Aptis reading Test: General Tips and Strategies

Take note of the keywords. 
In part 2 of the listening test, the question options are quite short but 
you still need to think about the keywords. 
Because they are short sentences the verb may be the keyword. If the verb is not helpful (as in 
sentence F where you have the verbs ‘shop’ and ‘prefer’) look at other words. In this case, the 
important word is ‘alone’. 
However, the keyword in the question, may not always be repeated in the monologue and so you 
should be prepared for synonyms and parallel expressions. We can see this with speaker A who says 
that ‘When I need something, I just go out on my own‘. This is a similar expression to ‘prefers to 
shop alone’ and so F is the answer for speaker 1. 
Be careful of ‘distractors’.
Distractors are words and phrases that are included in the text which 
sound like they might be the answer but aren’t. 
In questions like this, you may find that the speaker gives another option that is different from the 
real answer. We can see this with speaker B who talks about her husband being a ‘very practical 
shopper’ and we may be distracted into thinking that the answer is B. However, she talks about 
‘buying things on a whim’. This means the same as being an impulse buyer and so D is the answer. 
Going back to the first point: Read the question. When we do this, we know that the answer is 
about what the speaker does and not other people he or she knows. 
Be ready for the information
Think about the situation. 
An important strategy in all listening tests is preparing yourself for 
the answer so that you recognise it when you hear it. 
As in part 1, it is extremely helpful to think about the situation before you listen (the technical 
expression for this is ‘activating schemata’). 
Before you listen, you will need to think about this situation and what a person would say if they 
were telling another person about their plans. You can think about this quickly and just ask yourself 
questions like, What would a person who only shops during certain periods say? They would say 
why they do this and when they do this. Now, you can listen for specific reasons and times a person 
may go shopping.