Testimonials
Student: Shrieya
Year Taken: 2022 School District: D128
Student: Iniya
Year Taken: 2023 School District: IPSD 204
Overall, the test wasn't particularly difficult. The reading test was decent, the speaking test was easy, but the writing test was a bit difficult. If I had to rank them, I’d say that the speaking test was the easiest, the reading was moderately difficult, and the writing test was the hardest compared to the other two exams.
The speaking is done via phone call and starts off with basic questions and progressively increases in complexity. One of the questions they asked me was how I thought technology in schools would change over the next five years. Another question they asked me was to describe the room I was in. I was in a pretty empty room, so I just made some things up to make sure I could demonstrate my speaking skills. You won’t have more than a minute to answer, but you shouldn’t worry about time because they will cut you off if you go over. For this test, I’d primarily recommend speaking regularly with family and friends about relevant topics, such as technology.
The reading test is a multiple choice test taken online. It’s similar to the SAT in that you will be given a passage and questions to answer. Some of the passages they gave were a bit complex, but I was able to answer most of the questions with ease simply by using context clues. For this test, I’d recommend that you practice reading complex texts to help improve your reading comprehension.
The writing test is taken on paper, and you will be given a set of essay-type questions. This was personally the test that I struggled the most on. There isn’t much you can prepare for because you won’t know what they’ll ask until you begin the exam, but I’d highly recommend practicing writing short essays and answering questions/prompts that your parents could ask you or ones that you can find on the internet. One way you can prepare for the exam is finding writing prompts online in English, asking your parents to translate them into Tamil, and writing an essay-style answer. If you plan on using this study method, make sure you don’t know what the prompt will be ahead of time because the writing exam tests both how well you can comprehend the question being asked and how you write the answer for it. If you you know the English translation beforehand, you defeat the purpose of studying this way.
Student: Madan
Year Taken: 2023 School District: IPSD 204
Preparing for the Seal of Biliteracy test might seem intimidating at first glance, but from my experience, it's not as daunting as it appears. Having spent a decade in Tamil school, I found that the preparation I received there, particularly in terms of reading and writing practice, was instrumental in my confidence going into the test.
At Tamil school, we regularly engaged in reading comprehension exercises and practiced writing on a variety of topics. This consistent practice not only strengthened my writing skills but also ensured that I could approach the test with a solid foundation. The repetition of these exercises was key—it helped me write coherent responses and analyze passages effectively for the multiple-choice questions.
When it came to the speaking and listening portions of the test, I was pleasantly surprised by how manageable they were. Thanks to years of practice at home and in school, I was already comfortable with conversational Tamil. This included practicing conversations on different prompts and learning how to maintain a meaningful dialogue, which ultimately proved immensely beneficial during the test.
Overall, my experience underscores the importance of structured learning environments like Tamil school and consistent practice in developing language proficiency. These factors were pivotal in my ability to approach the Seal of Biliteracy test with confidence and perform well across all its components.