Exam Preparation Guide – How to prepare for your TESOL/TEFL exam

Through hard work and dedication you’ve spent the last few weeks preparing yourself for the final hurdle of the course — the certification exam. To give yourself the best chance of passing the exam and claiming your hard-earned TESOL/TEFL certificate, it’s important that you spend sufficient time preparing yourself.

Preparing for your TESOL/TEFL certification exam can be both stressful and nervous if you are unfamiliar with how the exam is conducted. However, it can also be an exciting opportunity to showcase that your hard work and dedication throughout your course are about to pay off.

In this blog post, we’ll explore effective tips and strategies you can use to better understand the exam format and develop effective study habits that can help increase your chances of passing the TESOL/TEFL certification exam.

Understanding the TESOL exam format

Before you begin preparing for your TESOL/TEFL certification exam, it’s essential that you first spend some time familiarizing yourself with how it is structured. Doing so can help you create an effective study plan and schedule that will allow you to confidently take on the final challenge of the course.

Here are the key features that you should know about the final exam:

🔤 Multiple-choice questions – To effectively prepare for the final exam, you should first familiarize yourself with the types of questions you will be facing. Just as with the module quizzes that you encounter in the course, the final exam consists of multiple-choice questions.

✅ Passing grade – In order to further balance the advantage of the open-book format, the passing grade is set slightly higher than normal with a required passing grade of 80% or above. This is to ensure that you’ve obtained sufficient knowledge from the course to allow you to succeed as a teacher.

💾 Save function – If you unexpectedly need to pause your exam, you can rest assured that it will not affect the attempt that is in progress. Both the module quizzes and the final exam offer a convenient save button that you can use to save your progress. Once you feel ready to give the module quiz or exam another go, simply reopen the previous attempt and resume the exam.

📖 Open-book format – The exam follows an open-book format, meaning that you can refer to your notes during the exam. Open-book exam questions often tend to be slightly more challenging in order to ensure that the student possesses sufficient knowledge of the target topic.

⏲️ No time limit – The final exam is not timed which allows you to take your time going over your answers before submitting your attempt. Despite the lack of a time limit, it’s recommended that you try to complete the exam in one sitting as this will help you maintain your focus and efficiency during the exam.

🔄 Exam attempts – If you enrolled with the standard 4-month access option for your course, you will have 4 attempts to pass the exam. If you enrolled with the lifetime access option, there is no restriction on the number of attempts you can use to pass the exam. You can also conveniently upgrade to lifetime access at any time if you find yourself in need of more.

Set a study schedule

Now that you have a better understanding of the key aspects of the final exam, you are ready to start your exam preparation. The first thing you should do is to decide on a study schedule.

Although the course is self-paced, it can be beneficial to set a study schedule, as it can help you stay more focused and consistent during your exam preparation. Determine how many hours per week you can realistically devote to studying and then create a schedule that works for you.

Make sure to include regular breaks and time for self-care to avoid burning out. Try to stick to your schedule as closely as possible, but don’t be too hard on yourself if you need to make adjustments along the way.

Review the course material

Once you have a study schedule laid out, you can finally start going over the course material. A good start is to go over each module, paying close attention to any areas you feel uncertain about or may have struggled with during the quizzes. Make sure you thoroughly understand the key concepts and topics presented in the modules before moving on to the final exam.

While you may be eager to get through the course as quickly as possible and attempt the final exam, it’s important that you spend sufficient time reviewing the lessons if you are to ensure that the new knowledge you’ve obtained is thoroughly solidified.

Remember, the goal of the course is not only to obtain your teaching certificate but more importantly to provide you with the essential preparation and training needed to confidently step into the ESL classroom. The more well-prepared you are, the easier this transition will be for you.

Create flashcards for key concepts

A great way to practice important concepts, grammar topics, and terminology when reviewing the course material is to create flashcards. You can create flashcards for any topics you find yourself struggling with and use them to review on the go or whenever you have a spare moment.

Flashcards can be created using physical index cards or via flashcard apps on your phone or computer.

Organize your study materials

A good way to utilize the open-book exam format is to organize your course materials and notes in a way that makes them easy to navigate. You can create an index or bookmark important sections and topics that you found to be especially challenging during the course.

Having quick and easy access to your notes will help you stay more efficient and answer the questions more accurately.

Practice using the module quizzes

The module quizzes are an excellent preparation tool that can be used to identify the key topics of each module, as well as the type of questions you may face during the final exam.

When reviewing the module quizzes, pay close attention to the wording of the questions and the answer choices provided. Some questions may prompt you to select two or more correct answers, so be sure to read each question carefully to fully understand what is being asked.

The module quizzes can be repeated as many times as you wish, and it is your highest grade that will be saved, so don’t be afraid of retrying them multiple times!

Ask a tutor for help

If you find yourself struggling when reviewing a specific topic in the course, remember that you can always reach out to our tutors for assistance. The most convenient way to get in touch with our tutor team is to contact us via our website live chat which can be found via the blue chat box icon at the bottom right corner of our website. The live chat allows you to interact with a tutor directly and ask any questions that you may have about the topics in the course.

When reaching out to a tutor for assistance, try to provide them with clear information about what you wish to receive help with as it will allow them to quickly narrow down an answer and help you get on with your studies.

Final thoughts

As you approach the final exam, remember that it’s not just a test of knowledge, but a reflection of your readiness to step into the ESL classroom. By spending sufficient time familiarizing yourself with the exam’s structure, utilizing effective study strategies, and embracing available resources, you can feel confident that the dedication and hard work you’ve put in throughout the course are about to pay off. With determination and proper preparation, you are well on your way to completing the first step of a successful journey in the world of English language education.

Good luck with your exam!

Do you still need to get your TESOL/TEFL certificate? 

To teach English overseas and online you’ll need to have an accredited and recognized TESOL/TEFL certificate.

With World TESOL Academy’s accredited 120-hour TESOL/TEFL course you’ll develop the necessary skills needed to launch your teaching career.

If you’d like get started you can enroll here: TESOL/TEFL course.

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