Malaysian University English Test

There are four components in Malaysian University English Test (MUET).

Listening Test
Paper 1 (800/1)
Listen to three recorded texts and answer 15 multiple-choice questions (MCQ).
Weightage: 15%
Duration: half an hour
Read MUET listening tips.

Speaking Test
Paper 2 (800/2)
2 minutes for individual presentation and 10 minutes for group discussion.
Weightage: 15%
Duration: half an hour
Read MUET speaking tips.

Reading Test
Paper 3 (800/3)
50
questions based on different types of passages including cloze passage,
information transfer, interpretation of diagrams, tables and graphs and
comprehension passage.
Weightage: 45%
Duration: two hours
Read MUET reading tips.

Writing Test
Paper 4 (800/4)
One summary writing and one composition.
Weightage: 25%
Duration: one and a half hour
Read MUET writing tips.

MUET Band Description

Band 6 – Very good user (Aggregated Score: 260 – 300)
Very good command of the language. Highly expressive, fluent, accurate and appropriate language: hardly any inaccuracies. Very good understanding of language and contexts. Functions extremely well in the language.

Band 5 – Good user (Aggregated Score: 220 – 259)
Good command of the language. Expressive, fluent, accurate and appropriate language but with minor inaccuracies. Good understanding of language and contexts. Functions well in the language.

Band 4 – Competent user (Aggregated Score: 180 – 219)
Satisfactory command of the language. Satisfactory expressive and fluent, appropriate language but with occasional inaccuracies. Satisfactory understanding of language and contexts. Functions satisfactorily in the language.

Band 3 – Modest user (Aggregated Score: 140 – 179)
Modest command of the language. Modestly expressive and fluent, appropriate language but with noticeable inaccuracies. Modest understanding of language and contexts. Able to function modestly in the language.

Band 2 – Limited user (Aggregated Score: 100 – 139)
Limited command of the language. Lacks expressiveness, fluency and appropriacy: inaccurate use of the language resulting in breakdown in communication. Limited understanding of language and contexts. Limited ability to function in the language.

Band 1 – Extremely limited user (Below 100)
Poor command of the language. Unable to use language to express ideas: inaccurate use of the language resulting in frequent breakdowns in communication. Little or poor understanding of language and contexts. Hardly able to function in the language.

MUET Listening (Paper 800/1) Tips

How to improve your listening skills?

Listen to wide range of audio materials
Since the recorded texts in MUET may include dialogues, radio talk shows, etc, the more types of audio materials you have listened, the more prepared you are.

Listen to television news broadcasts
News broadcasts are very informative and up-to-date. Try to watch and listen to news broadcasts daily at regular time, this way you will be addicted to news broadcasts.

Listen to conversation in the movies
When watching movies, sitcoms or dramas, instead of reading the subtitles, you should listen to the conversation between the actors. If English is not your mother tongue, you may find it quite hard to start. Try to train yourself not to read the subtitles but listen carefully to what the actors are talking about in the movies.

Listen to radio talk shows
This is another effective way to boost your listening skill. Tune in to your favourite radio station and enjoy the talk shows.

Listen to podcasts available on the Internet
Similar to blog (weblog), podcast is something very new in the Web 2.0, even dictionaries haven’t coin these words. Download some podcasts on your preferred topics and enjoy them while upgrading your listening skill.

MUET Speaking (Paper 800/2) Tips


How to improve your English speaking skills?

Speak in English at every opportunity
Speak in English with your teachers and friends at school and speak in English with your parents and siblings at home. Grab any opportunity you have to speak in English.

Most Chinese native speakers are ashamed to speak in English because they think they cannot speak fluently compared to those English native speakers. In fact, the earlier you start to speak in English, the more fluent you can speak.

Think in English
You might be surprised that thinking in English actually helps you in speaking in English. Try to think or think aloud in English. It helps since you do not have to worry about the spelling error.

Again, thinking in English for non-English native speakers is sometimes very hard at the beginning. However, once you have started for a few days or weeks, you will get used to think in English.

Practice makes perfect. By following these effective tips, you should be able to speak in English confidently in your Malaysian University English Test (MUET).

MUET Speaking Rundown


# There are two sessions each day for Malaysian University English Test (MUET) speaking. The first session will commence at 7.30 am while the second session at 11.00 am.

# All the candidates in the same session will be quarantined in a class or library since the question is the same for a particular session to avoid question leak.

# While some are waiting in the quarantine room, other students in a group of four will be called group by group to a room to be tested.

# The students will go the room and sit on the seats according to their index numbers. For instance, candidate with the index number 001 will sit on the Candidate A’s seat while candidate with the index number 002 will sit on the Candidate B’s seat and so on.

# All the candidates will be given a question paper, a piece of paper and a pencil each. Candidates are allowed to write on the blank piece of paper using the pencil provided. Writing on the question papers is prohibited since the question papers will be used for other groups in the same session.

# One of the two examiners will ask the candidates to read the question in one minute.

“You are now given one minute to read your questions.”

# The examiner will ask the candidates whether they have any words which they do not understand its meaning.

“Any question?”

# All candidates will be given two minutes to prepare their points for individual presentation.

“You are now given two minutes to prepare your points for individual presentation.”

# After two minutes, every candidate will be given two minutes to present their points individually starting from Candidate A.

# While a candidate is presenting his or her individual speaking, other candidates should jot the points down to prepare for group discussion.

# After all the candidates have finished individual presentation (task A), the examiner will ask the candidates to prepare the group discussion (task B) in two minutes.

“You are now given two minutes to prepare your group discussion.”

Candidates should read the points jotted down just now and decide whether to argue over them or to add additional points on top of them.

# After two minutes, the candidates will be given ten minutes for group discussion.

“You are now given ten minutes for group discussion. Anyone may lead the discussion.”

# The candidates will discuss which point is the best solution to a particular problem (depending on the question) in a polite and constructive discussion. At the end of the discussion, one candidate will take the initiative to end the discussion by stating a conclusion.

# Candidates thank the examiners and leave the room

MUET Reading (Paper 800/3) Tips


How to improve your English reading skills?

Make Reading your Habit
Reading for many people is fun and enjoyable. You can improve your English reading skills by reading as much as possible. Reading articles on topics of your interest is always an enjoyable and pleasure experience. To make reading your habit, you may begin by reading shorter texts and after a week progress to the longer texts. Train yourself to read daily.

Read a Variety of Materials
Newspapers, magazines, novels, encyclopaedia, etc are some typical reading materials to start with. In addition, reading English ebooks and weblogs or blogs helps too. Magazines such as Readers’ Digest are suitable for your general knowledge, English grammar and vocabulary. A recommended blog for Malaysian students is Malaysia Students blog.

Read Articles form Different Disciplines
Do not limit your reading materials to your favourite topics. Instead, you should read articles and scholarly journals from various disciplines. For instance, health, technology, education, science, environment, you name it.

Learn Skimming and Scanning Skills
Skimming is a skill to read something quickly to find the main facts or ideas in it while scanning is to read something word by word quickly for a better understanding of the text. Skimming and scanning skills come in handy in your MUET reading test since you have to answer 50 multiple-choice questions (MCQ) based on several texts given.

MUET Writing (Paper 800/4) Tips


How to improve your English essay writing skills?

Write Grammatically Correct Essay
The English grammar level presented in the essay decides whether it is a well-written or low-graded essay. A grammatically incorrect essay distracts the readers’ attention from the content written by the writer. So, you should read the Important English Grammar Notes for Essay Writing posted on this blog previously. In addition to that, you should always avoid doing minor errors like first-draft slips and gross errors like tense and subject-verb agreement.

Use Thesaurus to Increase Vocabulary
Thesaurus comes in handy to increase your vocabulary. You should try to replace the general words with the more specific ones. For instance, replace the word ‘important’ with the word ‘vital’ when you want to say something that is very important and necessary, and if not done correctly there could be serious problems. Besides that, you are suggested to reference the thesaurus to expand your vocabulary. Try to replace some adjectives with others which are similar in meaning like replacing the word ‘boring’ with ‘mundane’ or ‘tedious’. However, using bombastic words in your writing with the only purpose is to impress the examiners in order to score well is not recommended.

Write Journal or Blog in English
Since MUET Writing Test tests your English writing skills, you should be able to write your essay in English. So, writing journal or diary or blogging in English can brush up your English writing skills. Try to write in grammatically correct sentences instead of using broken or casual English in your journal or blog. You should also train yourself to plan or outline and organize your essay before writing it. Writing spontaneously may keep the flow but the essay written may be a mess. So, it is a good habit to organize your essay before it is written.

Read Well-written Essays or Articles
Last but not least, read a variety of materials to improve your general knowledge. Reading the well-written essays or articles may inspire you to write better by learning the writing styles. Reading newspaper and magazine is the recommended way to brush up your writing skills.