OK. I have to take this Cambridge University exam next week...
 

It's called CAE (Certificate in Advanced English) and everything is really bothering me.
It consists in 5 tests:
Listening
Speaking
Writing
Use of English
Reading
and it sucks.
And I can't sleep really, not because of the exam because I don't know, I don't feel THAT nervous. I know I won't do very well, but I guess I'll pass it so I'm not sure if it's the exam or the fact that I am totally angry and fucked up and that everything and everyone here disturbs me even if they don't try or want to .
OK, another pointless thread.
The thing is I don't really care about not getting the degree, but the fact that the enrollment costed US$120 indirectly makes me care...
And I can't sleep and I am in this terrible nasty mood since yesterday.
and OK.
Bye.

I've had a few friends do the exam, and pass, and get offered places. By all accounts it's less intimidating than it seems. I'm sure you'll be fine.

what's the exam actually for????

Hey Agusta,

I'm gonna be taking exactly the same exam in March 2007.

Don't worry, it's easy, the main part is comprehension and fair ability to communicate in English, which I think you're fairly good at. No focus on grammar, no focus on business expressions, just plain talking, listening and writing. Not a killer like this Campbridge Proficiency exams, that one's a real tough one.

Don't worry, you'll do fine. Just be relaxed and ready to communicate.

The exams are hard. They are similar to the IGCSE language paper. If you are prepared and don't go in with a defeatist/arrogant attitude then you will achieve whatever your potential dictates.

Some useful preparation might involve summary writing and checking you've included just the main points and reading David Crystal on grammar.

Good luck.

i have a history test next week.

You'll do fine. If you can parse these simple lines of poetry, you're golden:

When you understand that a river is a flower
You have begun. Friday, of course, is a man
...
(Implement satisfied consumer demand,
but not in time (3,4))

Are you actually someone I know? Are you one of my numerous lurkers? You are, aren't you?

Apologies if not, but if you are then you should make yourself known.

There's no hidden joke in this either, it's just getting a little creepy now.

the exam is one of those English exams that University makes people take in order to keep their money and make them happy with some supposedly accurate mark of what they know of the English language.

I liked the First Certificate, but I don't remember if I felt this way previously to taking it. I guess I did, but I can't tell. I don't remember :(

so it's just to prove that you can speak and write in english pretty well. i though you ment it as like an exam to get into cambridge university. Doh!

I hate the part in which we are supossed to describe images. They could easily test our ability to speak about anything by just asking a couple of questions and making that kind of "interview" last 15 minutes.
Describing is shit.

nooo hahaha I would have killed myself by now.

you should pass easily, you speak great english on here!

I know I won't have much trouble in the Reading, Writing and Use of English papers, the Listening one is quite tricky. I hope I get a seat near the tape recorder (that's one of my main worries...). And then the speaking... Now I feel optimistic about the speaking but when I get there, even though I speak and answer everything they ask me, it feels difficult for me to let my voice get out of my mouth. It's weird. Like I feel intimidated and my voice doesn't want to come out but it comes anyway in this strange way.

What?

:/ :/

Okay. What is wrong with this sentence:

I ain't got nobody / who I can depend on... (No tengo nadia...)

edit

qué?

:(

Man, hope it goes well. I hate exams :(

I see no problems here.

Don't worry too much about it, I'm sure you'll do fine!
I took it a few years ago and it was ok really.
I just remember the speaking part was a bit annoying cause I had to talk about contamination, and I wasn't very inspired!
And you're right, the listening can be tricky if you're too far from the tape/cd player, it happened to me once...
Are you working with some book?

I got this on March 10th. I don't think I will be studying for it much, it seems pretty all right.

lalie, did you study or something? cause I can't really figure how could I study English in case I'm pretty confident in that language.

I had this book "fast track to CAE" or something...
But sure when your level is good there's not much to study!
If you think it could help you slavo, pm me and I 'll send it to you.

Yeah thanks,

I got this bood "advanced Gold", but it seems too thick to dig through so I'll just probably throw it into the corner and improvise :)

Yes, improvisation is the ability you definitely need when it's about foreign language.