Exámenes

Tips to prepare for a language exam

When you are trying to learn a new language and you hear a native speak the same language, their speed and pronunciations bring about a panic in you and make you think if you will ever be able to speak it as fluently as them.

A lot of people even suffer from “foreign language anxiety” where they experience a lot of uneasiness, worry and apprehension while learning or speaking a foreign language. If your fear is this severe we suggest you consult a doctor and get expert advice, but if you think it’s just cold feet, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, we will give you tips on how to prepare for each module and also other general tips that will help you ace your exam.

Speaking

Speak in front of a mirror:

While it might not be easy for us to find a native speaker to practice speaking with every day, what would really help is to speak in front of a mirror. This way you will see your body language and your facial expressions when you speak. This will help you feel like you are having a conversation with yourself and you can expand your vocabulary and confidently discuss new topics as well.

Watch sample videos on the internet:

Watching mock exam videos on YouTube will help you understand how to approach a question, and see different ways of answering it. You will also learn new words and how to use them in a conversation.

Try to speak a little bit every day:

As hard as it may sound it is actually very helpful. Practice saying thank you, please and other simple words every day. You can also try translating your everyday sentences into the language you are learning, which will improve your comprehension ability.

Reading

Start reading news headlines

News headlines are always small and tell the story in no more than a sentence. Reading the local news in the foreign language you are learning will expose you to new sentence structures and also widen your general knowledge about that country, which will, in turn, help you more in the exam and in real life.

Read children’s books in that language:

Children’s books are often very easy to read and have the simplest sentence formations. Reading children’s books will help you improve your reading habit and will also increase your reading speed.

Don't know what level of test to take?

Listening

Watch native movies:

Yes, language learning can be fun too. Movies often use a lot of different dialects and slangs, that might initially confuse you. But when you watch them with the subtitles on and slowly try to co-relate the dialogues to the subtitles, you will be surprised to see how much you can actually comprehend.

While you are at it, also listen to their music, it’ll expand your music tastes and help you learn a few new words as well.

Watching native movies will be useful for your listening skills

Writing

Practice writing as much as you can, and if possible get it evaluated by an expert. Writing can be hard at times, but practicing is the only way to go about it.

Make sure you write down all the rules of that language in one place and by-heart them. Do the same with words and verbs. Then when you start writing it’ll all just come together.

Practice your writing as much as you can

Other

Rules:

Read about the exam structure well in advance. How much time do you have for each task, what are you allowed to take into the exam room, is there an order to answer the questions, your test date, time and place and more. Being informed about the exam is very important.

Previous years:

Look into the kind of questions that were asked in the previous years. This will give you an idea of how the paper will be set and the level of difficulty you might have to prepare for.

Time:

Make sure you spend equal time on all the 4 modules (speaking, listening, reading & writing). If you think there are any areas that you are lagging in, spend more time on them and get expert help if possible.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help:

If you are part of any language learning community, reach out to other students and professionals there for help. Join Langoo’s Discord community to meet other students like you.

You can check our Full Guide about official Spanish DELE exam here.

Let us know in the comments below how you prepare for your language exam!

Teresa

Licenciada en Filología Inglesa, Máster en TIC para la enseñanza y procesamiento de lenguas, profesora EFL, traductora en reuniones internacionales, y preparadora de Cambridge. Especializada en procesamiento de lenguas y creación de contenido e-learning.