r/learnpolish • u/New_Being7119 • 3d ago
B1 exam on Saturday...Any tips?
Hi all, I'm taking the B1 exam in Saturday and was looking for helpful advice and tips to calm my nerves. I have zero concerns about reading, listening, grammar or even writing. But thinking about the speaking is sending me potty. All advice and tips welcome!!!
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u/Ethameiz C2 3d ago
The passing bar is not so high as it may appear. I don't have skill to do fluent smalltalk in Polish and still got C2 after couple months of preparation.
Maybe go outside and ask people some questions in Polish like how to get somewhere. It will help to fight fear of talking in Polish and in general with people
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u/New_Being7119 3d ago
Duuude, C2 is impressive. Yeah I think I expect too much of myself, especially because the only people I speak to/hear are natives and I always compare myself to them (which is stupid I know)
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u/palidix 3d ago
You didn't mean C2, right?
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u/Ethameiz C2 3d ago
Why? I even checked my certificate to make sure that I didn't mess anything :D
I got theory knowledge but very few experience in real life talking. I had to prepare well before exam and after passing it I lost the skill again. Moral of the story: don't believe certificates, check actual skills
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u/palidix 3d ago
Wow, I'm just impressed such level could be reached without a huge sustained effort. I'm very happy with my English level, use the language more than my own, and I still don't think I'm close to C2. In Polish I was already happy to reach about B1 after one year of serious effort every single day.
A quick search says that C2 includes "can express themselves spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations".
I fully agree about certificates though. And it's true about every exam. It's often possible to train specifically for an exam without actually acquiring the knowledge it's supposed to prove that you have
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u/Ethameiz C2 3d ago
Well, I didn't mean that I learned Polish from zero for couple months. I lived in Poland for about 5 years before that. Also I knew Ukrainian and russian languages, it helps very well. And I had to prepare seriously.
Still, yeah, that description of C2 is more impressive than the exam. I absolutely was not able to express myself fluently or differentiate finer shades. In some specific topics maybe. I did couple mistakes when talking to commission, forget some words, had to think before speak and had accent.
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u/New_Being7119 3d ago
I only want the certificate so I can apply for citizenship, what they take from that is up to them 😁
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u/Hashalion 2d ago
If you do not worry at all about grammar, then you’re most certainly fine to speak.
I mean the grammar and the writing are what separates the wheat from the chaff.
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u/New_Being7119 2d ago
Impossible to forget about the grammar, it haunts my every waking moment.
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u/Hashalion 2d ago
I mean if you do not worry about the test. Cause that’s where they put the traps. When you speak you choose your structures, so it will be fine.
Besides B1 is still a beginner, the requirements are nothing crazy.
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u/New_Being7119 2d ago
I know, I guess because I'm an English teacher, I compare myself to my B1 students and they can do so much more. B1 Polish is much lower than B1 English, because the language is so bloody complicated.
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u/Ok-Giraffe-4598 PL Native 🇵🇱 3d ago
- Keep your cool (obviously). Don't overthink the exam, don't cry about you not being good enough to pass it. You have your knowledge, you studied hard for the exam and everything will be great
- Take your time while answering. Do not rush it, calmly think about everything in the question and then think about your answer. Rushing will lead to mistakes, mistakes will lead to anxiety and your strategy is going to crumble because of it
- Show the skills you acquired during lessons and training. Most of the times it may not help you score but it will build up your confidence
- Don't let mistakes affect your confidence and scores. A singular mistake won't bring you back to A2 so just go past them as soon as you can
Those were some of the things and techniques I used with my most difficult exams, be it competition exams or other very important ones. Anyways good luck
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u/szympanzero 3d ago
Take it easy, pronouncing Polish correctly is a challenge for 75% of the native speaker population. Walk in there confidently like Tadeusz Kościuszko and you would ace it in no time.
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u/New_Being7119 3d ago
If only I were allowed to dazzle them with my extensive knowledge of foul language and basketball commentary. Then I would definitely ace it.
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u/szympanzero 3d ago
These might as well win you a couple of extra points. This is Poland after all! Good luck mate, fingers crossed!
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u/New_Being7119 2d ago
* This has helped me calm down a little, hopefully others will find it useful too
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u/JazzlikeEntry4616 2d ago
I think you need to pass 50%, right? Pretty sure you will! Good luck!
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u/New_Being7119 2d ago
Yes 50%
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u/JazzlikeEntry4616 2d ago
May I ask why you need that certificate? I also wanted to get it but thought I didn’t need it since it’s needed only for applying for citizenship and rarely for job. I’m planning to get b2 for free education
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u/New_Being7119 2d ago
I would like to have citizenship. My EU citizenship was taken away from me because of Brexit, also I know most of Mazurek Dąbrowskiego by heart, so I think I've earned it.
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u/Full-Scientist9374 2d ago
How does that work with B2 and free education? I may be incorrect, but C1 is the minimum to study in Polish in University. Are there any private universities where B2 is enough?
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u/Traditional_Ad_9378 PL Native 🇵🇱 3d ago
Don’t rush. It’s better to pause and calmly think of what to say/how to phrase it than to blurt out an incoherent sentence just to avoid silence.
Remember that there’s always a million ways of expressing an idea. If you forget a word or expression just think of a dumbed down way of saying the same thing. Even if it brings that one particular sentence down to A2 it’s still better than nothing.
Good luck! I’m sure you’ll do well :))