How to Prepare for the PTE test at home
PTE is a reputed examination that is accepted at various institutes and colleges across the world. This examination is designed to test your fluency in English. Even though you are an individual whose native language is English, you must prepare well for this examination if you aspire to score your best.
The PTE examination has three sections, including speaking, writing, and listening. They are all concerned with determining your proficiency in the language. Most colleges have a pre-requisite of PTE scores to prove your efficiency in the language. In addition to that, a good PTE score helps you get aids in exploring many opportunities and is an important aspect of the process of immigration to certain countries.
One might think, "How difficult can it be to pass an English test?" Ideally, that depends on your skills, but it is wise to not underestimate PTE because it is focused on the technical aspects of the language. It takes months of preparation to secure good scores in the PTE exam.
Can you prepare for the PTE test at home?
It is completely possible to prepare for the PTE test from the comfort of your own home. All you need is a digital device, preferably a laptop or a computer, and a good internet connection, you can independently study for the test using online resources.
To begin your PTE preparation at home, here are some key factors that you must keep in mind
1. Define your schedule
When you are preparing for PTE at home, you do not have the pressure of learning or attending compulsory classes. This can either keep you on your toes or make you lazy. Hence, it is important that you prepare a schedule for yourself and stick to it. The best way to begin your scheduling is to understand the syllabus of the PTE test as that will help you allocate time to your daily tasks and study more precisely.
2. Aim for your desired score
It is good to aim high, but it is also wise to stay pragmatic and study strategically. When you are doing PTE home preparations, you need to study according to your goal. If you are studying to secure admission to any academic institute, you can go through their pre-requisites and find out the minimum passing score required for them. You can keep that as your base goal and prepare to at least achieve that score. However, do not limit yourself to that.
3. Study at your own pace
The liberty of preparing at home by yourself for your PTE test is that you can choose to rush through or slow down. You can choose to go over and over one particular topic if you are not through with it. Or if you have confidently finished a concept on time, you can move on to another. When you are preparing at home and not in a class, you have nobody else to keep up with but yourself.
4. Read books, newspapers, articles
This is not just one of the PTE preparation tips, but a life tip. Reading builds your knowledge, gives you perspective, and helps you enhance your vocabulary. And all of that is collectively important for you to score well on your PTE test. To do so, don’t limit yourself to just your study materials. Go beyond that and read from various sources. The more diverse your sources, the better it is for you.
5. Listen to audiobooks, podcasts
One of the segments of the PTE test includes listening, and the other one includes speaking. By listening to audiobooks, podcasts, speeches, or even interviews, you will be exposed to new words that are not only good for your vocabulary but also enhance your listening skills and improve your pronunciation. Some words are naturally hard to pronounce, while some words are personally hard to pronounce. In either case, if you keep listening and learning, you will get better.
6. Get online coaching
There are multiple online courses you can pursue to prepare for your PTE test. But it is important that you narrow down your sources and only stick to the reliable ones. You do not necessarily need to indulge in every online source you come across on the internet regarding PTE preparations.
7. Give online mock tests
Online mock tests are a perfect way to revise before your PTE test. For your last-minute PTE preparations, you can focus on spending more time on giving online mock tests, as this is the best way to actively test your knowledge and get scored for it like on the actual PTE test.
8. Rest enough
When you are preparing for an examination on your own, you might not know when to stop and breathe. But do ensure that you take some time out for yourself on a regular basis, as well as during the last few days before your PTE test. Staying healthy and sharp is of prime importance to scoring well on any given exam.
Pearson’s official coursebooks for PTE Home is a collection of online study materials that are designed particularly to help candidates prepare at home. It has online lectures, questionnaires, mock tests, and handbooks. They have online mock tests that deliver quick results, which help you gauge your performance and predict your scores before your exam. Pearson’s coursebooks can help you with end-to-end PTE preparation.