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Getting a student visa for the US can be a long and stressful process, and one of the final hurdles is the visa interview.
Conducted in English, it’s one of the parts of the US visa application process that causes international students the most stress.
We’ll briefly recap the US student visa types and application process before sharing top tips on how to prepare and build your speaking confidence for a stress-free interview experience.
To enter the US to study, you’ll need an F-1 or M-1 visa.
F-1 visas are intended for international students looking to study at colleges or universities. This visa category also covers other academic institutions, such as language schools.
M-1 visas are for vocational studies, such as culinary school, trade school programs, and healthcare technician courses.
If you’re not sure what type of visa you need and want to understand more about the different criteria, there’s an official US Visas website with a useful Visa Wizard tool to point you in the right direction.
To study in the US, you’ll need to apply for and be accepted on a course at a Student Exchange and Visitor Program (SEVP) approved school before starting the visa process.
Once accepted, you’ll receive Form I-20 and need to pay the SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) fee.
There’s another round of forms and fees (DS-160 and the visa application fee), before it’s time to schedule that all-important visa interview at the US embassy or consulate in your home country.
On interview day, you’ll need to bring documents, such as your passport, academic transcripts, and travel history, as well as details of your intended travel to the US.
You’ll have an interview with a consulate officer and your visa will either be approved or may require further “administrative processing”.
The visa application process does vary depending on the local embassy or consulate, so check your local branch’s process on their website.
Most applicants aged 13-80 must attend an in-person visa interview at a US consulate or embassy.
The interviewer is looking to understand your qualifications, study plans, and ability to support yourself during your time in the US.
They also want to make sure that anyone applying for a student visa intends to return to their home country after completing their studies.
You can find more information on what questions to expect at a US student visa interview on the International Student website.
A high-stakes English interview can be daunting, often making it tough to speak as confidently as you normally would when you’re in the classroom or chatting with friends. Here are four ways to build your speaking confidence ahead of a US visa interview.
Knowing the purpose of the interview makes it easier to anticipate the types of questions you’ll be asked. Make a list of anticipated topic areas and spend some time crafting concise answers. Once you’ve written your responses, it’s time to speak up! Practice saying the answers aloud every couple of days so that they feel familiar on the day. You don’t have to memorize the responses, but by planning out roughly what you’d like to say, you’re removing that extra pressure of thinking on the spot.
Confident speaking starts with great listening. The run-up to your visa interview is the perfect time to revisit that US sitcom you love or to start listening to an audiobook in English on your daily walk. You could even try repeating back new phrases or idioms that you hear to build your vocabulary and practice your pronunciation. If you’re listening to English shows, podcasts, and even following English social media accounts on a regular basis, then being faced with questions in English will feel less new and different on the day.
One of the most effective ways to brush up on your speaking skills is to find a language exchange partner. This could be a language swap, where you find someone who speaks English as their first language and who is learning your language, or conversation clubs where everyone is working on learning English. If you can’t find a local tandem partner, take a look at online communities, such as MeetUp, InterNations, or even Facebook, to find someone you can practice with online.
If you can’t find a language tandem partner or are short on time, several language learning apps now include speech recognition — a technology first introduced by Mondly by Pearson.
This technology allows you to practice pronunciation and conversation without the pressure of another human waiting on or judging your responses.
In Mondly, for example, the app offers over 500 minutes of conversation practice with Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) options to allow you to practice conversations in realistic scenarios.
With less pressure and instant feedback, virtual conversations using speech recognition can be a great way to build your confidence ahead of real-life challenges like visa interviews.
It’s natural to feel the pressure with interviews — especially when your dreams of studying in the US hang in the balance.
Remember, interviewers aren’t looking for flawless language skills, just that your English is at a high enough level to fully participate in your course and enjoy life in the US.
By thinking through the likely topics and actively finding more opportunities to practice speaking English, you’ll be able to head into your visa interview with confidence.
PTE Academic is completed on a computer, including the speaking part of the test.
So make sure you are prepared by familiarizing yourself with the equipment you will use during your test. Reading these test tips and you will be fully prepared.
There are many ways you can improve your chances of gaining points in Part 2: Reading during PTE Academic.
To improve your reading skills, practice increasing your reading speed and comprehension at the same time. In turn, you will improve your writing, grammar and vocabulary skills.
To do well in this part of the test, you need to be able to read quickly, using effective reading strategies, as there is a limited time to answer all questions.
Speed reading tasks will help improve your reading speed. Practice speed reading every day and:
Aim to be reading at least 220 words per minute
Reading short articles of around 300 words
Read often for short periods of time
You can also try this as a challenge with your friends to help keep motivated. Once you are happy with your comprehension and speed, focus on chunks (groups of words) rather than individual words.
When your reading skills reach a level you are happy with, you will feel more confident to answer the questions.
In the Multiple-Choice, Single Answer question type, some test takers make the mistake of scan reading and matching the words in the text to the words in the answer. Generally, the words in the text are not used in the correct answer, therefore it is important to learn how to use synonyms and paraphrasing as it will be used in the test.
Learn how to improve your grammar in our Reading: Core Skills part 1 article.
In this question type, you will need more time than in the Multiple-Choice, Choose Single Answer question type, as you need to intensively read the stem (the part before the options) as well as the options, then scan read the text on the screen until you find the part of the text that contains information that was in the stem.
Read the options very carefully and match the meaning of the option with the text. Do not match the words – this is something test takers may make errors with.
You should also make sure not to choose all the options since you lose one point for each incorrect choice. However, you cannot score below zero.
To do well in the Re-order Paragraphs questions, you will need to have a strong understanding of cohesive devices and how they work. You will also need to understand how articles work, as well as the logical and chronological order of information.
In this question type, skim-read the text to get the ideas of the topic of the text. From there, you should read all the sentences carefully.
For both Fill in the Blanks and Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks question types, you will need to understand a range of vocabulary, collocations, grammar, pronouns, and cohesive devices, as well as being able to identify when plural nouns are needed.
You will also need to be able to skim read to get an idea of the meaning of the text, then read intensively before and after each blank. If unsure, you should guess based on the context.
Make sure you do not leave any spaces blank. You do not need to correctly fill in all spaces to get points.
To go back and review the question types within the reading test, we suggest learning more about the reading questions.
Explore Smart Prep, which combines all our practice materials in one place, so it's easier for you to stay on track with your PTE preparation.
Smart Prep is a clear path to test day, guiding you through the official paid and free resources available for your test
It can be accessed whether you’ve booked a test or not – just create, or sign in to your myPTE account
Preparation materials include guided practice tests, introductory videos, video courses and test tips.
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Do you have your heart set on studying in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland? The UK is a wonderful place to live and learn, but you’ll most likely need to get a UK study visa before you start packing your bags.
This comprehensive guide covers who needs a UK student visa, the requirements for getting one, how to apply, how much it costs, and how long it takes.
If you’re an international student hoping to study in the UK, you’ll most likely need a student visa. The only exceptions are nationals of Switzerland and countries in the European Economic Area (EEA), who don’t need a visa to enter the UK. *
* Please note: The outcome of Brexit may alter this after 2020. Check the UK government’s website for up-to-date information about this.
There are several UK study visa requirements you’ll need to meet to successfully apply. These include:
You’ve been offered a place in a full-time course from an eligible university (i.e. the school must be a licensed Student route visa*Tier 4 sponsors)
You can understand English (both written and spoken)
You have enough funds to support yourself and any dependants, while also paying for the course.
These requirements apply to students from all over the world. This means the UK student visa requirements for Indian students and American students are exactly the same for Chinese students and Australian students (and so on).
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