A 3-Month Cambridge Exam Plan: When to Start Past Papers
Hiroki Obara · DeveloperAlphaGeorgeHow-To
Doing the B2 First (FCE) Reading and Use of English, Writing and Listening papers in a row takes 75, 80 and 40 minutes. That is 3 hours 15 minutes. If the exam is three months away, there are 12 weekends. That is not many chances to practise at full length.
The number of tests is limited too. The free sample tests on the official B2 First preparation page come to two paper sets and one digital set. Official practice test books are also sold in bookshops. This post treats both as the equivalent of past papers.
A three-month plan comes down to which test to use, and when. Here is one example of how to lay out 12 weeks, using B2 First. The idea works at other levels, and the timings and number of sets are on the preparation page for each exam.
First, Count the Hours
An hour a day for 12 weeks is 84 hours. Two hours a day is 168. Whether that covers the gap between your level and your target is worked out in How Many Hours Does It Take to Go Up One CEFR Level? The sample test in week 1 shows where you stand.
The 12 Weeks at a Glance
| When | What to do | Tests used |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Check registration, find out where you stand | One free sample test |
| Weeks 2 to 4 | Build up weak skills | None |
| Weeks 5 to 8 | Do each part under time limits | A practice book, split up |
| Weeks 9 to 11 | One full test a week, then review | Remaining tests and free samples |
| Week 12 | Add nothing new, prepare for the day | Review notes |
In this layout, past-paper practice happens once in week 1, starts again in week 5, and becomes full tests from week 9.
Week 1: Registration and the First Test
Start with the exam date and the registration deadline, which your exam centre sets.
Then do one free sample test against the clock. The answer keys can be downloaded from the preparation page, and Reading, Use of English and Listening can be marked at home.
The official conversion guide turns marks into Cambridge English Scale scores. For B2 First, it gives these numbers:
| Skill | Total marks | 140 (B1) | 160 (B2) | 180 (C1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 42 | 16 | 24 | 37 |
| Use of English | 28 | 11 | 18 | 24 |
| Writing | 40 | 16 | 24 | 34 |
| Listening | 30 | 12 | 18 | 27 |
The guide says the conversion applies only to official practice tests, and that it is a diagnostic tool for finding strengths and weaknesses, not a way to predict a precise exam score. It also recommends reviewing scores within three points of a boundary carefully (157 to 163 for B2), because scoring just above the line on a practice test may not be enough in the live exam. That puts the target a little above the 160 row, not exactly on it.
More on the scale is in What Is the Cambridge English Scale?
One way to read the result:
- Most skills reach the 160 row: The three months are for finishing.
- Between the 140 and 160 rows: The question is whether you can add daily time.
- Many skills below the 140 row: The options are a later exam date or the exam one level down.
Weeks 2 to 4: Three Weeks Without Practice Tests
This stretch leaves the practice tests alone on purpose. They would show the same weak points in numbers and use up a limited supply.
The B2 First Information for candidates booklet says this plainly: “Practice tests are useful but they are only one part of your preparation.” These weeks go to whichever skills were low in week 1, with vocabulary and grammar every day.
Writing starts now, at one piece a week. The preparation page also lists Write & Improve, a free writing practice tool, at writeandimprove.com. How to organise an essay is in B2 First (FCE) Writing.
Weeks 5 to 8: Split the Tests by Part
Now the practice book comes out. Instead of a whole test at once, split it by part and work through it in short weekday sessions. Suggested times per part are in B2 First Reading and Use of English Explained.
Review takes about as long as the questions did. Mistakes go in a notebook, sorted into three kinds:
- Didn’t know it: Learn the word or the grammar.
- Misread it: Go back to the text and find where it went wrong.
- Ran out of time: Note which part took too long.
Each kind calls for different work. The mark alone does not say what to do next.
For Speaking, time one minute, record it and listen back. Writing goes up to two pieces a week. Speaking practice is covered in The Cambridge English Speaking Test.
Keeping half of week 8 free leaves room to catch up.
Weeks 9 to 11: One Full Test a Week
Do the papers in exam order, for 3 hours 15 minutes straight. The candidate booklet also says to follow the time limits in practice tests, because the real exam gives limited time to complete the tasks and fill in the answer sheet.
Each of these three weeks needs one weekend slot. Putting them in the calendar the day you make the plan is one way to keep them. Review comes the next day, and the remaining weekdays go only to the weak parts the review turned up.
For the digital exam, make one of the three the free digital sample. The preparation page also has a video tutorial and an explanation of the minor differences between the sample and the live test.
Mark all three and put them next to the week 1 score. The skills that have not moved are where the remaining time goes.
Week 12: Add Nothing
The last week adds no new material. The last full test comes a few days before the exam at the latest. After that, read your review notes and check your feel for word counts and the one-minute speaking turn.
When You Fall Behind
One order for adjusting the plan:
1. Cut from weeks 2 to 4. Reduce the groundwork, not the number of full tests.
2. Keep at least two full tests. With only one, there is no way to check whether the review worked.
3. Do not catch up by doing more tests. Without review, the same mistakes stay.
4. A week 9 score below 160 does not make the exam pointless. On B2 First, an overall score of 140 to 159 is recognised at B1.
If You Have a Certificate Deadline, Start Earlier
If an application needs your result, count the time after the exam too. According to the B2 First results page, results take 5 to 10 working days for digital exams and normally 4 to 6 weeks for paper-based exams. Paper certificates usually reach the exam centre in 3 to 4 weeks for digital exams and 7 to 10 weeks for paper-based exams.
For a certificate from a paper-based exam, add up to 10 weeks to the 12-week plan. That means starting about five months before the deadline.
Where AlphaGeorge Fits
AlphaGeorge, which I make for iPhone and iPad, is an app for Cambridge English exam preparation. Its questions were written for the app and fit the time between practice tests.
In week 1, the Diagnostic Test of about five minutes gives a CEFR level, and the course can start from there.
In weeks 2 to 8, the unit lessons go day by day. Each unit has seven lessons, so the 10 B2 units make 70 lessons. At one a day, that is 10 weeks. From B2 up, there are word formation and Key Word Transformation questions, which match Use of English Parts 3 and 4.
On tight days in weeks 9 to 11, the daily five-question Warm-up and the Vocabulary drill are short enough to fit. The Mid-Course and End-Course Test reports at each level show your standing at each CEFR level.
AlphaGeorge is free to start, with ads and a limit of hearts. AlphaGeorge Premium, a monthly or yearly subscription, removes ads, makes hearts unlimited and lets you replay finished lessons. Keeping up daily practice is in AlphaGeorge Tips, and Getting Started with AlphaGeorge walks through the first session.
