Dos and Don'ts When Taking the IELTS Reading Exam

Are you taking the IELTS exam soon? Think you’re reading skills still needs work but don’t have the time to spare for a week-long IELTS review course? Enroll in JRooz’s one-day IELTS review program. Then, supercharge your test performance further by adopting the following dos and don’ts while preparing for and taking the high-stakes exam.

DO                 

                                    

·         Answer a lot of practice exams during your IELTS review

This is the best way to get used to the pressure of the exam before taking the real thing. If you’re enrolled in a training course, like the JRooz Online IELTS review, you’ll have no shortage of practice tests to take. Don’t take this advantage for granted. Answer as many as you can. If you’re not preparing with a training course, on the other hand, you can find some mock tests online.

·         Build up your vocabulary

Limited vocabulary is one of the most common reasons why takers take too long reading through the texts. Every time they encounter an uncommon word, they pause and try to decipher what it means via context clues. Avoid this problem by expanding your vocabulary.

·         Develop your own test strategies

There are about 14 test types in the reading exam. While you won’t encounter all of them, it still pays to be prepared for each one. Come up with test strategies for each test type to save time and streamline your test performance. If you’re taking JRooz’s one day IELTS review course, don’t forget to ask your instructor for their recommended techniques for the reading exam.

DON’T                                

               

·         Rely solely on speed reading

Time is your enemy in the reading exam. There’s a strict time limit, and the texts you need to go through are either plenty or lengthy. It’s likely that you’ll spend the majority of the time just reading through them. Speed reading can cut down that time in half.

However, it’s best that you don’t rely on speed reading too much. Doing so increases the risk of missing implied information and other key details. Instead, employ various reading techniques. Use skimming to get the gist of the text. Use scanning when looking for specific information.

·         Obsess over unfamiliar words

Here’s the thing: you don’t have to understand everything to get a high score in the IELTS reading exam. You just have to find the answers in the text. So, don’t worry about encountering unfamiliar words and phrases. Unless the question requires you to decipher them specifically, you can ignore them for the time being. Focus on locating the answers.

·         Ignore the instructions

A lot of test takers lose points just for not following the directions. So pay close attention to them. The most common instruction to trip up examinees is the word count in the “short answer” test type. It usually says something like “Choose no more than three words.” Go over or under the word count, and your answer won’t be considered.

Don’t cut corners when preparing for the IELTS reading exam. Enroll in an excellent training course and follow these dos and don’ts to bolster your test performance.

Still have a couple of weeks to prepare for the exam but don’t have the time to travel to and from a training center? Consider enrolling in an online IELTS review course. You’ll get the same quality education as those offered in classrooms without the hassles of commute.

References:

"5 Top Tips for Scoring High on the IELTS Reading Section." FluentU IELTS Blog. July 28, 2017. Accessed April 12, 2018. https://www.fluentu.com/blog/ielts/ielts-reading-tips/.

Pell, Christopher. "IELTS Reading Tips- Top 10 Tips for IELTS Reading." Home. April 07, 2018. Accessed April 12, 2018. https://www.ieltsadvantage.com/2015/03/20/top-10-ielts-reading-tips/.

"Reading Test Advice." Reading Test Advice | Take IELTS. Accessed April 12, 2018. https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-test/test-day-advice/reading-test-advice.

"The Complete Guide to IELTS Reading." Magoosh IELTS Blog. February 07, 2018. Accessed April 12, 2018. https://magoosh.com/ielts/complete-guide-ielts-reading/.