Fear of the unknown is something that is faced by everyone, particularly during exams. One way of calming those examination jitters is to have a clear idea of what you will be expected of you during the exam. And what better way for you to conquer that fear than to get advice from people who have already taken the test and passed.

Earlier this month we surveyed over a thousand people who have passed the exam and asked them for their tips and advice. In this article we summarise the top seven themes from the survey responses.

1. The practice tests are more difficult than the actual test

“The actual test was a lot easier than the practice tests. This was good as I felt more prepared for the exam. I almost wanted harder questions to justify all my effort in studying! Guess you will never know the questions you might get in the actual exam.”

A lot of people who have already passed the test say that the practice questions were more difficult than the questions they have encountered in the actual test.

The practice questions are designed to help candidates become well-equipped in answering the actual exam questions.

Since the practice test’s degree of difficulty is higher than that of the actual test, if you do well in the practice test, your performance in the actual test will also be excellent. It is therefore wise to answer the practice questions seriously prior to taking the actual exam.

Getting good scores in the practice tests will greatly boost your confidence because you know that you will sit on the exam fully prepared.

“I was expecting to find one specific answer for each question but there were questions that seemed to have more than one correct choice.”

You may find yourself faced with a question which requires you to give two or more correct choices. This is a modified multiple choice question wherein you need to select all the answers that apply to the question given.

We highly advise you to determine first what the kind of response is required by the question before deciding on an answer.

“When I came across a question about the national housing association, it confused me a bit. But after a thorough analysis of the question, I was able to remember reading about it in your book and I found the right answer.”

Since the questions in the exam are phrased differently from the study guide and the practice questions, the answers may not come clearly to you at once.

Remember that whenever you encounter difficult questions, all topics have been covered in the study guide and the practice tests. You only need to take your time in analysing the questions so you would end up with the correct answer.

Read the questions carefully before selecting an answer. After all, you will be given 45 minutes to finish only 24 items. Do not rush your way through the exam and make the most out of the time you are given.

“I was surprised that we weren’t given the same questions. Each candidate has different questions on their computer. I discovered this when I compared questions with other candidates after the exam.”

The exam has hundreds of questions in their database. The computer assigned to you randomly selects 24 questions that will be given to you.

With such a huge number of questions stored in the computer, the odds of you and the person next you being given the same questions are very slim. This is one way of preventing cheating and protecting the integrity of the exam.

“Do we need to have 24 correct answers to pass the exam? If my memory serves me right, I was only stuck on two questions.”

It would be wonderful to get all the answers in the exam correctly but you don’t necessarily have to get a perfect score to pass the exam.

The passing rate for the exam is 75%. This means that you need to get at least 18 correct answers out of 24 questions. Committing 7 or more mistakes in the exam would automatically result to a failing mark.

“I encountered a question, ‘Where do health visitors visit newborn babies?’ The answer to this question is ‘nursery’ but during the exam I was uncertain because I did not know the meaning of ’nursery’.”

There may be some questions which require a deeper knowledge of the English vocabulary so make sure you read and research some words that may seem unfamiliar to you.

You have to be aware of the fact that you will be taking an English exam, therefore it is important that you brush up your English skills and understand the vocabulary used in the study guide before your test date.

Our study guide includes a handy glossary of terms. We suggest that you test your vocabulary by checking you understand all words in the glossary. Also, ws you read the book and the practice questions, refer to an English dictionary if you come across a word whose definition you are uncertain of. This will not only help you to pass the exam, but it will also prove advantageous when you are already living the British life where the language you will be listening to and conversing in is pure English.

“There were a few questions about maternity and the parliament which might be in the study guide. Unfortunately I didn’t read the whole book. I just did the practice test online so I was a bit surprised to encounter those questions in the actual exam.”

The study guide and the practice tests are two essential tools to help you pass the exam.

The study guide contains the official study materials which must be read in its entirety as it covers all the topics that will possible come out in the exam. The chapters to focus on are chapters 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. All of these chapters have been reproduced from the government’s official textbook Life in the UK: A journey to citizenship.

Once you’ve read and understood the study materials, the practice tests are meant to give you a feel of what the actual test will be like.

Before deciding on your test date, make sure that you have read and understood all the topics in the study guide. Try to do all the practice tests provided for you in the review package to ensure your success in the actual exam.