3 Easy Tips for Getting Test Conditions Right for Practice Tests

Classroom Conditions
Your comfortable classroom may be almost like a second home to your students. They probably spend more time there than any place other than home if they study English abroad. It’s good that your classroom is a comfortable, safe place. However, that ease won’t help students on test day. They will not be in your classroom, and likely they will not be in a comforting setting. Therefore to simulate test day best for your students, you will need to get them out of your classroom. Try getting access to a large auditorium, and conduct your practice test there.

Keep Away
While you are seating your students in a large auditorium like they will see on test day, arrange their seating realistically, too. Have your students sit in two to three seats between them and in alternating rows. Your students will be alone on their test days so the best practice exams will leave lots of space between students so they don’t rely on the security of being near their friends not to mention keeping them far enough away that they can’t see one another’s papers.

Listening Closely
Not only should you use a large room for your practice testing, you should also think carefully about the audio materials you use for your practice test.Large group tests often use tape players rather than CD players, which can result in a less precise sound for the listening portion of the test. In addition, large rooms tend to echo, increasing the challenge for your ESL students. Make sure that your students have practice with recorders in large spaces. Even though doing this might make the listening portion more challenging during your practice test, it will be good preparation for your students when the real test day comes.