For those of you who are preparing to enrol in a public or private institution in Malaysia, there's one thing you should know beforehand.
Apart from your official pre-university results, you would need to sit and pass an official English language competency test in order to enrol and graduate from any undergraduate programme.
The English competency tests could be any of the following: International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Pearson Test of English (PTE), Cambridge English Qualifications and of course the Malaysian University English Test (MUET).
Among them, MUET is one of the most popular language competency tests due to its accessibility throughout the year and also affordability.
A comprehensive English prerequisite test that is administered by the Malaysian Examination Council (MEC), it has undergone a slight revamp in format in 2021, being the second revision since its establishment in 1999.
In this article, we will look at the latest format and syllabus of all your MUET papers: listening, speaking, reading and writing components.
What Is The Specification For The MUET Listening Component?
Under the MUET listening paper [800/1], candidates will need to listen to 5 different parts.
Each different part has a different test focus which will test the candidates' listening skills in terms of understanding main ideas in linguistically complex speech, understanding familiar and unfamiliar topics, following extended speech and complex lines of argument on reasonably familiar topics and a few more.
The test duration is approximately 50 minutes, and each text will be repeated twice.
Now, let's take a look at the structure of the listening test.
- For Part 1, the text type will be a 600 to 650-word dialogue whereby candidates will need to answer 7 multiple choice questions (3 answer options).
- For Part 2, the text type will be a 600 to 650-word monologue, whereby candidates will also answer 7 multiple choice questions (3 answer options).
- Next, for Part 3, the text type will be a 350 to 400-word monologue among 3 speakers, whereby candidates will need to answer 3 multiple-matching questions (five answer options).
- For Part 4, the text type will be a 650 to 700-word dialogue, whereby candidates have to answer 7 multiple choice questions (3 answer options).
- For the last part (Part 5), the text type consists of a 250 to 300-word short dialogue (could be more than one dialogue), whereby candidates need to answer 6 multiple choice questions (3 answer options).
For the listening component, the total number of questions is 30 questions and the maximum score would be 90 marks.
Important note: Candidates are required to indicate their final answers on the answer sheet.
Get a glimpse of what to expect from all four MUET papers as a first-time candidate.
How Will You Be Tested For The MUET Speaking Component?
For the MUET Speaking paper [800/2], candidates will undergo two test parts: Part 1 and Part 2.
Important tip: The topics for Part 1 and Part 2 are related. Having said that, Part 1 requires candidates to talk from a more general perspective (based on the subject) and candidates can talk about their personal experience based on the topic.
Part 1 requires candidates to give an individual presentation on a written prompt. They will be given 2 minutes to prepare and another 2 minutes to present.
Each candidate will be given different points. At this point, they only need to focus on their given point.
On the other hand, Part 2 requires candidates to participate in a group discussion based on a written question and five prompts in the form of a mind map. For this part, each of them will have 3 minutes to prepare and about 8 to 12 minutes to discuss.
During the discussion, candidates can support or oppose other candidates' points. However, everyone must decide on the best point to wrap up the discussion. It's important to bear in mind that it's not a debate.
For the speaking component, the group size may vary according to the number of test takers during the particular session. The maximum number of a group will be 4 candidates whereas the minimum number is 2 candidates.
The time given for the discussion in Part 2 also varies according to the group size.
- Group Size 2: 4 to 8 minutes
- Group Size 3: 6 to 10 minutes
- Group Size 4: 8 to 12 minutes
The maximum score for the MUET speaking component is 90 marks.
Master the right techniques to produce strong essays for your MUET writing paper.
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How Many Parts Will You Be Evaluated For The MUET Reading Component?
For the MUET reading component [8000/3], candidates will need to answer 40 questions under 7 parts. The test duration is 75 minutes.
For Part 1, candidates need to read three short texts that are thematically linked (around 100 to 150 words). From there, you need to answer 4 multiple matching questions.
For Parts 2 and 3, candidates need to read two texts (each of 300 to 450 words) and answer 10 multiple choice questions (3 answer options).
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As for Part 4, candidates need to read two independent texts that are of the same theme (a total of 700 to 800 words). Altogether there are 6 questions under Part 4.
There will be two multiple-choice questions for the first text, another two multiple-choice questions for the second text, and another two multiple-choice questions comparing the two texts.
For Part 5, candidates have to read one whole text (500 to 600 words) and answer 6 questions — fill in 6 missing sentences of a gapped text. Don't worry, 7 answer options will be given for this part.
Last but not least, for Parts 6 and 7, candidates will read two texts (each text has 700 to 900 words) and answer 14 multiple choice questions (with 4 answer options — A, B, C and D).
The maximum score for the MUET reading component is 90 marks.
Take a look at the marking scheme of your MUET papers.
What Are The Tasks For The MUET Writing Component?
We have now come to the last MUET paper, which is the MUET Writing component [800/4].
Under this paper, candidates will be given 75 minutes to answer two writing tasks.
Task 1 requires candidates to write a 100 to 135-word letter or email.
On the other hand, Task 2 requires candidates to write an essay. The essay could be a discursive, argumentative or a problem-solving essay. But for this task candidates need to write at least 250 words.
Essentially, Task 1 is a guided writing piece whereby three or more notes will be given to help candidates contextualise the writing task.
For Task 1, your essay should comprise the following:
- Expression of thanks, apologies, reactions and preferences (after salutations)
- An indication of accepting, or rejecting an invitation or offer (purpose of writing)
- Requesting or giving precise information
- Describing the events, experiences and emotions as a response
Candidates are advised to spend 25 minutes on Task 1.
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On the contrary, Task 2 is an extended writing piece. Candidates will be given a textual stimulus in the form of a few statements to establish the idea or problem that candidates need to respond to.
For Task 2, candidates should show the following skills:
- Discuss ideas and evaluate arguments or solutions to the given problem
- Provide reasons, opinions, justifications and advice that are appropriate to the context
- Give relevant examples and supporting information
Candidates are advised to spend 50 minutes on Task 2.
Having said that, the maximum score for the MUET writing component is 90 marks.
Gather these revision resources to ace your MUET papers like a pro.
Ace MUET 2024 By Building Strong English Comprehension Skills
Now that you have reviewed the latest format and examination structure for all your MUET papers, you would have noticed one significant thing.
You need a strong command of the English language in order to ace all the language components equally.
That's because your final MUET band score is the aggregated score for all your MUET components, in which the final maximum score is 360 points. In other words, the closer your points to 360, the higher your MUET band score will be.
When it comes to building confidence and competence in any language-based subject, you need to know where your strength and weakness lies. Perhaps, you are not so confident in speaking, but you are more confident in your listening skills.
Instead of having doubts on your own, why don't you consider taking comprehensive English tutoring lessons with a reliable tutor?
Let us introduce to you, Superprof! Superprof is a globally recognised tutoring platform that connects passionate educators and students in just a few clicks!
Superprof not only has an extensive pool of tutor profiles across a diverse range of subjects, it also allows educators and students to have a personalised and flexible learning experience. Meaning to say, you can opt for home tutoring or online tutoring for your MUET lessons!
With a MUET tutor, you will be able to have a multi-angled revision plan for all the tested components.
Whether it's to enhance your vocabulary, grammar or pronunciation, your tutor will give you the relevant exercises and feedback to improve progressively before your actual MUET according to your learning pace and needs.
That being said, you also do not need to worry about the lack of practice when it comes to doing past-year questions or sample questions. All of these will be covered by your MUET tutor throughout the lessons.
What you need to do now is start browsing the tutors' profiles and connect with your desired MUET tutor.
From there, you can start discussing and finalising details for your first MUET lesson!
What are you waiting for? Let's put your head in the game to ace your MUET papers to have a smooth undergraduate application experience!
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