How often should I do Cambridge IELTS practice Reading/Listening tests?
This depends on a number of factors, but in order to answer this question, it is first important to remember the purpose of a practice test.
Cambridge IELTS practice Reading/Listening tests are useful for two things:
1. assessing your level
2. identifying your weaknesses
A common mistake students make is thinking that just doing more practice tests will increase their scores. This is not the case. If you do not identify your areas of weakness and work on them, then you are going to get similar scores in your next practice test.
It is like being a professional sports star and thinking that it is enough to just turn up for the match every week without doing any training in between.
When to use a practice test:
- When you finish a course. For example, after you have completed the Reading course, you can do an official Cambridge practice test to assess your level and to see if you have mastered the strategies.
- To identify an area of weakness.
- After you have worked on an area of weakness, e.g. skimming skills, vocabulary, or True/False/Not Given questions, to see if you have improved in this area.
When not to use a practice test:
- Don’t use a practice test to try and improve something like your general reading skills or vocabulary. If you do, you'll run out of practice tests.
- Don’t do another practice test until you have worked on the areas of weakness identified in your previous practice test. This is a waste of time and a waste of a practice test.
- Don’t do a practice test under timed conditions until you have managed to get the score you need without worrying about the time.
The following articles can help you to make the best use of Cambridge practice tests in order to improve your scores:
How can I learn from my mistakes in practice tests?
What's the best way to use Cambridge IELTS practice Reading tests?
