The Analyst Down Under

So unless I'm really starting to enjoy testing again and again to show them I'm at least as good as I really am, I need to pay attention. Listening 1 - Scan the questions and calculate what kind of answers you need to listen for. (Is it an address? Is it a word or a number? Is it a noun, verb or adjective? etc.) 2 - Listen carefully for the answers Reading 1 - Scan the questions 2 - Read the text as past as possible. Make sense of the passage, the overall theme and perhaps jot down the topic of each paragraph, but try not to indulge too much or re-read. Skimming text by reading over two or three words is better than reading each word separately. 3 - Answer the questions by referring back to the relevant text section in each case. Do not answer any questions from your own inference without making sure that it is exactly what is included in the text, nothing more nothing less. 4 - Leave any difficult questions and move on. Try to attempt the maximum number of marks, even if it me...

Well, a hop and jump later, here I am, wondering. Once again, I was a stammering fool (or half) when I was asked the same two questions I should have anticipated in the speaking test and been able to prepare better for: 'what do you do?' and 'is it easy to find a job in you country?'. And as for my two-minute 'something that broke or stopped working and what you did', I had no idea of how much time had elapsed so I was left wandering and digressing scared I wouldn't be able to take up all of my two minutes like last time and only got so far. I left out all the juicy funny parts and wasn't able to keep purely to the topic. However, my responses in the last part were so interesting for the interviewer that she even continued the conversation long after she stopped recording. Unlike the dimly lit sleepy hotel room in my last interview, this was in a classroom right past the dungeon keeper and barricaded locker rooms. Also, the interviewer was lively and res...

Well, the day of the speaking test has finally arrived, one day before the written. Having gone through the British Council website and judging from my past experience, walking in for the interview with a clear, focused mindset is a pretty good idea. This is my strategy to get a good score (as good as last time or better): 1. Be relaxed and natural, but also confident, upbeat and super-interested in conversing with the interviewer 2. Remember not to simply reach the interviewers level of communication, but to exceed it - articulating thoughts skillfully as well as dripping lexicon and idiomatic phrases all over the place. A good way to do this would probably be to imagine that I'm an expert on Wall Street that has been approached by only the most glorious news channel for a short fifteen minute radio interview. The topic could be anything, so I need to communicate as much information as richly as possible, especially in my 2-minute monologue and in the ensuing conversation. Of co...

Contrary to what I had in mind, IELTS did not become history as early as I would have liked. I still have to deal with clearing the English Language requirements because for all my linguistic brilliance, I messed up in the writing section last time - falling short of the word limit in the second part of the test, having taken up most of my time in the first task. This was very reckless and irresponsible because: 1. IELTS information material clearly stated that falling short of the word limit in the writing section would be a costly mistake. 2. My exam strategy couldn't have been any worse - the second part of the test was worth twice the marks than the first part, but I managed to allocate only half as much time as I took in the first part. Falling short by half a band in this section means that I have to go through the whole process and empty my pockets once again. However, some consolation comes from the fact that my targeted accounting body for migration assessment (ICAA) does...