For many international students (including me :) ), English Proficiency Test is a nightmare. It's not because we're bad at English, but sometimes the score doesn't reflect our true ability. Doing the test also depends on luck, for instance: somehow, the test on this week is easier than the one in next week. As a grade 12 student, I'm rushing to complete English Proficiency Test because it is required for my university application. I've done IELTS, but my score wasn't competitive enough, so I chose Duolingo Test. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of the test that I want to share:
-Advantages:
1/ The test fee is EXTREMELY affordable ($49) comparing to IELTS which is about $330. Even if you don't get your desired score on the first test, you feel comfortable to register for another one.
2/ You can take the test EVERYWHERE. As the COVID-19 happens, going to the test center concerns me. Just make sure you take the test in a quiet place with nobody going around !
3/ There are small practices (15 minutes) provided by Duolingo, so practicing them several times before taking the test. Even though the test is longer and more difficult than the practice, but you get some clues about what will you expect to see on the test.
4/ The test is accepted by many prominent institutions: John Hopkins University, Stanford University, Yale University, etc. Most universities require about 110-135 Duolingo Test score.
5/ You get the result within 2 days! So there is enough time to plan another test if you want to retake it.
-Disadvantages:
1/ The test is a mixed of Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking skill. There is no particular order which comes first, so you don't know what will be the next section in the test.
2/ As you can take the test at home, it's easy to be distracted (the test doesn't allow to use headphone)
-Useful tips: (these are the things I've learned after taking the test)
1/ For the "fill in the blanks" part, don't FREAK OUT when you don't know what the word is. Never leave it blank. If you don't know, try to fill in a random word that you may have learned or heard before.
*For my test, I tried to fill in the word, but there wasn't enough box for the letters. That means my expected word is wrong, but I still fill in.
2/ For the "write at least 50 words", try to list your ideas in order (for example: First of all,... Second of all... Conclusion). If there is no time to write your next idea, just stop at your first idea (don't start the second idea). Make sure you check if you first idea is complete. It's always better to express a complete idea rather than start a second idea and ending up incomplete paragraph.
*For my test, I didn't have time for my third idea. I ended up at my second idea.
3/ Make sure your internet connection is stable throughout the test. Also, make sure you're always on your camera.
4/ Don't worry if you make grammar error in your speaking test. Don't resay it to correct your grammar because you will forget what to say next (you only focus on correcting your grammar).
*Honestly, I made a TON of grammatical mistakes, but I just move on.
5/ During speaking test, if you believe your what you've just said didn't make any sense (vague idea), feel free to clarify it by saying a better statement.
6/ Don't worry if you "Ummm....." too much. As a bilingual, I understand that it will takes some time to process the vocabulary. Because this is English Proficiency Test, which is for non-native English speaker, "Umm.." is avoidable.
7/ Make sure your voice is clear and loud enough during recording.
*I came closer to my laptop (don't know if this does make my voice louder :))
8/ Make sure you watch an instruction video before doing the test as it requires many steps.
*I watched an instruction video (only about 2-3 minutes) on YouTube several times.
Here is my result.
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