Here we have a list of common mistakes students usually make while preparing for PTE Academic.
Taking too many tests and spoiling their pattern –
If you take too many tests, your performance will certainly be affected. Taking one test every week is enough for good preparation. More than that may affect your performance in the actual test.
Not focusing on areas you’re weak at –
It’s a common mistake to ignore areas where we’re weak at and focus more on our strong points. We should identify our weakness first and then work on them using full concentration so that it becomes our strength as well.
Not practicing with authentic materials –
Preparation with non-authentic materials will not help much while taking the real PTE Academic test as the level of difficulty is much higher when taking the real test. So, while practicing we should always use authentic material as much as possible and not just the free test available on internet.
Making a lot of mistakes in the Speaking Section –
This section deals with your pronunciation more than anything else; hence it’s very important to speak well in this section otherwise you might make too many mistakes which can cost you significantly on scoring. Even if you’re confident about your grammar skills, it’s better to practice thoroughly before speaking to avoid making mistakes while talking like stammering or pausing after every new sentence.
Not preparing for Pre-Intermediate (PTE IGCSE) and Post-Intermediate (PTE A2) Papers –
These papers are the most commonly overlooked and students take only PTE General Paper or PTE Academic Papers which is a big mistake. Students should focus on all these papers while preparing for IELTS. Not planning well – Planning is very important as it helps you to prepare earlier and more efficiently. Without proper planning, preparation becomes difficult.
Not doing enough practice tests –
Practice tests help in developing good test taking skills as well as will allow you to identify your strong and weak areas.
Not correcting mistakes –
It’s always better to correct your mistakes instead of ignoring them; even if there are mistakes that you can’t identify yourself, take help from others to understand where exactly did you go wrong in each question/ speaking task Improper timing – Before starting the real test, you should always know that how much time you will be given to answer each section. If your timing is not perfect, it might cost you to score well in the exam, as speaking and writing take more time than listening or reading a passage/ question.
Not doing any mock interviews –
Mock interviews are like practice tests but with one difference: they have an examiner who will examine your performance and clear your doubts about it. IELTS examiners are all qualified and experienced teachers in different fields at universities, colleges or schools. So, if you get an opportunity to do a mock interview it will be very good as you’ll learn how to face such situations when appearing for the actual test and can overcome nervousness easily.
Improper pre-test preparation –
During exam days, we should always study a little bit before taking the actual test; this helps us to remain fresh and concentrate better during the test. Plus, we’d already know what to expect in the exam so that there are no sudden surprises when answering questions / writing an essay.
Not following the instructions –
All IELTS tests have a clear set of instructions for each task so that you know how to answer it. If an exam gives certain instructions to the examinees, we should follow them in order to avoid losing points unnecessarily.
Not practicing with real questions –
There are numerous free practice materials available online but most of them are either not very authentic or written by non-native English speaking writers. It’s always better to use old past papers when preparing as these give us an insight into how questions and their types change over time and prepares our mindset in case similar tasks are asked in the actual test
Monotonous studying / No variety –
When preparing for any occasion, we must vary our study material: some days read grammar books, some days read conversational books and when you feel that you have mastered everything, then practice writing essays. Studying grammar + reading + listening + speaking every day or almost everyday can cause losing interest in studying which is not a good sign as you sometimes need to study for hours on end without getting tired or distracted.
Not having good vocabulary –
As mentioned before, vocabulary plays an important role in your IELTS score and if you don’t know a lot of words related with different topics it will be difficult to build long sentences while answering a question / writing an essay.
You should have strong vocabulary so that the main idea becomes clear to other people (examiners) as well and they are able to understand what exactly is the topic under consideration. Not using the internet to improve scores – Internet is an unending source of information so why don’t students use it for their advantage? They should at least check out the official PTE Coaching website; which has a section full of all the resources and courses to buy for PTE to help them in exam preparation.
If things are becoming too much, it may be beneficial to enrol in a PTE course for more assistance and support. This can be really beneficial because having a course on hand is completely different than simply sitting and reading books on your own. A course tutor will help you gain confidence, provide valuable advice on where you are making mistakes and how to best overcome these issues, and overall ensure that you keep on track with your studies – which is something we all struggle with at times!
The above are some of the most common mistakes students usually make while preparing for PTE Academic test. If you want to know more you can visit their website: https://www.ptecoaching.in/ for their professional PTE courses and advice!
Comment below if this article was helpful for you 🙂