You will integrate all the techniques learned so far and complete your final review of English for university entrance examinations. This section also organizes strategies for the day of the examination.
Basic Rules
Checklist by Area:
① Grammar:
- The five sentence patterns, tense, passive voice, and verbals (infinitives, gerunds, and participles)
- Relative clauses, comparison, and subjunctive mood
- Emphatic constructions, inversion, and negation
② Vocabulary:
- 3,000 basic words at junior-high and high-school level
- 2,000 words frequently appearing on the Common Test
- 1,000 difficult words for second-stage examinations (6,000 words in total)
- 500 phrasal verbs and idioms
③ Reading:
- Distinguishing among skimming, scanning, and intensive reading
- Understanding paragraph structure and the argument
- Strategies by question type
④ English Composition:
- Japanese-to-English translation (avoiding the trap of literal translation and using inanimate subjects)
- Free English composition (PREP method, four-paragraph structure, and discourse markers)
⑤ Listening:
- Previewing, note-taking, and sound changes
- Focusing on 5W1H
⑥ Speaking (AO and interview preparation):
- Answering with the PREP structure
- Avoiding silence with linking expressions
Strategies for the Day of the Examination:
- Decide the time allocation in advance (check the clock for each major question in Reading)
- Leave difficult questions for later and start with questions you can solve
- Watch for shifts on the answer sheet (check the question numbers every five questions)
- Use the final 10 minutes for checking (look for careless mistakes)
Common Test Reading (80 minutes):
- Question 1 (10 minutes) → Question 2 (10 minutes) → Question 3 (12 minutes) → Question 4 (12 minutes) → Question 5 (15 minutes) → Question 6 (15 minutes) → Checking (6 minutes)
National/Public University Second-Stage Examination (120-minute example):
- Long-passage reading (60 minutes) → English composition (40 minutes) → Checking (20 minutes)
Points to Note
① Practice with past tests is the most effective: Solve the five most recent years of past tests under timed conditions. Your weaknesses will become clear.
② Focused practice for weaknesses: Identify the areas you “always get wrong” in past tests → Study only those areas intensively with a reference book.
③ Manage your physical condition: Go to bed early the day before the examination, eat a substantial breakfast on the day, and use the restroom before the examination.
④ Mental attitude: Do not panic when you encounter a difficult question. Tell yourself, “Other examinees cannot solve it either.” Build your score by starting with questions you can solve confidently.
⑤ The final week: Do not begin using new materials. Review materials you have already studied and check your own answer patterns.
- Study grammar, vocabulary, reading, English composition, listening, and speaking comprehensively
- Identify trends and weaknesses through past-test practice
- Decide your time allocation in advance
- Leave difficult questions for later and start with questions you can solve
- Use no new materials during the final week; concentrate on review
Practice
- State the total vocabulary required for university entrance examination English (the total of junior-high, high-school, and difficult words).
- Explain in one sentence how to deal with a difficult question on the day of the examination.
- Name one thing you should do and one thing you should not do during the week before the examination.