How to Get Into the Right Mindset for Your OET Training

Are you preparing for the Occupational English Test with a review course? Want to enhance your OET training experience? Make sure you’re in the right mindset for studying. 

Why You Should Tackle Your OET Training With the Right Mindset

There are two default mindsets: growth and fixed. People who have a growth mindset are active learners. They don’t shy away from challenges and constantly strive to expand their intelligence. People who have a fixed mindset, on the other hand, are passive learners. They are resistant to change which often limit their development.

When preparing for the OET, it’s critical that you have a growth mindset. Here’s why:

• It’ll help you power through difficult obstacles.
• It’ll help you improve your English communication skills faster.

• It’ll motivate you to tackle (and not run from) new challenges.

• It’ll make you more receptive to constructive criticism from your OET review coach.

• It’ll encourage you to focus more on learning (rather than looking smart) during your classes.

Developing a Growth Mindset

If you think you have the wrong mindset for review, don’t worry. Developing a growth mindset for your OET training is easy. Just follow these steps.

1. Acknowledge the voice of your mindset. Accept the fact that your mindset shapes your thoughts and perspectives. Then, pay attention to its voice. What are your first thoughts when you approach challenges, encounter setbacks, and receive criticism? Are they positive or negative? If they raise doubts about your abilities, that’s your fixed mindset talking. Acknowledge it so you can work on changing it.


2. Embrace the growth mindset.Make an effort to interpret challenges, setbacks, and criticisms positively. Talk back to the voice of your fixed mindset. If it says, “Are you sure you can do this? You’re probably going to fail.” Answer it with “Most successful people experience a lot of failures before they reached their goal. I’m not sure I can do this well today, but I can definitely learn to do it well with time and effort.”


3. Act now. Simply changing the way you view things isn’t going to enhance your OET training. You have to change your thoughts and your actions. So, get out there and do it!

Having the wrong mindset during your test preparations can sabotage your chances of success. So, adopt the growth mindset! Optimize your review experience to get a high OET grade.

REFERENCES:

"5 Effective Study Habits that Triple Your Learning Speed [HCP]." Develop Good Habits. October 30, 2017. Accessed January 31, 2018. https://www.developgoodhabits.com/effective-study-habits/.

Grohol, John M. "10 Highly Effective Study Habits." Psych Central. November 08, 2017. Accessed January 31, 2018. https://psychcentral.com/lib/top-10-most-effective-study-habits/.

Martynes, Shivaun. "10 Must-Have Time Management Tips for Working Students." IntelliTec Colleges. January 14, 2017. Accessed January 31, 2018. http://www.intelliteccollege.com/blog/182/10-must-have-time-management-tips-for-working-students/.

“15 Different Types of Mindsets People Have.” Wealthy Gorilla. Accessed February 1, 2018. https://wealthygorilla.com/15-different-types-mindsets-people/

"Palgrave Study Skills." Getting in the Study Mindset. Accessed January 31, 2018. https://www.macmillanihe.com/studentstudyskills/page/Getting-in-the-study-mindset/.

Popova, Maria. “Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives.” Brain Pickings. Accessed February 1, 2018. https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/carol-dweck-mindset/

Stillman, Jessica. "5 Steps to Get the Right Mindset for Success." Inc.com. Accessed January 31, 2018. https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/5-steps-to-get-the-right-mindset-for-success.html.