You’ve studied for months, read all the blogs, practiced all of the sections, you’re as ready as you’ll ever be. Here it is, Test Day. Just because there’s no more time to study, doesn’t mean there aren’t several steps you can take to increase your chances of scoring well during the real test. On this page, we’ve assembled all of our best tips for the day of your IELTS exam; both general tips for comfort and ease, and tips specific to each section of the exam.

General Tips

Do:

• Get A Good Night’s Sleep

Not technically advice for test day, but for the night before. It should be obvious, but get to bed early and make sure you’re well-rested. The exam is difficult and you’ll need to be at your best to score highly.

• Eat A Light Breakfast

The test takes 2 hours and 40 minutes (2:30 if doing the IELTS computer exam) and you will not have a chance to take a break during the test. Make sure you’ve eaten enough to be full, but not so much to be overly-full.

• Take A Drink

There is no food allowed during the exam, but you are allowed to bring in a drink as long as it is in a clear container.

• Use The Toilet

As mentioned, there is no chance to take a break during the exam. If you need to excuse yourself for any reason, raise your hand and the exam proctor will come to excuse you. However, you will lose valuable time and have no chance to recover it.

• Arrive Early

Arrive at least 30 minutes before the test is scheduled to begin. Upon arriving, you will need to check-in. If you arrive after the test has begun, you will be unable to start and will have to reschedule.

• Be Prepared

Bring at least 2 pencils, a pen, and an eraser. You are not allowed to bring any extra paper, any books, or any electronics - this means no phones. You are also not permitted to bring a watch into the exam room. The room will contain a clock.

• Use ALL CAPS

You are not graded specifically on handwriting, but if your answers cannot be read, they will not be scored. Writing in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS will make your answer sheet easier to grade.

Don’t:

• Cheat

Any cheating or copying is grounds for immediate failure of the exam.

• Bring A Dictionary

No outside resources are allowed into the exam room.

• Keep Writing After Time

Once the proctor says the time is up, the time is up. Pencils down. Writing even one extra word can cause your entire exam to be invalidated. If you are taking the IELTS computer exam, this is not a problem as the screen will automatically lock when the time has expired.

Tips For The IELTS Listening Section

• Check Your Headphones

If the exam uses headphones (all IELTS computer exams do) make sure that they are working properly and raise your hand as soon as any problem is detected. If the recording is being played from a speaker, do not hesitate to raise your hand and ask for the volume to be increased if you cannot hear.

• Read The Questions First

You will have a small amount of time to look over the questions before you begin the recording. Quickly scan for keywords, numbers, names, or any charts.

• Focus On The Answers

You don’t need to understand every word, you only need to know the answer to the question. Just focus on the core content, and ignore any words you might not understand.

Tips For The IELTS Reading Section

• Read The Instructions

Many of the questions in this section require you to use a specific number of words, or a combination of words and numbers. By paying close attention to the answer requirements, you can more easily find the relevant answer.

• Read The Questions First

Just like in the listening exam, it is advised that you read all of the questions before reading the text. Combined with the instructions, many answers can be easily found.

• Watch The Clock

This is the most fast-paced section of the exam, you only have 60 minutes to answer the 40 questions. If you can’t find an answer, move on. Don’t waste time on the difficult questions, answer as many correctly as you can. There’s no penalty for wrong answers.

• Scan The Text

Again, you do not need to understand every single line of the text. You are being scored on your ability to quickly find relevant information. Focus on the answers.

Tips For The IELTS Writing Section

• Budget Your Time

The entire section lasts for 60 minutes, but do not spend any more than 20 minutes on task 1; you will need the full 40 minutes to complete task 2.

• Count Your Words

Task 1 requires no fewer than 150 words and task 2 requires at least 250. Repeatedly counting every word costs valuable time; practice writing on the official IELTS answer sheet and counting your words by line.

• Make An Outline

Plan your answer out in advance. Write out notes or an outline on the question paper, this section will not be graded. Avoid writing notes on the answer sheet.

• Write Your Conclusion

For task 2, your conclusion is the most important part. Make sure you include it.

• Less Is More

While there is no maximum word limit, keep your answer focused. More does not mean better.

Tips For The IELTS Speaking Section

• Practice, Don’t Rehearse

Practice speaking about a wide variety of topics. You should be able to speak for 3-5 minutes on any of the common IELTS speaking topics. Do not try to memorize answers, this is always obvious to your interlocutor. This test is not about memory, it is about your ability to freely speak.

• Relax

This is a friendly chat, not a formal interview. Be calm and ready to have a conversation.

• Listen To The Question

It is extremely important to listen to every part of the question and to answer every part of the question. Do not go off-topic and stick to what you were asked. Don’t hesitate to ask them to repeat it if something was unclear, or if you forgot what the last part was.

• Be Direct

Answer the questions directly and fully. Don’t try to use any overly-advanced words; vocabulary is only 255 of your score. Do try to use a variety of grammar tenses, though.

• Plan Your Talk

For the final section, you will be expected to give a small presentation. You will be given a pen and paper to take notes and plan on. This page will not be graded and may be used as a reference during your talk.