In this post we will provide you with General TIPs and Strategies To Prepare For APTIS Listening Test.

The Aptis Listening Test contains 17 tasks and a total of 25 different questions focusing on different aspects of real-life listening.

Your job is to simply choose the correct answer from a list of possible choices.

This post will:

• Briefly explain nature of the test
• Provide you resources for listening practice questions
• provide technique and strategy to deal with questions
• give you tips and advice
• provide you with a strategy to use on exam day and before         

The test is divided into 4 parts. In total, there are 25 questions. All the questions are multiple-choice, with each question offering you three options.

If you wish to, you can listen to the question a second time. You do not have to do this if you don’t want to.

There are 4 parts in APTIS listening test:

1. Information recognition
2. Information matching
3. Opinion Matching 
4. Monologue comprehension 

In part 1, information recognition, you will hear a short phone message, short monologue or dialogue and you will be asked to identify specific information like a number, time, place or a word.

In part 2, information matching, you will listen to four monologues and you will be asked to match one of the four pieces of information with one of six pieces of specific information. This may be something they want to buy or a place they would like to go.

In part 3, opinion matching, you will listen to a short conversation between two people, a man and a woman and decide who is expressing an opinion. There are four questions in this part.

In part 4, Monologue comprehension, you will hear a monologue and answer two questions. You have to decide the attitude, opinion or intention of the speaker, not the meaning. You do this by recognizing them from the language or tone of the speaker.

There are 4 versions of  APTIS test and the time limit for each version is below:

• Aptis General - 35 minutes
• Aptis Advanced - 60 minutes
• Aptis for Teens and Aptis for Teachers - 30 minutes

Tips and Strategy for APTIS listening

Use given example: In the listening APTIS listening test, use the example at the beginning of the section to help you understand who is talking and where they are.

Read the questions before listening: You have the opportunity to read the questions before listening to the recording. Take advantage of this!

Read the questions carefully: Make sure that you read the questions carefully and understand what you have to do.

Focus on Understanding Audio: A common mistake that candidates make, particularly in the completion questions, is that they do not concentrate on the audio. If you don’t listen to everything the speaker is saying, you will miss information that will help you answer the question correctly. You can improve your concentration by firstly, listening to short pieces of audio and over time increasing the length of listening.

Watch out words-indicators: Listen for words-indicators, such as however, but, then, finally. They help you to anticipate what the speaker will say.

Listen for word indicators: These are often sequencing words like- firstly, next, finally or linking words. For example, however, although and despite will tell you there is a contrast in the sentence. Furthermore, additionally and moreover will indicate that there is some extra information.

Watch for synonyms: To test your vocabulary it is likely that the word or expression in the question will not be the same in the audio. Think about the keywords in the question and how they may be said in another way.

"Plug in" the situation: Try to get an idea or feel of the situation. Before each part, you will hear a short introduction: Now, you will hear a dialogue between…’ or ‘You will hear a lecture on…’ This information is not on the question paper. Listen carefully and ask yourself: Who are the speakers and what are they going to talk about in this situation. Decide which speaker is going to give you the information to answer the question (often there is a woman and a man, and that will help).

Keep listening until the recording stops, looking only at the questions that relate to the part being played: Don’t look ahead to the next questions until you are happy that the answers you gave are correct. Try to ‘rerun’ the conversation relating to the questions in your head.

Forget What You Know Already: The APTIS Listening Test tests your ability to understand the information in the audio you are given. So don’t think about your previous knowledge on the topic, only focus on the script in front of you.

There are often pauses in the recording between different sections. Use these to prepare for the next set of questions: Sorry, but the pause between the parts is not the time for a break. During these pauses, you should be analysing the questions and deciding the information you need to complete them.

Answer Every Question: No points are deducted for wrong answers, and so there is no reason not to answer all the questions. With practice, students start to develop an instinct for English and it’s very possible that your guess will be a good one.

Answer Listening questions are in the same order they appear on the screen. Remember that they normally follow the order of the information in the recording.

Concentrate to Avoid Skipping Audio: A common mistake is to use too many or too few words to answer the question. Always read the instructions and circle the number of words that you need to answer the question.

Read the question carefully before you select your answer: Try to anticipate the type of answer you need. Is it a time or a place? Is it a number or a person? Plural or singular?

Don't select answers too quickly: If you are sure of the answer then make a note of it but don’t assume you are right. Always use the second listening to check or confirm your answer.

Watch out for plurals in answers. If the question requires a plural answer, a singular answer is incorrect. Also, if the answer is singular then the verb must be singular. You should also check for uncountable nouns which will not ‘agree’ with words like- many, are, have etc.

Prepare to hear a potential answer that is not the actual answer. This is common when two people are making plans. They first agree on meeting at a certain time, but then one remembers that they cannot so they decide on a new time.

Exclude incorrect answers first: If you eliminate the answers that are impossible, you will be closer to finding the correct answer. Firstly, check if the possible answer makes sense. Then look at the grammar and ask yourself if it’s correct. Think about verb + noun agreement and singular/plurals (see above).

Be Aware Of Timing: Make sure that you know where the audio is with the questions. Don’t spend time thinking about earlier questions that have passed and miss the questions that are coming up.

Flag the question for later review if not sure: Remember, you can always go back to the questions at the end and try to answer them then.

Focus on what the speaker is saying not how they say it: Get used to intonation and emphasis in English. ‘It’s a lovely day’ can be said in several ways- conversationally, sarcastically (if it’s raining), or happily. When a person is in the same room, it is easy to understand the tome of what they say, but without body language, it is more difficult. Try repeating a phrase in English using as many different intonations as you can. This will train your ear and help you with audio-only English.

Don't leave any blank answers: Check the summary page to see if you have missed any questions. Have a guess. There’s nothing to lose and you could be right.

Go back to flagged questions (if you have time): APTIS allows you to return to unanswered questions and try later. Never leave a question blank!

Get into the habit of distinguishing between essential and non-essential information. If two people are talking about making plans for a dinner date, the important information is the date/time they finally agree upon. Other dates/times they consider can be irrelevant or may have been included to distract you from the correct answer. Try to decide during the first listening and confirm the information in the second listening.

You can make notes: Get into the habit of making notes on the question paper when you hear something important. This can help you stay concentrated on the task and help you create a clearer picture of what is happening. You can cross out the words or replace them once you hear the next part of the audio. This strategy will help you to avoid skipping parts of the test.

Hyphenated words (like “full-time”) are considered one word.

A date (1996) is considered one number.

You will need to multitask: This means reading and listening together. However, when we have words and speech together, as in a film with sub-titles, we naturally read before we listen. This means we can miss important spoken information. Try to listen a moment before you read.

Don’t try to understand everything: APTIS will add lots of extra information but you only need to listen for answers. Keep your answers focused in your mind and listen for cues that will give you the information you need to answer the questions.

Answers might come quickly: You might find that the answers coming quickly. Keep focused but remember you can go back to the question. Flag the answer and concentrate on what is coming next.

Answers might also come slowly: There might be gaps between answers. Don’t worry about this. Check the answers you are waiting for and think about the words/cues that will introduce them.

If you don’t know an answer then guess: After preparing for APTIS you should develop an instinct for English and for answering the questions (the more you practice, the better your instinct will become). Your first guess has a good chance of being right. Unless you are sure that your guess is wrong, don’t change it.

Concentrate: 40 minutes is a long time to actively listen for answers. If you lose focus, you will miss the answers. Like any sport though, practice will help build the stamina and concentration you need to complete APTIS successfully.

Other general TIPs and strategies to prepare for APTIS listening

Audio scripts: When choosing or searching for practice tests, try and find ones with scripts. Scripts are the word-for-word written texts of the audio you listen to. It is a good idea to first listen without the script and then with the script. Use the script to confirm why your answer was right, or to tell you what you did wrong.

Listen as much as you can in English: Live talk radio, podcasts, TED talks, documentaries (these work well because there is not too much fast dialogue and the pictures help confirm what you hear) English Movies, English Cartoons, etc.)

Practice your English with your speaking partner: This will not only enable you to improve your speaking but enhance your listening skills too.

Polish your topic vocabulary: Most vocabulary books are set out in topics- Holidays, work, sport, shopping, music etc. By learning your vocabulary by topic then you will be more prepared if it comes up in the exam.

The power of music: Music is a great aid to memory. Memorising words that you like and remembering lyrics will help your vocabulary and grammar, as well as improving your listening skills.

The excitement of film: Films (or ‘movies’) help us predict what will be said by providing visual cues. The body language of an actor – as well as their tone of voice – give signs of what is about to be said, so it will help your English comprehension. Also, the more interested you are, the harder you will listen.

Think In English: This is not easy if you live in a country that is non-native English speaking, but you could change the operating system on your phone, tablet or laptop to English. Play a game with your friends where everyone has to speak English for an hour (try to make it funny by trying to sound as English as possible). Have a day when you only listen to or watch things that are in English. Practice situations or dialogues when you are travelling or don’t have anything to do.

Try as many as practice APTIS tests: Doing practice tests will help you build your concentration levels and your instinct. More than that, practice will improve your English and help you with the timings you need to complete the test with the best result. If you would like to increase your APTIS score by practicing more listening practice tests then please check the exam library in our website here. There you will find largest simulated APTIS test database. Totally free with no registration (we won't even ask for your email).