CELPIP Tips & Tricks To Get a High Score Even When You’re Busy

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When you’re pressed for time, you probably are searching for CELPIP tips and tricks to help you obtain a high score on the exam. Of course, you know that you need to give time to prepare and review. I took the CELPIP general exam end of June this year as a language proficiency requirement for my express entry profile to obtain my PR here in Canada. If you are like me vying to get at least a 9+ score in CELPIP but you cannot find time to review because of all the reasons you can think of, you might find my advice and tricks can work for you.

Probably like me, you will find it very challenging to do the CELPIP review especially when you have a part-time or full-time job weekdays and you have a tween or kids to look after. Work and chores are endless. However, if you cannot find a specific time for the CELPIP review, you might find that days are passing by. You might find yourself rushing to review for an exam that can cause you and your family a future. 

Here I share the easy tips, tricks, and the best CELPIP advice on how you can achieve a high score even if you have no time and/or super busy.

Please know that these CELPIP tips and tricks may or may not work for you as I know that we all have different circumstances in life. I am simply sharing my CELPIP experience and my own pointers and tricks as they did work effectively for me. By understanding and working on these tips that I will share, I achieved 8 in Listening, 9 in Reading, 8 in Writing, and 10 in Speaking tests.

My hubby on the other hand, got a better score. He scored 11 in Reading and Listening, 9 in Writing, and 8 in Speaking. I shared my CELPIP General Test score not to brag but to prove that it is possible to achieve a high score even if you think you are busy and have no time. I did not get all 9 but imagine if I allotted at least a month in seriously reviewing for it, I probably would have scored all 9+ or 10+. 

I had only two weeks to seriously review before my CELPIP test. Why? Because I always reason out to myself that I am tired from work, I need to prepare dinner, I deserve a break, I will not be able to focus when I feel tired. Stop the excuses! It’s time to get down and be serious in studying for your exam.

Get done with your review for CELPIP Test even if you have no time and are super busy with these tips and tricks I followed:

1. Get a Notebook and write down your CELPIP Goal Score. 

It is great to achieve your goal. If you cannot write it down in your notebook, have it on your mobile phone in notes. After you write down your CELPIP score goal. Write down WHY you need to have that score. Why is it important? This will remind you that reviewing for CELPIP is equally important as brushing your teeth before going to bed. You need to read your goal every single day or night to remind yourself of your commitment.

2. Decide the date, time, and place for your CELPIP exam and book it!

You can directly book here. Previously, I delayed my exam date. I reasoned I would just waste my money if I booked it early without practicing and reviewing for it. The truth is, you and I will never be ready for it. It will be much easier to get yourself focused on the exam if you already committed to doing it, which means you already have a date, time, and place for your exam. When you already booked it, you know you will be committed to it no matter what. It’s not the other way around.

3. Follow a course of CELPIP review program from one or two people only. 

There are tons of free CELPIP resources and CELPIP mock tests for Listening and Reading on YouTube and the internet. All of them are sharing their format to get a high score in CELPIP. You will get overwhelmed if you keep on jumping from one resource to another each time. It may even intimidate you if you keep on searching for the best tricks or format. And so, in my case, I just consistently follow two people on YouTube. I find their content helpful. If you are interested, here are their YouTube links. The other Youtuber who provides CELPIP Writing & Speaking mock tests is here. Please know that I am not in any way affiliated with them. I just want to share because their way of teaching works effectively for me and it might work well for you too. 

4. Take the free 2 ½ hours CELPIP Practice test.

I got a free practice test from Paragon Testing because I scheduled my exam from them. Before you bombard yourself with YT videos, I suggest that you take a free training test first. This will help you gauge the areas you would like to improve. In my case, the Speaking Test is my weakest. Therefore, the majority of my review time is granted to improving my speaking skills. But guess what, I got a score of 10 on my CELPIP exam! You see, it pays to focus on what you need to do (first and foremost). Imagine if you could allot your review time well on each module. I am sure you will do very well.

5. Use the time block strategy.

I either block 30 minutes before I go to bed or 30 minutes in the morning right after I pray. Those are the only time that works best for me. I could only review CELPIP when everything around me is peaceful, which means everyone is sleeping or not at home. A time with no destruction or anything similar to that. So, find a time that works best for you every day and block it on your schedule on your phone. Remember to set a reminder alarm for it, and there is no way for you to neglect it.

6. Watch English news (CBC, CTV, CNN, and others too).

The good thing about watching the reports is that you can do this while spending time with your husband or having dinner. The idea is to get used to hearing a native English speaker’s tone of voice and learn unfamiliar colloquial and local terms. 

7. Listen to English Podcast.

Whether you are driving or commuting to work, I am sure you have at least 20 minutes or 30 minutes listening to your favourite Podcaster, right? The more you listen to native English speakers, the more you become familiar and comfortable hearing them. Repeat out aloud of terms you want to remember or repeat silently if you are commuting. Hearing English speakers and how they speak, react, and comment naturally on conversations will support you to become more confident along the way.

8. Read the online articles and news on broad topics such as climate, politics, education, etc. 

Instead of browsing through your Facebook and Instagram account, why not open Yahoo News or Bing News or read worthy articles online. You don’t need a lot of time for this. You can spend time reading for at least ten minutes, and the good thing is that you can read the news while commuting to and from work.

9. Have a list of Canadian local terms handy. 

Use idioms to score high in your CELPIP test. Download the free pdf of the most commonly used idioms by Canadians here. You can practice using those terms while doing your daily tasks. And you can only practice it when you are mindful of your CELPIP goal. So, when you know you cannot allot a 30-min review before going to bed, you need to make some adjustments to review without having to sit down in front of your screen. 

10. Take this mindset with you: “CELPIP Language Tests are a great way for me to improve and adjust to the Canadian life”.

If all or anything, having the right mindset of why you should do well and get a high score for CELPIP is this reason. Your language proficiency tests don’t end after taking the CELPIP exam or IELTS exam. If you’ve decided to live and migrate here in Canada, you have to get used to English because you are in an English speaking country. So why not, take this exam as a way to prepare yourself on the real life out there.

Is CELPIP test hard and how much time do you need to review for it?

The answer to that really depends on the level of your readiness for each module and how well you prepare for your test. The ideal length of time for CELPIP test preparation would probably be at least one or two months.

I will not recommend that you review half a day or the whole day one week before your test! For me, it will not be effective at all. The intention of why you need ample time for review is to get used to the kind of questions and answers, find the most effective way to answer them correctly with the correct format that will get you a high score. The intention of the review is for you to remember the tips, tricks, and structure. That way is much easier for the brain to store all the information you watched in your subconscious mind. This is especially true with CELPIP Speaking and Writing tests. 

Reviewing for the CELPIP exam need not be overwhelming and time-consuming for you. You have a gazillion of tasks to do apart from doing a review. But you can get better at preparing and improving every module of the CELPIP exam when you consistently follow your CELPIP goal and review the commitment outlined above. I hope the tips I shared here can help you.

Do you have any tips and tricks that can help our readers get a high CELPIP score? Or do you have other questions concerning CELPIP that you wish to learn more about? Feel free to write in the comment box.