Hello, my dear students

From the very first day I told you about the right order when taking the different parts of the PET exam. Just in case you forgot, here it is along with some final tips!

• First of all, start with the long writing (part 3). It is worth 15 points, the highest of the whole exam, so you should start with it. Plan your writing, make a draft, use vocabulary you know (don’t try to impress anyone with words or structures you don’t know). Remember, the letter is always going to be easier than the story.
• After that writing, you must continue with the 3rd and the 5th part of the reading exam. They’re worth 10 points each, and you can do whichever you want first, but take your time! Read everything carefully, look for synonyms in part 3 and pay special attention to the words before and after the gap in part 5.
• The rest of the parts are worth 5 points each, but I suggest you starting with the 1st and 2nd part of the writing exam. Then you can continue with the missing parts of the reading in this order: part 1, part 2 and part 4. Why that order? Well, part 1 is faster and easier than the others, so you shouldn’t spend more than 5 minutes on it. Part 2 and part 4 are both quite long, but in part 2 you have 8 possible options (12,5% possibilities of getting the right answer) and in part 4 you need to read the text a couple of times to answer all the questions properly (25% possibilities of getting the right answer). Remember that, when doing part 4, the 2nd – 3rd – 4th questions are asking for specific information, and they’re in order within the text! So, if you’re in a rush, try to do those ones first.
• Remember, answer all the questions, do not leave an answer unanswered!

That’s it. I wish you all luck, and I remind that the blog (and the Internet) is full of resources you can use to keep preparing this important test (like this one). Watch some videos of candidates taking the speaking exam, learn some idioms for your writings, remember the importance of using paragraphs, practise with different kinds of readings, listen to English music and try to understand the lyrics (or use LyricsTraining!).

Everything you do will prove to be useful, trust me.

Over and out.