Scored an Overall 8!(09.08.14- Academic) Thanks Ryan!

[DiyaS]

Hi Ryan!

Thanks a lot for all the videos and tips! Helped me a lot since I had preparation time of just over a month.
Being a non-native speaker and an expat in Germany I was concerned about my accent. But I guess I did well with the speaking, but a little disappointed with my writing. But just happy to cross the 7 barrier
Thanks a gain Ryan! I appreciate the work you do.

Listening: 8.0
Reading: 8.0
Writing: 7.5
Speaking: 8.5
Overall: 8.0

[Ryan]

Awesome news, Diyas. Congratulations! Yes, it looks like you really hit the speaking out of the park. Any tips you can share with other candidates?

Thanks very much for sharing the experience. I'm happy to hear the videos helped.

[DiyaS]

Thanks Ryan. In the speaking section I guess I focused mainly on answering the question. While doing so I made sure I use a wide range of vocabulary and also different narration styles. For example, if I started my reply with a "I think", I would not do so for the next couple of questions so as to not sound repetitive. I also drew from personal experiences that made me confident while speaking. In addition I took care of subtle things like maintaining good eye contact, filling up the silences with words like "well" ,"i suppose", dressing formally and maintaining a relaxed body language. Though these things might not have an immediate impact on the score I think it sets the tone for the conversation and makes it more smooth.