“Am I Ready for the Exam?” | Nora Favorov
I wanted to respond to the Certification Forum column in the March/April issue, entitled “Am I Ready for the Exam?”
I agree wholeheartedly with Nora Favorov’s recommendation to take advantage of the practice test prior to taking ATA’s certification exam. I took practice tests in both my language pairs and benefited immensely from the experience of translating passages of that particular length and register within a time limit that simulated the actual exam conditions.
The passages on the practice test are actual exam passages (retired), so there really is no better preparation. I also received invaluable feedback from the graders and got a better sense of how the grading criteria are applied. When I saw the passages on my real exam, I was confident that I would be able to translate them well in the time allotted. So, for me, the practice tests were essential preparation—right up there with exam-day earplugs and (moderate) caffeine!
Rachael Koev | Virginia Beach, Virginia