Once again, I will be working this weekend… Unlike most people, I cannot plan anything because I never know what my weekends will be from one week to another… Yet I will be going to Montreal for Thanksgiving, therefore I will not be taking on any last minute training during those three days. I am no longer a spring chicken and I have to take some time off so that I can get back some of my energy…
On the other hand, although some weeks are more painful than others, when I get great news it certainly lifts my spirits!… For instance, Krystal got her results and she got her level B in both, written expression and reading comprehension… and she was very close to get a C in reading (yet… cut off scores being what they are… you miss one answer and you are taken one level down… Edna’ s case is a good example!)… I was so happy for her because, after six months in this process, she was exhausted and overwhelmed… I thought she really deserved a break and be able to sleep at night… well, it did not last very long because yesterday she got an email saying that her oral interaction test had been scheduled on October 13!… She was panic stricken… finally she managed to have the test postponed to October 21… it will give us more time and I am convinced that she will do just fine!…
Congratulations Krystal!
Melody wrote me a short message after her oral interaction test yesterday… she wrote that it had been AWFUL… yet it made me smile because her assessor had led her in the fourth part of the interview… and, according to my stats, she should get her B without any problems!
And I finally heard from Pam!… She did not go for her written expression test the morning she was scheduled to take it… she had a migraine and, on top of everything, she was afraid of losing her B… Since she already does meet the language requirements of her position (CBC), she did not want to gamble at this point… she knew that the September version of the test was quite difficult… she decided to wait a couple of months before trying again… I do agree with her decision… why would she take such risk when actually she does not need a C?… She acted wisely…
Yesterday afternoon I met with Corey online and, when I asked him how he was, he said he was discouraged… I did not take his answer too seriously since he had a big smile on his face!… He had been studying hard and playing my 105 flashcards on prepositions… another one who is now addicted to that game!… It is okay by me, as long as my students are getting better and the usage of those nasty little words becomes a reflex! Actually I have to admit that this guy is very good… he has an acute analytical mind that serves him very well for the PSC SLE type of tests… and he remains calm! He needs to get the levels CBC in order to meet the language requirements of the job position he applied for… I am pretty sure that he will be able to pull out EC easily in reading comprehension and written expression… the oral component of the test will be his biggest challenge… yet he communicates fairly well in French (not the way candidates are expected to perform though)… I will put him in a box, then wrap it with a nice ribbon and I am confident he will pass his C in oral interaction as well!…
For the past 10 days, I got many last minute requests: people who had to take either the reading comprehension and written expression tests or the oral interaction exam in only a few days. Although it was never my intent to sell my study sheets separately, I now started to do it with people who have no time left to under’go some training… Of course, in my mind, it is not enough yet it is better than nothing at all!… I do believe that people with a solid background in French can use my advice, tips and strategies in their favour and they might get their levels… but, candidates with no or little background cannot ace the written test without some kind of training (even if only a couple of hours)… unless they have excellent guessing skills!
This last minute wake up call is beyond Krystal’s understanding… and my Aussie friend Phil cannot understand either!… Do I?… Well… I think that people do minimize the impact of this SLE testing in the PSC hiring process and, unless they decide to dig a bit further into it, they are expecting to take some kind of generic easy exams. Usually, they start searching only a few days before the tests… and, if they happen to read those test descriptions on the PPC website, then they freak out!
If people like Mark and Joyce managed to get an E in oral, it is because they were bilingual to start with… yet, if they had not had 10 and 14 hours of preparation with me, they would probably have received a C (the level they actually needed) but never an E… Maggie, in NYC, could have gotten an E as well… but, with only one hour of training, she just got her C… Of course, with people who are already fluent in French, it is less of a problem… Unfortunately, most people are not at that level! Candidates with little background can be brought one level up, but merely… I was able to bring Edna from level X to level A in 14 hours… actually if she had had some more time, she could have received her B in oral… she did well during her interview until the examiner started asking her questions of general opinion: her vocabulary was too limited and, even if she had picked up the questions, she could not have expressed her thoughts in French.
As for Kate… she communicates fairly well in French yet she missed the level C three weeks ago… there is so much someone can do in 2.5 hours just before the interview… But, since it will take three months to approve her position new language classification, HR decided to send her back to the oral interaction test. This time, she should make it since we planned sessions in advance… Sometimes, it does not take much: some planning ahead, a couple of extra training hours and less pressure. I know that some people claim that they work better under pressure… except that we are not talking about a project here!… It has nothing to do with meeting the deadlines… It has to do with knowledge, strategies and state of mind…
Earlier today I met online with Denise in Toronto… she found me yesterday and I am preparing her this weekend so that she can be at her best when she will go for her oral interaction interview on Monday. In my book, she is bilingual… there is no doubt about it!… I am sure she will get her required C but, with so little time, I would be surprised if she could get an E… yet, she could have… because she is an excellent candidate for the exemption level.
Time is the keyword here… people must give themselves enough time to prepare for the SLE tests… they must get as many hours of training they can (depending on their budget of course) and invest lots of time into studying… otherwise chances are they will not pass their required levels… I am excellent at what I do and I have many success stories to prove it… but I am no miracle worker!… and preparing people for the SLE testing is very demanding… therefore I need their help as much as they need mine! We must work as a team in a kind of love-hate relationship and it is not easy to achieve… Everyone has to be mentally prepared… and, sometimes, it means giving up some quality time with family and friends…
Corey left his full time French course at the COFI and it was not easy to do… instead of having fun learning French in a friendly group, he now spends his afternoons studying and focusing on the upcoming SLE tests… it was certainly a tough decision to make, but he truly believed it was what he had to do in order to get his levels… and the job position he wants!
To summarize, it takes courage… dedication… time… hard work… patience and the will to achieve in order to get through the SLE testing process… But do not wait until the very last minute!…
“Ne vous hâtez jamais. Ainsi vous ne rendrez le soupir qu’à la dernière minute”
Maurice Donnay
Why do they wait for so long before waking up?
Once again, I will be working this weekend… Unlike most people, I cannot plan anything because I never know what my weekends will be from one week to another… Yet I will be going to Montreal for Thanksgiving, therefore I will not be taking on any last minute training during those three days. I am no longer a spring chicken and I have to take some time off so that I can get back some of my energy…
On the other hand, although some weeks are more painful than others, when I get great news it certainly lifts my spirits!… For instance, Krystal got her results and she got her level B in both, written expression and reading comprehension… and she was very close to get a C in reading (yet… cut off scores being what they are… you miss one answer and you are taken one level down… Edna’ s case is a good example!)… I was so happy for her because, after six months in this process, she was exhausted and overwhelmed… I thought she really deserved a break and be able to sleep at night… well, it did not last very long because yesterday she got an email saying that her oral interaction test had been scheduled on October 13!… She was panic stricken… finally she managed to have the test postponed to October 21… it will give us more time and I am convinced that she will do just fine!…
Congratulations Krystal!
Melody wrote me a short message after her oral interaction test yesterday… she wrote that it had been AWFUL… yet it made me smile because her assessor had led her in the fourth part of the interview… and, according to my stats, she should get her B without any problems!
And I finally heard from Pam!… She did not go for her written expression test the morning she was scheduled to take it… she had a migraine and, on top of everything, she was afraid of losing her B… Since she already does meet the language requirements of her position (CBC), she did not want to gamble at this point… she knew that the September version of the test was quite difficult… she decided to wait a couple of months before trying again… I do agree with her decision… why would she take such risk when actually she does not need a C?… She acted wisely…
Yesterday afternoon I met with Corey online and, when I asked him how he was, he said he was discouraged… I did not take his answer too seriously since he had a big smile on his face!… He had been studying hard and playing my 105 flashcards on prepositions… another one who is now addicted to that game!… It is okay by me, as long as my students are getting better and the usage of those nasty little words becomes a reflex! Actually I have to admit that this guy is very good… he has an acute analytical mind that serves him very well for the PSC SLE type of tests… and he remains calm! He needs to get the levels CBC in order to meet the language requirements of the job position he applied for… I am pretty sure that he will be able to pull out EC easily in reading comprehension and written expression… the oral component of the test will be his biggest challenge… yet he communicates fairly well in French (not the way candidates are expected to perform though)… I will put him in a box, then wrap it with a nice ribbon and I am confident he will pass his C in oral interaction as well!…
For the past 10 days, I got many last minute requests: people who had to take either the reading comprehension and written expression tests or the oral interaction exam in only a few days. Although it was never my intent to sell my study sheets separately, I now started to do it with people who have no time left to under’go some training… Of course, in my mind, it is not enough yet it is better than nothing at all!… I do believe that people with a solid background in French can use my advice, tips and strategies in their favour and they might get their levels… but, candidates with no or little background cannot ace the written test without some kind of training (even if only a couple of hours)… unless they have excellent guessing skills!
This last minute wake up call is beyond Krystal’s understanding… and my Aussie friend Phil cannot understand either!… Do I?… Well… I think that people do minimize the impact of this SLE testing in the PSC hiring process and, unless they decide to dig a bit further into it, they are expecting to take some kind of generic easy exams. Usually, they start searching only a few days before the tests… and, if they happen to read those test descriptions on the PPC website, then they freak out!
If people like Mark and Joyce managed to get an E in oral, it is because they were bilingual to start with… yet, if they had not had 10 and 14 hours of preparation with me, they would probably have received a C (the level they actually needed) but never an E… Maggie, in NYC, could have gotten an E as well… but, with only one hour of training, she just got her C… Of course, with people who are already fluent in French, it is less of a problem… Unfortunately, most people are not at that level! Candidates with little background can be brought one level up, but merely… I was able to bring Edna from level X to level A in 14 hours… actually if she had had some more time, she could have received her B in oral… she did well during her interview until the examiner started asking her questions of general opinion: her vocabulary was too limited and, even if she had picked up the questions, she could not have expressed her thoughts in French.
As for Kate… she communicates fairly well in French yet she missed the level C three weeks ago… there is so much someone can do in 2.5 hours just before the interview… But, since it will take three months to approve her position new language classification, HR decided to send her back to the oral interaction test. This time, she should make it since we planned sessions in advance… Sometimes, it does not take much: some planning ahead, a couple of extra training hours and less pressure. I know that some people claim that they work better under pressure… except that we are not talking about a project here!… It has nothing to do with meeting the deadlines… It has to do with knowledge, strategies and state of mind…
Earlier today I met online with Denise in Toronto… she found me yesterday and I am preparing her this weekend so that she can be at her best when she will go for her oral interaction interview on Monday. In my book, she is bilingual… there is no doubt about it!… I am sure she will get her required C but, with so little time, I would be surprised if she could get an E… yet, she could have… because she is an excellent candidate for the exemption level.
Time is the keyword here… people must give themselves enough time to prepare for the SLE tests… they must get as many hours of training they can (depending on their budget of course) and invest lots of time into studying… otherwise chances are they will not pass their required levels… I am excellent at what I do and I have many success stories to prove it… but I am no miracle worker!… and preparing people for the SLE testing is very demanding… therefore I need their help as much as they need mine! We must work as a team in a kind of love-hate relationship and it is not easy to achieve… Everyone has to be mentally prepared… and, sometimes, it means giving up some quality time with family and friends…
Corey left his full time French course at the COFI and it was not easy to do… instead of having fun learning French in a friendly group, he now spends his afternoons studying and focusing on the upcoming SLE tests… it was certainly a tough decision to make, but he truly believed it was what he had to do in order to get his levels… and the job position he wants!
To summarize, it takes courage… dedication… time… hard work… patience and the will to achieve in order to get through the SLE testing process… But do not wait until the very last minute!…
“Ne vous hâtez jamais. Ainsi vous ne rendrez le soupir qu’à la dernière minute”
Maurice Donnay