Muet Reading Test Tips

Read (There is a reason why it’s called a MUET Reading paper)

 Read everything but with a notepad in hand

 Copy down words which you don’t understand AND more important, phrases that you
would like to use in your MUET written essay.

Read quality materials

 Read articles that are published by reliable sources such as: Reader’s Digest, TIME
Magazine…etc.

 Articles used in the exams are usually from these types of source

 Keep yourself updated on current issues by reading newspapers (Example: The

STAR, New Straits Times, The Edge)
Use your time wisely!
 You only have 1.5 hours to answer 45 exam questions

 If you do the math, that would mean that you only have 2 minutes per question

 ALWAYS read the question first, and underline the keywords

 Make sure you don’t just skim through the text but scan for specific information

Know your vocabulary

 There will be 6 texts altogether in the exam paper, and the first one always has a non-
linear stimuli (Example: graph, chart or diagram)

 You will need the relevant vocabulary knowledge to describe the trend(s) shown in the
given diagram(s)

 This is also a useful practice for report writing as it deals with the same language
functions

DON’T ACT SMART!

 For some questions, you will be asked to ‘infer’ or make intelligent assumptions based on
the given evidences in the texts

 For ‘True/False/Not Stated’ questions, NEVER use your own opinions to answer because
what is logical to you may not be academically correct

 My tip to you is that you should underline the evidence(s) in the texts
 For ‘True’, you must be able to identify proof that shows that the statement is correct

 You should also underline evidences that prove a statement to be wrong in order to
choose ‘False’ as your answer
 For ‘Not Stated’, you will find that it is almost impossible to underline any evidence at all.
Hence, these are the fundamental differences between the answer selections ‘True/False/Not
Stated’
 Train your brain
 Guessing the meaning of a vocabulary can be quite tricky 陷阱 especially when you don’t
have the access to a dictionary or the internet (Google.com) during your exam. Hence, you
need to train your brain to assess the root word

 Focus on the prefix/suffix in order to identify the meaning

 If you think the word is a positive, negative or neutral one – reconfirm again by looking at
the context of the texts for clues to support your assumption

 Review the answers and options given by eliminating the answer that is most unlikely to
be correct before making a calculated guess

 For example, in the phrase: “the degradation of water quality”, the

word ‘degradation’ comes from the root word ‘grade’ which means level or standard.
The ‘de’ suffix has a negative connotation where it means the removal of something,
while ‘tion’ is a noun that explains the process of something
 Thus, the phrase means “the drop of standard/quality of water”
Assess the writer’s intentions
The MUET level comprehension questions do not focus on content alone
Instead, the questions given require candidates to assess the writer’s:

 (A) Purpose

Example: to inform, discuss, argue, compare, persuade…etc.

 (B) Style of writing

Example: describing, comparing and contrasting, giving examples, explaining causes and
effects, sequencing events…etc.

 (C) Tone

Example: supportive, opposing, indifferent, neutral, biased…etc.

Assess the articles as a whole
 Sometimes you may be asked to give a suitable title to an article

 Or to summarize a specific paragraph

 Or to come up with a suitable conclusion based on the options given. This clearly
requires critical thinking skills or HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) from you.
 Keep practicing!
 Essentially, nothing beats practice and more practice

 Buy good quality reference books such as Longman or Oxford model tests/actual exam
workbooks and try doing each reading paper 3 times

 First attempt: do it as if you’re sitting for the real exam. Do not refer to any workbooks or
dictionaries

 Second attempt: allow yourself to refer to books, and discuss with your friends if you
need to (and if you are doing it as a group) before marking both attempts

 Note: Your 2nd attempt should score better than your first.
 Third attempt: Try doing the same set of exam paper again after 2-3 months to see if you
are able to retain the knowledge of vocabulary and concepts which you have learned before.

Grade yourself
 Here’s a useful guide for you to follow when you attempt the exam questions so that you
can know where you stand

You will need to score:

(A) 21/45 – Band 3
(B) 27/45 – Band 4
(C) 33/45 – Band 5
(D) 39/45 – Band 6