This is an IELTS Energy Podcast, Episode 1520.
Am I ready to take the IELTS exam?
Welcome to the IELTS Energy Podcast from All Ears English downloaded more than 35 million times with examiner-trained IELTS whiz Aubrey Carter and Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer.
If you are stuck with a low score, our insider method will help you get the score you need to unlock your dreams.
Get your estimated band score now with our two minute quiz at allearsenglish.com slash my score.
Are you just a few days out from your exam and questioning whether you're actually ready?
Today, we give you three tips on how to deal with this scenario, so that you can make the right choice for the highest score.
Isn't it frustrating when you can't express the nuances of your opinions, when you can't explain exactly what you mean or when your English statements don't match the complexity of your thinking?
We solve all of those problems in our C1 Fluency course.
It's live now and our special offer ends September 14th.
Go to allearsenglishcom slash C1 to save up to 100 off and practice your speaking with our live speaking events every single week.
Plus, get our brand new AI conversation guides for unlimited speaking practice with feedback.
Go to allearsenglishcom slash letter C number one.
Allearsenglishcom slash C1.
See you there.
Hello, Lindsay.
How are you?
Good, Aubrey.
How's it going today?
Excellent.
I'm excited to dive into this today.
Lindsay, have you ever had to do something when you weren't sure you were ready?
Oh, yeah, for sure.
I mean, volcano boarding was one thing.
I wasn't quite ready to tip over into the downward slope on the back of my refrigerator.
Yeah, for those of you listening who aren't aware what this is, Lindsay went volcano boarding.
Tell us briefly what was this?
What was it?
Yeah, we went to the I think it's Cerro Negro is what it is in Nicaragua, which is an active volcano.
So it's already a little intimidating, right?
And it was a tour where it was volcano boarding.
It's a thing they do there where they basically make sleds or kind of slides out of the back of what you have in a refrigerator.
So it's very slippery, like it just moves fast.
And they make little sleds out of it.
And so I was putting mine down, kind of teetering, just not sure if I wanted to go.
I was terrified.
I don't think you could ever be ready for that.
No, I was really scared.
But then I figured out I could actually go pretty slow and I could control it okay.
So it was fine.
But that would help.
I would also take that as slowly as I could.
I'm like, I'm doing it.
I don't need to be the fastest one.
I was like the second slowest in the whole group.
So Well, we've all been in this situation, whether it's about something like that.
That's high adventure that you're like.
I want to do this, but I don't know if I'm ready or test prep.
Right.
All of us have faced an exam, a difficult course where we aren't sure we're completely ready.
And it can be very anxiety.
There can be a lot of anxiety around this.
Because, no matter whether it's taking a test or volcano boarding or something crazy, it feels like you're jumping off of something into something else.
It's that feeling of I'm maybe losing control, like I'm taking a chance here.
Should I really do this?
Exactly.
It doesn't feel safe.
It's difficult to be confident.
So we got a great question about this from a student that we're going to read.
And you're going to get some really good advice if you're in that same boat where you're not sure if you're ready to take IELTS yet or not.
All right.
So I'm going to read the question.
The student said, should I delay my test date?
I need some advice.
I don't know if I should try to change my exam or take it, my exam date or take it.
I've practiced a lot and when I take a listening or reading test, I get a good score.
However, last week I took the entire exam all at once and I can't get the score I need.
I don't know if I'm ready, if I'm not ready or if this is anxiety.
Hmm.
Such a good question, right?
We're going to dive into because there are multiple factors at play here, right?
Yeah, we appreciate how the honesty of this question.
And it's a very good question.
Maybe you've decided you've signed up for a course, you've gone through the whole course.
Is it just nerves that are telling you you're not ready?
Are you actually like still missing information or practice?
Exactly.
Right.
That's what you would need to figure out.
But we first want to make sure that you guys hit follow right here on the podcast.
If you're not following yet, you might be missing amazing episodes.
So wherever you find your podcast, search IELTS Energy and hit follow.
All right.
So our first tip, we have a series of tips here for our listener.
We have three tips.
And number one, Aubrey, what is it?
Yeah, our first tip is to take a break.
Right.
It's very possible that you are experiencing burnout and a lot of the anxiety that comes from that.
So the best thing might to be just take a couple of days away from IELTS, more depending on when your test date is.
Right.
Take a few days off and see how much this affects how you feel.
Do you suddenly feel more confident and you're like, actually, I've got this.
I just was burned out and getting all of this anxiety because I felt like I can't do this anymore.
I love that idea.
So taking a step back and then coming back with a fresh set of eyes before you make a decision whether to delay your test date or not.
And again you know, to avoid that burnout in the first place.
Again we want to make sure we're following a clear study plan.
So you're not just taking it all on on one day.
Right, Aubrey?
Exactly.
Yes.
And as part of that study plan, you want to build in breaks, rest, right?
You want to take a full day off. each week from studying.
We build this into our study plans for Three Keys IELTS.
But if you're creating a study plan, you need to think about breaks as well to avoid burnout.
Yeah.
And the reason we can afford to give you that day off, that seventh day off or sixth day, whatever it is, is because you've been working hard the days leading up to that.
You've been not just working hard in our study plan, but doing the right things.
Exactly.
Right.
And if it's scheduled like that, if you're being very productive, you feel good about taking a day off.
Whereas if you're sort of sporadic and you're studying and don't feel like you've been doing as much as you should, then you won't ever feel comfortable taking a full day off.
And you'll just feel like you're studying all the time, even if you're not being as effective as you could be with your time.
And that can also happen when we decide just to scour the internet, just learn with YouTube.
We're not really quality learning, but we're spending a lot of time.
And so that's likely to lead to that anxiety at the end.
Am I really ready?
I don't know.
We're much more likely to feel ready for the test and be ready if we've gone through a study plan.
Absolutely.
So that's our first piece of advice.
You might just need to take a break, take a few days off.
Our second advice is to get feedback, to figure out what you would score on speaking and writing.
As this student mentioned, you can take IELTS listening and reading exams and find out exactly what score you would get.
But you might just be answering, speaking answers, writing essays, without really knowing what they would score.
And this can create a lot of anxiety too and make you feel like you're not ready if you don't know what scores you would get on those exams on test day.
Yeah, don't do this by yourself, right?
That's a recipe for a problem, right?
You want to be connected to someone who can help give you that feedback and let you know if you're ready right.
Yes, and you've heard this from us before.
But it also can't just be you know your speaking partner or any English teacher, or even like a TOEFL teacher, because IELTS is so specific the scoring system and what the examiner is looking for.
So you really need to make sure that this is an IELTS expert, someone who really knows the exam, that can tell you what scores you would get on test day.
Exactly.
And our last piece of advice. is to be confident.
So what do we mean by this?
Yeah.
So sometimes the only thing missing really is confidence, right?
First of all, if you have strategies, this will help you be more confident that you are going to get the scores you need on test day right.
Sometimes if you're putting in a lot of time like you said, Lindsay finding everything you can online, But you can tell that maybe your practice isn't as effective as you need it to be.
You don't have all the strategies you could have.
You won't be confident enough to ever really feel ready to take the exam.
Yeah, I really think some of this is just self-understanding self-awareness, because I think that our best students, who follow our study plan, do the whole course.
They are like raring to go.
They're ready to go into that test center.
I think in your heart of hearts, you probably know whether you're ready or not, right?
But do you have a history of questioning yourself even when you're fully prepared?
I think we kind of know the answer.
Yeah, we kind of know the answer, right?
Because that can happen, right?
If you know yourself and realize, like I have put in the work, I do have the strategies and you just have a tendency to self-doubt or to feel anxiety.
There are things you can do.
First of all, just recognizing that, acknowledging it, so that you can help yourself choose to be confident.
Yeah.
And then there's the other side, which is just kind of not knowing anything like what a native speaker might do.
A native speaker would enroll for IELTS, probably not even think they had to prepare.
And that's the other side of not having an awareness of what you need to know.
That's an overconfidence, right?
So we want to make sure we're not on that side either.
Because that happens as well.
You go on test day thinking I've got this, this will be easy, and actually end up getting a low score because you don't have strategies, you don't understand the scoring system.
Like you said, even native speakers can get low scores on the IELTS exam if they don't know what to expect.
Yeah, we've seen that.
Native speakers can get sixes, right?
Sixes, maybe sevens, but...
You know, you'd think a native would get a nine.
Right.
You'd expect that.
Not always true.
OK, so interesting.
Yes.
Meeting new people just got way more fun because now you don't have to do it alone.
With Tinder's new double date feature, you and your bestie can match together.
Tap the double date icon to see profiles built for two.
When two pairs match, the group chat kicks off.
Scope the profiles.
Send memes.
Flirt a little.
Maybe plan a hang.
It's always better when you're in it together.
Try the new Tinder Double Date.
Explore all the possibilities.
Tinder.
It starts with a swipe.
Download Tinder today.
All right, Aubrey.
So what should we do if we do decide, okay, yeah, I need a little bit more time.
I haven't really properly prepared.
Maybe I'll get into a study plan.
What do we do?
Yeah.
You recognize I'm not going to be able to be prepared by Saturday.
You might decide you do need to delay or change your date.
So you'll need to know what are your options, right?
So IELTS does allow you to change your test date, but it's subject to availability and might incur a fee.
So you'll need to check your individual testing center.
This is different for different testing centers.
But if they have spots open, seats open, then you likely can change your test date.
And then or transferring your test date.
But you do need to let your test center know ahead of time, like five weeks ahead.
So ideally it's not something we're getting to the day before the week before and realizing we have to change it.
We should be planning way in advance for this.
Exactly.
Some test centers do have more flexible policies.
So check with them.
But most date transfers don't. are need to be quite a bit further out.
So this will be tricky.
Sometimes your best option will be to go ahead and take the test Saturday.
See how you do and then you can start fresh with more time, right.
Sometimes our best option is to make the best of our upcoming date and then move forward.
Well, that's also the way to learn the most.
Right.
I mean, that's why like startups, they launch when they're not totally startup businesses.
They launch when they don't have everything together, because that's how they learn about their market.
They learn what they don't have.
So if you consider it part of your process, you know you can always retake it as long as you're OK with paying the extra fee.
It might not be the worst thing to just say I don't think I'm ready, but I'm going to take it, and then I'll know exactly what my gaps are for next month.
Exactly.
Right.
But the fee for changing a date likely will be less than scheduling.
So it's usually just a percentage of your original test fee.
So definitely worth contacting the test center, finding out what your options are and then choosing a new test date if possible.
Hmm.
Interesting.
Interesting.
Okay.
So what else do we need to know here, Aubrey?
Anything?
Any other tips for changing our test?
I think that's it as far, except for knowing that some test centers, you'll need to choose a new date that might be up to three months from the original date.
So there are a lot of stipulations here, right?
Definitely contact your test center, find out what your options are, what the timing is, what the fee might be, and that will actually help you decide what to do here.
For sure.
And then contact wherever you are submitting those test results.
Do they have a due date by which they need your results, right?
This is why we're here taking this test for the institution or the visa.
So check in with that too, obviously.
Exactly.
And so, if this is not an option to delay your test date, I think this advice that we've shared here today if you can get feedback, get the scores that you would get on speaking and writing, then you'll see you might be ready.
And then all it takes is taking a day or two off to collect yourself, to eliminate yourself some of that anxiety, and then be confident on test day.
Yes, I love it.
So much to think about, but we want to be so strategic and so intentional when it comes to doing IELTS.
Bouncing around the internet, learning strategies from different places, being confused, being overwhelmed.
We're following a clear plan.
Aubrey, how can our listeners get into our course with that clear plan?
Yes, to get a study plan and know that you're spending your time as effectively as possible, sign up for Three Keys IELTS, our IELTS study, our IELTS course at allearsenglishcom.
Slash keys K-E-Y-S.
All right.
Good stuff.
I'll see you back here next week on the podcast.
Aubrey, you have a good week.
All right.
Awesome.
See you guys next week.
Bye.
Thanks for listening to IELTS Energy.
Hit subscribe now, and don't forget to find your estimated band score at allearsenglishcom.
Slash my score.
