Study Strategy
I looked up the format of the French test on the ETS website, as it was in a new format. I noticed they added an audio part. I highly suggest that you familiarize yourself with the format of the test. You will use all 5 hours. You have to study the competencies and the standards of LOTE. There are no materials to go to besides the French AP Barron study guide. So, for about 3 weeks, I went over the book; which had texts comprehension, audio listening, and conversation. I did not practice the writing because just trying to understand the pedagogy aspect of LOTE and the standards and the competencies was quite new for me then. You should start listening to news on any French/Canadian websites. Understand the culture. Start immersing yourself daily in French reading/listening. Retrain your hearing to different vocal accents. Know how to use the accents on the practice keyboard on ETS when you type in French. Know how to write a lesson plan. So, again, make sure you look at the French Test Format via the ETS website and start studying for each section.
Testing Strategy
It was a very long test. The test started with French audio interpretative comprehension. You only have 20 seconds to answer and then it goes to the next question. It was going so fast that I missed answering the first few questions. You don't have time to read the questions leisurely, that is why the AP Barron will be helpful to practice with. You also have a reading interpretive section that is timed, but this time, you have to keep track of the time to answer all the questions. So, again, practice with AP Barron and always time yourself when you practice. The conversation part was easy; just practice conversation and read tips on the AP Barron. Also, giving your opinion about the text, practice talking and time yourself. The Pedagogy section was tough with all the competencies and standards. This is where I studied the most because I had no knowledge of all this information. This part is in English, but it is a tough section. I scored 30/40 questions on the pedagogy section. Time yourself in this section as you are reading. It is easy to get behind and when time runs out, you can't go back. Each section of the test is timed. The last part was tough as well; you have to write a 3 day lesson plan and you have to understand the ACTFL level so that you know what pedagogy you will use. Different ages will call for different pedagogy. An elementary student learns differently than a high school, and the approach is different. On top of that, you have to write an opinion essay in English in the last section. You only have 35 minutes to do it all for that last section. It took me 5 hours. I thought it was a difficult exam. I barely passed with 245. I did not do as well on the listening portion. You do have to really study the format of the test and keep track of the time. J’espère que mes conseils vous aident.rnBonne chance à vous tous. Ne vous découragez pas. Étudiez!