As the PTE- Pearson Test of English tests your Enabling and Communicative skills, you need to be strong with them. Especially your pronunciation, oral fluency must be up to the mark.
As the PTE- Pearson Test of English tests your Enabling and Communicative skills, you need to be strong with them. Especially your pronunciation, oral fluency must be up to the mark.
PTE Practice materials alone cannot help improve these skills. So, what do you do?
Many of the aspirants always get puzzled finding the solution on 'how to crack PTE Speaking' and to do so they mug up the entire practice materials, go through various practice and mock tests. But even after doing so much, they end up scoring less. Then how do you improve these skills or excel with these skills? What are those PTE Tips that you missed to learn?
Well, the answer is the correct usage of the microphone.
Surprised? Aren't you? You might be thinking; how can a microphone affect your pte score?
How important is a Microphone?
The use of an excellent quality microphone is essential for the PTE Exam. Most of you settle with alternatives like mobile earphones, but in the end, you do not get the desired results concerning the clarity of the voice. Whereas, if you opt for a good quality microphone, it helps you focus and concentrate better by cutting the outer disturbance and helps to avoid distractions.
Using a low-quality microphone will make you end up with unclear voice and grimy recording with outer voice. All these sum up to make your response clarity of a low level and ultimately it leads to difficulty in evaluating the answers and you scoring less in the PTE Speaking section.
How to test a microphone?
There is as such no guideline or rule book on the usage of the microphone; your comfort is all that matters while you take the test. Of course, with few precautions.
In the exam centre when you get the initial 10 minutes; use that time to check the microphone and headset. For that, you can record and check your answer for an audible and clear sound.
If you find the recording in a low voice or unclear, immediately address it to the invigilator and get it replaced if possible. Try speaking in different accents for more accuracy.
Correct position of the microphone
Setting the microphone at the correct position is very important for PTE Speaking exam. Keeping it too close to your lips will make it record the breathing sound and keep it too far from your lips, your voice recorded will be of low.
The other issue that you will face because of not setting the microphone at the correct position is recording the voice of others or outer disturbance as you share the exam room with other PTE test-takers.
However, the successful tips that our experts have given to a hundred of test-takers, and it benefited them is to place the mic parallel to your nose and below the lower lip. Keep a two-finger gap between lower lip and microphone.
Caution: Do not use the Bluetooth microphones. Use the cable connected microphone, if possible.
Additional things to be taken care of:
1. Keep your voice and pace normal: You are not advised to speak too fast while recording your answer as you are not in a competition to speak, say 100 words per minute. Remember it is your oral fluency that is tested not your speed of speaking. Do not speak so loud that you disturb the other test-taker sitting next to you in the test room.
2. Avoid speaking in Fragments or a low tone: While recording an answer, do not stop after speaking half of the sentence even if you forget the other half. Keep recording your answer to avoid speaking in fragments. Do not speak in such a low tone that the answer doesn't get recorded with enough audible voice to prevent disturbing others. Speak in a normal tone.
3. Keep mic at the right position: Do not keep the mic too close to your mouth or nose else you will end up recording your breathing sound. This problem can make you lose marks if the answer is not recorded clearly.
4. Avoid words like 'aah' & 'uhms': Most of you are used to using the words like 'aah' or 'uhms' when you speak; this happens when you are not confident, or you do not recollect your answer. This creates a wrong impression, and you might lose points as well as your focus, and you might even forget the next answer.
Conclusion:
In the PTE-A exam, your mic is the representative of your voice. Using the right microphone is very important. Moreover, using a good microphone will make you familiar to the same microphone that you are going to use in the PTE-A Exam.
For practising to get the real exam feel or environment, you can download the PTE Tutorials mobile app as it allows you to record the answer for the Speaking section. Also, you will get the experts guidance.
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