Tips for the Reading Test

1. Leave a question if you can’t answer. To spend a long time on one answer is disastrous. Go back later if yo have time and guess if you have to.
2. Don’t panic if you don’t know anything about the text paragraph. All the answers are there and you don’t need any specialist knowledge.
3. Remember you have no extra time to transfer your answers. Many candidates think that because they have extra time in listening they are able to do this in reading too. You can’t.
4. Before the exam, read as widely as possible e.g. newspapers, magazines, journals. Don’t limit yourself to one type of text and read articles with an academic style where possible.
5. Look at ways paragraphs are organised.
6. Try and predict the content of paragraph from the opening sentence.
7. Give the paragraph you are reading an imaginary heading.
8. Don’t concentrate on words you don’t know. It is fatal and wastes valuable time.
9. Try and spend a specific period of time each day reading.
10. Careless mistakes cost many marks. Copy the answer correctly if it is in the text paragraph.
11. Check spelling.
12. Give only one answer if that is all that’s needed.
13. Be careful with singular/plural.