Preparing for the IELTS

Lately my life revolves almost entirely around the exam. Every morning when I get up, the first thing I do isn't scrolling on my phone. I open my books, put on my headphones and start the day's practice. Honestly, this stretch hasn't been easy, and sometimes it's even a bit dull, but I know that if I don't push through now, I'll definitely regret it later.

Preparing for the exam takes more patience than I expected. For listening, I often have to replay a recording several times before I slowly catch the key points. Reading isn't done once I've read the passage; I have to force myself to understand the logic of every paragraph. Writing goes without saying: only after revising again and again did I realize I'd been making the same mistakes all along. In speaking practice, I've gone from getting stuck on words and feeling nervous at the start to being able to express my ideas fairly smoothly now. There's still room to improve, but at least I can feel I'm not standing still.

Sometimes I wonder whether my preparation is really enough, and seeing other people's progress or scores inevitably shakes me a little. But I've slowly learned to bring my attention back to myself. Instead of comparing myself with others, I ask: "Did I work a little harder today than yesterday?" As long as the answer is yes, it's worth continuing.

An exam isn't something you get through overnight. It's the result of building up a little every day. I'm still on the road of preparing, but at least I can honestly say I'm working toward my goal, and I haven't shortchanged myself during this time.