Top 8 Strategies for Achieving the Best Results in the English Language University Entrance Exam

There are some questions that can be answered with just a few steps and earn 1-1.5 points. So, why not make sure you get these questions right? After completing the basic questions, candidates should revisit the answers and steps for medium and difficult questions to ensure no points are lost. Once you're confident you’ve secured 6 or 7 points, focus on tackling the harder questions designed to differentiate students.

If your target is 8 points, you can afford to be 'uncertain' about no more than 10 questions. At this level, you must master grammar topics thoroughly, ensuring that you answer these questions accurately and without errors. By handling 80% of the test correctly, you should take time to review and check for any potential mistakes or unanswered questions, aiming to resolve them before submission.

When taking the exam, a well-organized time management strategy is crucial and can significantly impact your score. The exam consists of 50 questions in 60 minutes, and you should aim to complete your answers within approximately 50 minutes, leaving the last 10 minutes for a final review.

You can allocate your time as follows:

• Phonetics questions: 3 minutes
• Communication scenario questions: 1-2 minutes
• Sentence completion questions: 15 minutes
• Synonyms/antonyms questions: 3-4 minutes
• Error detection questions: 3 minutes
• Paragraph completion questions: 5 minutes
• Reading comprehension questions: 20-25 minutes
• Sentence combination/rewriting questions: 5 minutes

However, candidates should note that this time allocation is approximate and can be adjusted depending on each student's specific strengths and needs.

In the reading comprehension section, this is a mandatory part of the exam and often carries a high weight in the scoring. First, students must identify the passage and the corresponding questions, then apply a three-step strategy for answering:

• Step 1: Read the question and identify the key words.
• Step 2: Compare the key words with the passage to find relevant information.
• Step 3: Read that specific information and determine the correct answer.

Generally, reading comprehension questions test vocabulary knowledge as well as the student's ability to respond quickly. Therefore, the key to excelling in this section is vocabulary and answering strategies. A large vocabulary, along with reading techniques (such as reading thoroughly and skimming through the passage), good observation skills, and the ability to quickly spot details, will help students confidently solve these questions. Therefore, students need to practice and expand their vocabulary, improve their skills through methods like learning synonyms and antonyms, translating texts, studying common collocations, and increasing the frequency of practicing reading comprehension exercises.

In addition to strategies for tackling the exam, candidates should be aware of several common mistakes to avoid in order to prevent losing valuable points. There are five common mistakes students make while taking exams, which include:

• Not reading the instructions carefully, leading to misinterpretation of the question or failing to complete it as required;
• Poor time management, spending too much time on difficult questions and not having enough time to answer all of them, or missing some questions entirely;
• Rushing through answers too quickly, resulting in mistakes and lost points;
• Not using a pencil to fill out multiple-choice answers, making it impossible to correct mistakes later;
• Not reviewing the answers after completing the exam to catch any potential errors.

Để tối ưu hóa điểm số của mình, các bạn học sinh có thể tham khảo qua những mẹo nhỏ dưới đây. Tất cả đều là những lời dặn dò tâm huyết của các thầy, cô giáo để giúp các bạn đạt được điểm cao trong các môn thi.

• Đọc kỹ yêu cầu đề bài: Bạn đã trải qua 1 lộ trình ôn thi đại học môn tiếng Anh rất vất vả, sẽ rất tiếc nếu lúc đi thi lại bị “lạc đề”. Rất nhiều bạn mất điểm chỉ vì khoanh từ đồng nghĩa trong khi đề bài hỏi từ trái nghĩa. Bạn đừng mắc lỗi đáng tiếc này nha.
• Chú ý thời gian làm bài: Hãy tập thói quen tính giờ làm bài thi ngay từ khi còn ôn tập ở nhà. Làm quen trước với áp lực thời gian như trong phòng thi sẽ giúp bạn bình tĩnh, không bị choáng ngợp trong ngày thi thật.
• Điền đáp án trực tiếp vào phiếu trả lời bài thi để tiết kiệm thời gian: Với hình thức thi trắc nghiệm, điều tối thiểu bạn cần biết đó là không nên để trống đáp án, với những câu hỏi khó, không biết đáp án, hãy thử suy luận sau đó chọn đáp án mà bạn cảm thấy có khả năng nhất, hoặc là đánh lụi nếu không còn đủ thời gian.
• Không được bỏ trống bất cứ câu hỏi nào: Tuyệt đối không bỏ qua bất cứ câu hỏi nào bạn nhé! Không biết chắc đáp án thì hãy đoán, cố gắng dịch nghĩa câu, đoán từ theo ngữ cảnh,... Biết đâu khoanh bừa nhưng lại đúng thì sao. Nếu bỏ qua là chắc chắc mất điểm rồi.
• Ngoài những "bí quyết" trên, các thí sinh cần chuẩn bị đầy đủ các loại bút (bút bi, bút chì, gọt bút chì, tẩy), phiếu dự thi, máy tính, CMTND/CCCD, đồng hồ (phải có để canh chiến thuật làm bài), 1 chai nước (350-500 ml) đã bóc nhãn...

Given the vast amount of knowledge in the high school curriculum, the most effective study method is to focus on summarizing key points, marking frequently tested topics, and practicing them until they are mastered. It is essential to thoroughly understand the foundational knowledge in your textbooks first and foremost. Especially for multiple-choice exams, where the broad range of content makes rote memorization and cramming ineffective.

Key English grammar topics to focus on for university entrance exams include:

• Tenses and the passive voice (Tenses – Passive Voice)
• Reported speech (Reported Speech)
• Subject-verb agreement (Subject – Verb Agreement)
• Relative clauses (Relative Clause)
• Conditional sentences (Conditional sentences)
• Subjunctive mood (Subjunctive)
• Inversion (Inversion)

To effectively prepare for exams, in addition to reviewing the knowledge, it is crucial to practice with exam sets. A flexible study plan is necessary, which can adapt as you progress through your preparation. If you want to develop effective exam strategies and improve your reflexes when answering questions, it’s important to practice frequently during the final stage of your preparation.

General review helps reinforce what you have learned, while practicing exam sets helps you hone your skills and become familiar with the types of questions that may appear. By analyzing the results of each exam set, you can assess your current performance level, identify areas of weakness, and determine if your time management is optimal. This will allow you to plan for supplementary learning and improve your exam strategies. In particular, it’s essential to enhance your vocabulary daily, as the exam will test not only your vocabulary knowledge but also your ability to analyze questions based on your vocabulary knowledge.

However, you should limit yourself to completing only 1 to 2 exam sets each day. The goal of practicing with exam sets isn’t just about completing them, checking the answers, and scoring results. After each exam set, carefully review the mistakes, look up unfamiliar words, record new vocabulary that frequently appears in the exam, and review any grammar areas you haven’t fully mastered.

If you have a solid understanding of basic English concepts and approach the exam carefully, you can confidently secure a score of 7 in your high school English exam. However, to be competitive for admission to top universities, a score of 7 is not sufficient. To increase your score, you should review advanced topics and tackle challenging questions.

The English exam in university entrance or national high school exams requires students to have a strong foundation in grammar and a broad vocabulary. To achieve a higher score, students need to expand their vocabulary, learn more advanced grammar structures, and practice their skills comprehensively. Make a list of areas you are less confident about, allocate time to study each area, and then complete exercises to fully understand the theory. Avoid mixing topics, as it could make your study plan confusing. After reviewing advanced grammar topics, attempt an exam set. If your score reaches 8.5 or 9, then you can proceed to the next stage.