How do I know if I am prepared to take a Cambridge exam?

This is an important question because taking a Cambridge exam takes time and money. That is why when we finally decide to take the exam, we want to pass it the first time. There are certain signs which we can consider which will help us predict the outcome of our exam.

The first way is obvious; practising at home by doing exercises is a good way to know how well prepared we are. It is not enough to just about pass the exercises. We must bear in mind that nerves can play a factor in taking an exam. Normally we should expect our exam result to be 10-20 points lower than what we get at home. Once we pass 3 or 4 mock exams in a row, we have a high probability of passing. The criteria for passing are the following:

English Qualifications – The Cambridge English Exams

We recommend practising until you get 10-15 points more than is required to pass the exam (recommnded FCE 175, CAE 195, CPE 215).

The clock and the scales

One very important thing that keeps many people from getting their certificate is time management. Not only is it important to practise taking exams and passing them, we must see how long it takes us to do them. Time management is especially important in ‘reading’ and ‘writing’; the other aspects are more guided and therefore we don’t have as much control over time.

With this data in mind, we can calculate the time we need to do each exercise. Again, you have to take nerves into account. You have to control your nerves and not waste too much time on a single exercise. If we get stuck on an exercise, it is better to continue with the exam and come back to it when we have finished. It is better to answer the other questions and not waste all our time on it.

In conclusion, practise is our ally whereas nerves are our enemy. If we manage to control them and we have several exams behind us, the certificate is practically in our hands. Cambridge English Exam Course – Callan School of English.

Jordi N.
Callan Team

^{Referencias:
. Saez C. 2013. ‘Superar el estrés de los exámenes’ – La Vanguardia
. Furlan, L., Sánchez-Rosas, J., Heredia, D., Piemontesi, S., Illbele, A. & Martínez, M. (2012). ‘Estrategias de aprendizaje y afrontamiento en estudiantes con elevada ansiedad frente a los exámenes’. Anuario de Investigaciones de la Facultad de Psicología, 1(1), 130-141.
. Arias, J.L. 2019. ‘Consejos para aprobar el First Certificate Exam (B2)’. Blog – Callan School of English.}

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Mamen

Secretaria Dirección at Callan School

Mamen es licenciada en Historia por la Universidad de Valladolid. Ha trabajado Técnico de Cultura y programadora de Artes escénicas y en el campo de la arqueología. Implicada desde muy joven en el desarrollo local, cambió de rumbo hace unos años, instalándose en Barcelona para dar un nuevo giro a su vida profesional. Es una apasionada de la literatura, el cine y la ópera.

Mamen has a degree in History from the University of Valladolid. Her passions include literature, cinema and opera.  Mamen has worked as a Culture Technician, a Performing Arts programmer, in the field of archaeology, and she has also been involved in local development since she was very young.
She decided to change course a few years ago, when she settled in Barcelona to begin a new chapter of her professional life.

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