The ideal strategy for preparing for TEF and TCF
In the world of language teaching, there is a lot of debate surrounding the ideal test preparation methods. Is it possible to develop a universal strategy that guarantees success on the first try? Let's figure it out together.
During my time working with exams, I have identified several of the most popular preparation strategies for myself. Let's look at 3 of them.
Strategy 1: Focus on the oral part
Probably the most popular among students is to focus on the oral part of the exam, while postponing preparation for the written part, and sometimes reading and listening, until the last weeks or days before the exam. Shortly before the exam, such a student begins to intensively engage in writing and seek reinforcement and feedback on his texts in all possible sources.
➕This approach has its advantages: it allows you to focus on oral skills, which are often more difficult to master.
➖But the disadvantages are also significant. When students finally turn their attention to the written part, they often find that there is too little time to correct all the shortcomings. And even after the texts have been carefully corrected, there are still many points that need to be taken into account.
✔️Keeping it all in focus turns out to be extremely difficult. Even if you write a few additional texts for practice, this does not guarantee confidence in passing the exam. To really feel confident, you need your brain to have time to analyze and digest all the edits received. This requires time, which, unfortunately, is often not enough in late preparation conditions.
Strategy 2: Meetings with the teacher from time to time
➕This strategy may be ideal for a certain type of student: those who are highly motivated, know how to organize their own learning, and very often have teaching experience. These students are able to independently plan and control their learning process, and periodic meetings with the teacher serve for them rather as a check and adjustment of the knowledge they have already accumulated.
➖However, if a student does not have such structure and attentiveness to his independent learning, the teacher has to look for a new starting point for development at each meeting. This takes time and takes away useful energy from both the student and the teacher, especially if the latter does not keep a special “student card”.
✔️For example, I have a kind of file cabinet for each student, similar to the one in clinics. In it, I record not only the topics and assignments covered, but also other important aspects that help me not to forget the key points in each student’s learning. Such a “summary” of the work done allows you to quickly adapt to the student’s current level, even after a long break from classes. Otherwise, if the student has not progressed in learning during the absence, the meeting turns into marking time.
Strategy 3: Diversity of teachers, and not always but often ignoring the exam format
There are students who are of the opinion that the key to passing the exam is to communicate as intensively as possible and receive a variety of feedback on your work.
➕Indeed, meeting with different people and teachers, collecting their opinions and advice can be useful for developing language skills. For example, there is nothing wrong with it for students who are already very familiar with the exam format and need some extra practice to relieve stress and remember what the foreign language is really about.
➖However, for those who are not yet fully confident in the requirements of the exam and its structure, such a disjointed approach may turn out to be ineffective, if not dangerous.
✔️His main problem is that each new interlocutor brings his own vision and preparation strategies. A student may receive so many different recommendations and strategies that he begins to waste time processing them instead of focusing on practicing according to a clearly defined plan. We all understand that there is no ideal response strategy and such a “circle of interlocutors” can turn into a kind of procrastination, when instead of an in-depth study of the material, the illusion of productivity appears.
The extreme of this approach would be a situation where meetings with teachers cease to be focused on the exam and turn into informal communication about personal life.
Its main problem is that each new interlocutor brings his own vision and preparation strategies. A student may receive so many different recommendations and strategies that he begins to waste time processing them instead of focusing on practicing according to a clearly defined plan. We all understand that there is no ideal response strategy and such a “circle of interlocutors” can turn into a kind of procrastination, when instead of an in-depth study of the material, the illusion of productivity appears.
️The extreme of this approach would be a situation where meetings with teachers cease to be focused on the exam and turn into informal communication about personal life.
I think that I would add 2-3 more strategies, but it’s time to wrap things up for today; in the coming days I’ll write which approach to preparation resonates with me the most and gives tangible results. Everyone, of course, guessed that none of the above.
Read other useful articles:
Francophone streams or selections by category