Eiken Interview Practice

[Penguee]

I was wondering if other people have to do Eiken Interview practice for level three and how they go about doing it?

We have to do it every season, and we usually use a text book and I just write down all of their mistakes and tear them apart at the end. When I look at their horrified face, I then tell them that I am really strict and that their interviewer is not going to be as strict as me, but they should still prepare to do their best. (My co-worker does it question by question and tells them all the mistakes after each answer. I don't like that style because it isn't the way that they would be interviewed for the real thing.)
I then interview them again with another practice interview and praise improvements or yell at them for forgetting the 'be' verb in present continuous again. I'm usually not as mean the second time, and I try to encourage them after.

Do you have to practice Eiken interviews as ALTs? Any tips? Do you also almost make students cry?

[mothy]

Do you have to practice Eiken interviews as ALTs? Any tips? Do you also almost make students cry?

Sometimes. Yes. Don't make the students cry.

[Ini]

do they cry before or after you slap them? I think you need to work on your bedside manner

[Penguee]

Better me than old man Sato the interviewer who interviews in katakana.

[Penguee]

do they cry before or after you slap them? I think you need to work on your bedside manner

I've only ever made one kid cry. That was when he colored on the table and I told him he didn't get any candy and he cried. I offered to let him clean up the table in exchange for getting candy and he did.

[Zolrak 22]

I've only ever made one kid cry. That was when he colored on the table and I told him he didn't get any candy and he cried. I offered to let him clean up the table in exchange for getting candy and he did.

Sounds to me like he outplayed you.

[Penguee]

Sounds to me like he outplayed you.

Nah, this is the one kid that always tries to kancho me, so seeing him cry for once actually was enough for me. And with only two kids in that class, if one is blubbering, it's kind of hard to get anything done.

[webstaa]

There isn't much you can do other than use the sample cards or similar to simulate the kind of interview it is. I make a list of questions mirroring the 3/2 split and practice with the students (those that want to practice) 3-4 times. By then they've gotten over the butterflies and can actually use their (sparse) English.

And students will be freaked out. Start off easy and work your way up. (The interview prep is the most I do to help the students with Eiken - but I still feel proud when all of the students who get to the interview portion ace it.)

[Jiggit]

I've made a couple girls cry before but only because of how touched they were by my kindness.

[mothy]

I made a student cry by asking, "how are you?" Apparently the answer was "really, really sad."

[Zolrak 22]

I've made a couple girls cry before but only because of how touched they were by my kindness.

That comment, with your avatar....


Perfect.

[Penguee]

I've made a couple girls cry before but only because of how touched they were by my kindness.

A true gentleman.

[Penguee]

Do you guys often do the practice? Or is it only once in a while?
I do it every test season for at least twenty students and we almost always practice individually.

Hmm. Maybe the situation is a lot more difficult when you're an ALT since you have so many students to teach at once. I only have about 150 junior high and high school students and they talk with me every week for conversation so they usually aren't shy about speaking with me and that is why I'm so strict.

[coop52]

Usually the kids come to me a few days before their interview to practice. We have the books with the past tests, so I just do two or three of those with each kid. We go through the card just like they would in the real interview, then I comment on any mistakes they made while showing them the questions. I have never made a kid cry. I've only really done level 3, and it's not terribly hard. Nearly every kids makes the same kind of errors, like forgetting plurals or confusing look/watch/see. The hardest part to prep for is the "Tell me more" parts on the last question. Most of the time those questions are about stuff like hobbies or their favorite book or something fairly simple. If they can talk about stuff like how often they do whatever, how long they've done whatever, what whatever they like best, then they're ok. They only need a sentence or two to answer the question.

How old are the kids?

[Jiggit]

I just explain the mark scheme to them in painstaking detail.

[Penguee]

How old are the kids?

My kids for Eiken 3 are usually first years in Junior High. The ones in 2nd and 3rd year take Pre 2nd, and if they're still overachievers in High school they take 2.

We don't really stress Eiken, but my elementary students can pass the interview for 3 super easily since they're constantly using all that grammar every week. As long as their reading is good enough, that is.
I tend to have a weird view of English teaching because we teach my students for eight or nine years usually, and they're having regular conversations in Junior High school about simple topics. So I was just wondering how it worked on the ALT front.

[Antonath]

When I did Eiken practice, usually a week or two before the events, I ran through the thing as a full interview, acting formal, etc. Once that was done, I pointed out mistakes. Then we ran through again with different cards, and I'd point things out as they went along. My JTEs were keen that they should experience a "real" interview test before I helped them with their English.

[coop52]

My kids for Eiken 3 are usually first years in Junior High. The ones in 2nd and 3rd year take Pre 2nd, and if they're still overachievers in High school they take 2.

We don't really stress Eiken, but my elementary students can pass the interview for 3 super easily since they're constantly using all that grammar every week. As long as their reading is good enough, that is.
I tend to have a weird view of English teaching because we teach my students for eight or nine years usually, and they're having regular conversations in Junior High school about simple topics. So I was just wondering how it worked on the ALT front.

As a JET, most of my level 3 folks were either 3rd year JHS or 1st year SHS, but I was at low level schools. I have a few 1st year JHS at my private school that just took level 3 last weekend. All of those kids have been going to juku/eikaiwa for years. A lot of my 1st year JHS have level 4, even kids who only started learning English for real in April. I've had 1 kid get level pre-2 as a 2nd year JHS student, but he lived in the US for a while. A 3rd year SHS should technically be able to do level 2, but by that time most of them don't bother with anything other than studying for entrance exams.

I've had at least 1 JTE that I think would have a hard time getting pre-2, much less pre-1, which is the level that MEXT wants them to have.

[webstaa]

At least at my school 1st years passing the first 3 test is pretty much impossible. I've only had three pass the written test and only 2 pass the interview. Out of the 15 or so that have tried. I only have maybe 2 students a year try pre-2 - only one has passed since I started. It isn't required for any of the HS entrance requirements, so they slack off once they've got the 3 completed.

My JTEs could probably do pre-1, except maybe the writing/listening section. They're writing is just about as bad as my Japanese writing. And they don't know how to use computers or the internet to check spelling or simple grammar either...

[Gizmotech]

It's really scary to think that kids take Eiken 3 at first year JHS and there are 2 more levels below that. They really need to reevaluate their staging....