word from the dictionary in a series. You do not need to mug up all the English words to pass the test. Learn some words that are used in daily conversations to describe your choices of past, present and future. Try to figure out the commonly asked topics and enrich your vocabulary accordingly. For example, you need to know the terminologies of accounts and related words if you are applying for a job as an account executive.
Make a list of all the words that are common and also learn about their antonyms and synonyms. Remember, you don’t need to mug up these words. Just understand the meaning to have an idea of their usage. Searching for phrasal verbs and idioms related to your field is an added advantage. Try to use these words, idioms, and phrases in common sentences to describe daily situations. These tests do not just check how vast your vocabulary is, but they also examine the relevance of your vocabulary base. It is better to start your interview preparation in English so that you come across related words frequently.
Listen to Understand
Many people listen to give a response rather than understand it completely. Speaking test is all about listening and giving answers. If you do not listen to the examiner or the instructor, you will not be able to give relevant answers. The key to passing this obstacle is that you should listen to understand the topic entirely. Once you have understood the instructor, you will be ready to answer the questions more effectively. Let me give you an example of how listening actively can help you in speaking tests. There was a boy who appeared in an interview. The interviewer asked, ‘Is the economy not growing due to the pandemic?’The boy started to talk about the pandemic and lockdown. He stated all the losses that he and the people around him had due to the pandemic. He did not mention anything about the growth of the economy anywhere in his answer. He was not selected because he did not answer the question effectively. There is a possibility that he would ignore important information while working for the company also. In this case, he faced rejection because he could not listen to the question carefully. Listening and understanding the question is required to answer the question effectively. Always listen with an open mind, and then process the questions in your mind to find keywords to answer them.
Prepare a Few Topics
Before you appear for a speaking test, you should prepare a few lengthy topics. Make sure that you prepare five topics; One topic based on past related concerns, the second based on the ongoing issues in the present, the third one based on upcoming opportunities & challenges, the fourth topic based on the job-related concerns, and the fifth one about yourself. Once you have prepared topics, make a mind map of possible questions and their answers. You can listen to TED talks and podcasts to improve your speech. After speaking on topics, you need to be ready to explain your choices and compare them with other options. There can be any type of question to make you feel uncomfortable or commit a mistake. Make sure to remain confident about your choices and avoid mistakes.
No More Translations
Many candidates think in their mother tongue and then translate that into English to answer a question. This process consumes precious time. I would suggest making a habit of thinking in English. When you start thinking in English, your responses can be faster. Responses become faster because we do not waste time translating the content in our heads. You can achieve this with practice. Start thinking about general things in English. Do this for a few minutes every day. This will help you avoid grammatical errors and also help you respond immediately in an interview.
Listen to Songs
One of the best ways to improve pronunciation is to listen to music and podcasts. It is not enough to know the pronunciation of a word. Songs can improve your syllable, pronunciation, and intonation. When we listen to English songs, we understand the stress pattern and rhymes of English. Songs can improve the intonation in such a way that listeners understand us easily.
Conclusion
In the end, I would say that a speaking test is conducted to check how well you respond to situations. This helps recruiters to understand how confidently a candidate can handle challenging situations. You can qualify for the test even if you are not clear with some typical grammatical terms. The way you communicate and deliver a piece of information is more important to the recruiters. So, be prepared for your next speaking test accordingly.
