A. Strategies For Listening Comprehension

• Before You Listen

  • Read the Introduction and Title. All listening selections will have a brief introduction about the text and its source. This information is helpful to get you thinking about what information will be presented, as well as the possible point of view of the author and intended audience.

  • Read the Questions and Multiple-Choice Answers. You will have plenty of time to read the questions and preview the answers. Use this time to gather as much information about the selection as possible.

• During the First Listening

  • Identify the Main Idea. Listen for repetition of words or phrases and for words that are topically related.

  • Visualize What You Hear. Imagine in your mind’s eye what is being said. This will help you understand the overall ideas

  • Imagine. If the topic deals with an unfamiliar subject matter, try to imagine what it would be like to be in that situation or to experience the setting or event that is discussed.

  • Focus On What You Do Know and Not On What You Don’t Know. Don’t get hung up on single words you don’t understand. Focus on what you do understand and use contextual clues to help you figure out the gist of ideas that may not be entirely clear.

  • Evaluate the Information Being Presented. Is the speaker trying to persuade the listener? Is the speaker stating facts or opinions? What evidence, if any, does the speaker present?

  • Focus on the Message, Not the Distractions. Often there will be background noise as you listen or in the audio itself. These noises can include traffic sounds or music. Don’t let the background noises distract you from focusing on the message that is being delivered.

• During the Second Listening

  • Take Notes of Key Words. You will have space in your exam book to take notes. However, limit these notes to individual words and not phrases. Make sure that the words you do write down will help you remember the main ideas of the listening passage.

  • Confirm and Clarify. You should already have understood the main idea of the listening passage, so during the second listening you want to focus on identifying a few details that support the main idea. You can also use this time to confirm the information you understood the first time and to help clarify any doubts that you may have had.

B. Strategies For Improving Listening Comprehension

• Listen To A Lot of Authentic Spanish. Nothing improves listening comprehension than a lot of practice, so listen to as much Spanish as you can. Make sure that you listen to authentic audio sources that were produced for a Spanish-speaking audience. Do not shy away from audios that include a lot of visual and/or audio distractions, such as background noises and music. The more you become accustomed to listening to Spanish with distractions in the background, the better prepared you will be for this exam.

• Visualize As You Listen. If you can picture what the words say, you are more likely to remember them. If you practice with a video source, try listening to the video first with your eyes closed and see if you visualized correctly what you heard.

• Take Notes of Key Words. Practice taking notes of key words that will help you remember the main ideas of the listening passage. Avoid writing down whole sentences or phrases, because this will take a lot of time and it may cause you to not hear part of the audio.