·What the Core is
Aptis Core, grammar and vocabulary. It is the component that every Aptis variant includes, and it has one peculiarity: it does not give a level of its own. It gives a numerical score, but it influences the level of the four skills. In this video we look at what it is like, which question types there are, how to answer and how to split your time. The official data come from the exam's technical manual; the advice is our reading.
1/4The 50 questions and the 25 minutes
The Core is fifty questions. Part one is grammar: twenty-five questions, all multiple choice with three options, where you complete a sentence by choosing the correct word. Part two is vocabulary: another twenty-five questions. And there is only one clock: twenty-five minutes for everything. It is not twenty-five minutes of grammar and another twenty-five of vocabulary, and the individual tasks have no timer of their own.
2/4The four types of vocabulary task
The vocabulary part is five tasks of five questions, and they fall into four types. Synonyms: you match a word with another of the same or very similar meaning. Meaning in context: you complete the gap in a short sentence, and there are two tasks of this type. Definitions: you match each word with its definition. And collocations: you choose the word that usually goes with another. In all of them, you have a bank of ten options for five gaps, so five are left over.
3/4The three-option strategy
With three options per question, the strategy is to eliminate before you choose. First, remove the option that is impossible: the one that breaks agreement, the one that does not fit the verb tense or the one that makes no sense in the sentence. With two options left, reread the whole sentence with each one. And if you are unsure, do not get stuck: mark the one that sounds best and move on. This is our reading, not an exam rule. And remember that the Core goes up to B2: there are no C1-level questions.
4/4The pace of the Core
Pacing. Twenty-five minutes for fifty questions is thirty seconds per question on average. It is our own calculation, not an exam rule, but it works as a reference: if you are on question ten and have used more than five minutes, you are slow. Grammar is usually quicker than vocabulary, so you can save time there. And do not leave questions unanswered: a random answer has a better chance than a blank.
·To practise
To practise, do a set of twenty-five grammar questions with the clock running. Eliminate the impossible options first and note how long you take for every ten questions. If you are over thirty seconds on average, speed up where you are sure and save the time for the doubtful ones. You can do it with exercises from the AptisBot bot.