When it comes to preparing for CELPIP, the best advice we can offer to you is to take your time. Preparing for the test the day or even just the night before you take it will not allow you adequate time to prepare and feel comfortable taking your test. As we’ve outlined in our previous blog, creating a daily study routine is your best path to ensuring your success. In this blog, we will focus on tips for the speaking portion of your study routine. 

Listening Tips:

Practice taking notes.

In any situation, even if you listen very closely, it is difficult to remember everything you hear. This is even more difficult in a stressful situation like a test. Making notes of key points while you practice listening to radio or television shows will help you remember information that may be useful. Use some abbreviations or symbols that you think will help you take notes more quickly.

Relax and listen.

If you can’t understand a word, phrase, or sentence, continue listening and stay focused on what you are hearing. You can still understand many main points even if you cannot understand every word. If you lose track of what you are listening to, don’t worry! Just continue taking notes on the recording. If you concentrate too much on the part that you missed, you might miss even more information.

Practice managing your time.

Each part of the CELPIP Test has a timer in the corner of your screen, so watch the clock! Make sure that you have enough time to complete all the questions in each part of the Listening Test. During your practice test, keep an eye on the timer and remember to pace yourself so that you have enough time to fill in all the questions.

Preparation Resources:

• Practice tests: from our free online practice test, to our additional paid practice tests, these will give you a good idea of your current score level, and will allow you to focus on areas that you need to improve upon.
• Free webinars: for each test component, we have hours of free webinars, hosted by a CELPIP expert. These online courses are available as live webinars each month, and as recorded sessions on our YouTube channel. We recommend our Listening Pro webinar, available each month!
• Study materials in the online store: we have created a wide range of study materials to help you prepare for CELPIP, from additional practice tests, to Accelerate (you will receive a free version, Accelerate Starter, when you register for a CELPIP test!), our self-directed online study program that includes worksheets, practice tasks, and more.
• Preparation programs: for additional guided preparation, contact your local test centre to see what preparation programs are available in your area and online.

Conclusions

• Practicing using a computer and familiarizing yourself with a variety of listening tasks, such as listening to a radio broadcast, television show, or podcast in English, are great ways to improve your listening skills.
• The online study programs in our online store, such as CELPIP Accelerate, each provide study materials that you can use each day, from vocabulary building exercises to listening strategies to improve your test responses. These are a great option for adding to your daily study routine.