It is important that you are relaxed when taking this test. It is understandable that you will be under considerable tension created by the examination situation. Nevertheless, take a deep breath, and try to look self-assured. The examiner is trying to assess your language communication capabilities. He/she will not be able to assess you unless you speak up The test is designed to give you ample chance to answer a variety of questions. It does not matter if all the things that you say are not true.

Answer in complete sentences. Keep talking until the examiner interrupts you or goes to the next question. Start speaking within the time it takes one to count to 5. If you need time to think say something like "That's an interesting question." or just repeat the question in a form like "You'd like me to tell you about (topic)."

Do you have anyone who speaks English to train with? (You don't need anyone proficient as long as they can read a bit.) Hand them the list of speaking questions and have them ask questions at random.

If you get stuck on vocabulary try to describe what you mean. Don't sit there knitting your brow and allowing the tension to rise. "Oh, the word I'm looking for has slipped my mind." is a good phrase to introduce a description if you can remember it. If you get utterly lost, say something like, "I'm afraid I've talked myself into a corner. Let me start over." or better "I don't think I should continue in this vein. Let me say it in a different way." and start answering the question in a different way.

You will be assessed on the following criteria:

- ability to communicate effectively
- ability to use appropriate vocabulary and structures
- ability to take initiative in a conversation
- general fluency
- organization of thoughts and points
- content (totally relevant/ sometimes irrelevant/ totally irrelevant)

This test is divided into 3 different sections. Initially you will be asked the so called "warming up" questions such as your name, the place you come from, etc. Here you should demonstrate your skills in providing extended answers rather than just an outright YES, NO or other similar one word answers. Attaining fluency takes plenty of practice and so make it a point to converse in English with others. Another aspect is to THINK IN ENGLISH. Let your thoughts be in English rather than in your own language.

Don’t learn chunks of answers. The examiner is trained to spot this and will change the questions.
Develop your answers as much as possible.
Speak more than the examiner.
Ask for clarification if necessary.
Remember it is not a test of knowledge and there is no single answer, but ensure that you give your opinion. Don’t worry if you feel it is not sophisticated enough.
The areas covered are fairly predictable and not infinite so practise at home by recording ideas onto a tape recorder

In the second part of the test, the examiner will give you a topic on which you will have to speak for 2 minutes. You will be given 1 minute to prepare your talk. Don't be afraid to jot down your points in a piece or paper and plan your answer. Then start talking ! If you do not plan your answer, you may end up running out of ideas for the talk.

During the Examination :
Let your volume be normal, not too loud
Do not speak too fast else you will run out of topic material or the examiner may not understand you
Maintain eye contact with the examiner
Do not show any signs of nervousness even though internally you might be