For me, listening part in any language is somehow easy (just listen and write answers down, no imagination needed) and somehow difficult at the same time (you are in no control - you cannot make the dialogue slow it down or return to its beginning). In light of this, I spend quite a lot of effort on preparing for listening part in any language (so far, I have official certifications in English, Finnish and Chinese, for Chinese, beginner level, though).
One. Make sure you are well acquainted with types of questions and practice them all:
• True/False questions (oikein-väärin-tehtävät)
• Multiple choice questions (monivalintakysymset)
• Open questions (avoimet kysymykset) - where you should fill in blanks with your answers
Two. There are some key things you need to be prepared for in listening part:
Three. How you can get ready for it?
One. Make sure you are well acquainted with types of questions and practice them all:
• True/False questions (oikein-väärin-tehtävät)
• Multiple choice questions (monivalintakysymset)
• Open questions (avoimet kysymykset) - where you should fill in blanks with your answers
Two. There are some key things you need to be prepared for in listening part:
- Your listening experience is very match dependent on equipment in examination hall and amount of people (as well as seasonal flus with coughs, and so on). I did my YKI in Lahti, and there were only 8 people in the same room. In other cases, it can be more. In my cases, sound came from headphones, but I am not sure whether it is universal rule, or whether examinator will use speaker. In any case, it means that you should be comfortable with listening in different situations.
- You may encounter different accents, intonations, paces of speech. For example, if you are a non-native speaker based in Helsinki, you may get used to how people of your age speak there. In recordings, you may here everything, from an old lady discussing the design of a backyard to a young man talking faster.
- Some questions are open-ended, and some are not - manage your time wisely! Open-ended questions may be a struggle even for a native speaker - just imagine, you need to listen and structure your answer at the same time! Make sure you pay attention to key words, verb forms and negative structures to avoid being confused and writing an exactly opposite answer.
Three. How you can get ready for it?
There is only one main rule - practice makes perfect. And it means practicing without any excuses (by the way, it is tekosyy in Finnish). You can practice when you commute, queue for something, or take a break at work. You do not need to invest your money in it - just use free resources (I am not sure whether they work outside of Finland due to possible copyright restrictions, though):
- Supla - an app that gives you access to online radio, podcasts and audio books. I was recommended this app when I was doing a workshop on learning Finnish for international students in EntryPoint mentoring programme. Since that time, I use Supla every day.
- YLE Puhe - you can listen to online programmes or pick recordings to listen to.
- YLE Areena - TV series, documentaries and many more. Some TV series are quite short - around 25 minutes, so it is perfect span of time to keep focused.
- YKI Keskitaso Puheen ymmärtäminen sample questions - make sure you practice it. Especially focus on a. types of questions; b. identifying answering techniques that suits your rhytm; c. diversity of speaking styles.
More posts to follow - feel free to drop me a message with your questions and suggestions at #startyourFinnish Facebook page.