Top 9 ways to prepare for the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) Elementary

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1. Targeted, simulated practice

2. Know the sections of the MLAT-E

3. Know how to target your study for each section

4. Understand how the test is scored

5. Know what the test is actually testing

6. know what's going to happen on the day

7. Be familiar with the phonetic alphabet

8. test your memorization skills

9. Know why you're taking the MLAT-E

10. Prepare your body and mind

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1. Do targeted practice with realistic, simulated test questions​

 

Did you know that, very often, the first time a pilot flies a Boeing 787 or Airbus A380, it's likely the first time he's ever sat in the flight deck of the real aircraft? This might seem crazy but it's very common across airlines. Why is this? It's because the airlines understand the power of simulation and use it to train their pilots to an exceptional standard while saving significant costs.

 

What's more, these pilots can actually be trained better than using an actual jet because simulation allows you to put the pilot in stressful and dangerous situations without any risk to losing passengers or the plan itself.

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This is just the same for prepping for the MLAT-E. Simulated test questions with immediate feedback are the best way to learn. They teach exactly how the test is laid out so you understand what will be coming next and what the question is asking of you. Simulation also allows you to deal with the stressfulness of the test (and the MLAT-E can be very stressful!).

 

What this means is that you can work up to the demands of the test itself and you can then push further, making your allotted time shorter and your questions more difficult. We've taken this approach at MLAT study, our questions will build you up to and push you beyond the test standards so that when it comes to test time, you've got this in the bag! 

    

2. Know the different sections of the MLAT-E

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The MLAT-E consist of four sections. Each section measures a particular skill required to acquire a new language.

 

The first section of the MLAT-E, called Spelling Clues, is a time-pressured exercise. English words are presented in written form to the examiner, all of which are spelled incorrectly --- they are spelled according to how they sound. The task of the examiner is to select the meaning of the misspelled word for a list of choices.

 

Section two “Words in Sentences” requires a bit of inductive reasoning. In this part, examinees must carefully analyze sentences in order to surface the syntax it follows. Afterwards, examiners must be able to apply these syntax rules into new sentences by way of analogy.

 

Section three is a rhyming test. Examiners are given two minutes to match 40 words to another rhyming word in English. 

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In section 4, Number Learning, participants need to learn one and two digit numbers using a new language. It starts by the voice on the tape explaining how single digit numbers are pronounced in the new language, for example, “ka” might be number one, while “kaba” might mean two (these are not actually the test answers ;-). The voice will then go on to teach numbers three and four before moving onto 10-40. It works like this, if the word 'twenty' is pronounced as “tu,” then 21 and 22 would be “tu-ka” and “tu-kaba” and so on. The test begins some practice questions before moving onto the real questions. This is quite a difficult section that will test your memory and speed of learning. MLAT study access includes tape-based examples that mimic the test and will prep you to get high scores in this section.

 

3. Understand how to target your study towards the sections

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This point combines points 1 and 2. You need to ensure that what you are studying is as close as possible to the actual questions. Also, you should know how many questions are in each section - this will allow you to weight your study accordingly.  If you will be taking the MLAT-E, or would just like to try your hand at one of the most reputable language aptitude tests ever developed, you can access over 300 simulated questions.   

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4. Understand how the test is scored

 

The MLAT-E uses a paper-based booklet, practice answer sheet and exam sheet. The booklet contains all the test questions as well as explanations of test sections. The booklet will also contain the example questions that prepare you to conduct non-tape sections. All answers are to be recorded on the answer sheet.

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Students need to be careful to track exactly which questions they answer as some parts of the test (Section 4) will require you to transcribe your score from writing then into the shaded circles.   

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Your score will be accumulated according to how many correct answers you got in each section. No points are deduced for incorrect answers or questions that are left blank. No single question is weighted higher than any other. This is important because some sections have many more questions than others. This is important information to know so you can weight your study accordingly. All figures and study techniques can be accessed through MLAT study's portal. 

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Each school that conducts the MLAT-E will set different cut-offs. 

 

5. Know what the test is actually testing

 

Section 1 tests reading comprehension, English vocabulary and sound-word recognition. 

 

Section 2 tests sentence grammar. Especially clause recognition and simple, compound, and complex sentences. 

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Section 3 tests your ability to make sounds from words and recognise these in other words.

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Section 4 tests memory, listening comprehension and basic mathematics. You need to listen, diagnose and differentiate sounds, translate those sounds into numbers and then add the numbers together. This can be quite difficult in the short time afforded to you. ​​​

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6. Know what's going to happen on the day

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One of the best ways to be comfortable is to know how the test is going to run. Talk to someone who has done the test previously and ask them about the room that was used, the participation of the instructor/examiner and just what their experience was like. 

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Arrive early and get your bearings. Have a look around, see if you can see where you'll be doing the test and become familiar with the environment. This will put you at ease and allow more brain space to answer questions. You don't want to add any unnecessary anxiety and this is a high stakes test!​

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7. Enhance your memorization skills

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Have you ever seen the memory Olympics? It's an event where participants need to remember decks of cards and the randomized order of all the cards within those decks. Top performers can consistently remember over three decks. How do they do it? There are specific memorization techniques that are quite easy to learn. 

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Most sections within the MLAT-E test your memory so practicing this skill is essential to success.

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8. Know why you're taking the MLAT-E

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Most people who sit the MLAT are doing it for a purpose. Studies show that the best motivator for someone to take on new knowledge is that the new knowledge will have a direct positive impact on their careers. People who sit the MLAT are often doing so in order to get access to a prestigious high school.

 

If you will be sitting the MLAT-E at some point in the future, think about how a successful test will impact your career and your finances. Some reflection on this point should see you motivated to study for the test.   

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9. Prepare your body and mind

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Contrary to popular belief, you should not be too relaxed going into a test. Often, those who go in relaxed and worry free often change their tune very quickly once they are answering thew questions. They realize that they really didn't have all the answers and probably should have studied a little. 

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Human performance improves as stress rises but only to a point. Try and keep yourself under a moderate level of stress. Butterflies in the stomach are good...as long as you can make them fly in formation.

 

Get a good sleep, but don't think about sleep too much. If you're wide awake at 3 am stressing out before your test, don't spend hours trying to sleep...get up and do some study. This study time will help you make progress in your understanding of the test questions and you will feel less stressed for having done it. On the other hand, if you spend all morning trying to get back to sleep again, you both will not have slept and also will not have studied. If you can't do sleep, do study!