Why Should You Take a CIOLQ Mock Exam?
The Single Best Thing You Can Do Before a CIOL Exam.
You've been studying. You've worked through the course materials, you've read the guidance, you've built your glossaries and practised your translations. You feel reasonably prepared - but there's a nagging question at the back of your mind: "Will I actually be able to do this on the day?"
That question is completely normal - and the most effective answer to it is a mock exam.
There's a well-established truth about exams: knowing the material is necessary but not sufficient. You also need to know what it feels like to sit down under timed conditions, face a real exam paper, and produce your best work with a clock running. That experience - and the ability to reflect on it properly before the real thing - is exactly what the CIOLQ Mock Exams from linguisttraining.com provide.
You work from actual CIOLQ past exam papers under timed conditions, then submit your work to a qualified LanguagePartner - a professional translator or Interpreter with knowledge of the CIOL marking criteria. They mark your work and provide comprehensive written feedback on what you did well, where you lost marks, and specifically what you need to work on before exam day.
This feedback is the real value. It's not just a grade - it's a diagnosis. Students consistently tell us that the mock exam process helped them understand what was actually being assessed, correct bad habits before they became exam failures, and develop the kind of time management and technique that only really comes from practice under realistic conditions.
"The mock exams and feedback were really invaluable and helped me understand what was required and how to approach things," said one student. Another described it as "a fantastic opportunity to have a taste of a real exam, in real conditions" and said it helped her identify specific weaknesses to work on. A third told us that practising sight translations with timing - something she hadn't thought carefully about before - made a tangible difference to her performance.
The process also builds confidence. Walking into an exam having already done a realistic practice run under pressure, received expert feedback, and acted on it is a very different experience from walking in cold. You know what to expect. You know where your strengths are. You know what to watch out for. That clarity is worth a great deal on exam day.
Mock exams are available for the CertTrans, DipTrans and DPSI. If you're preparing for any of these qualifications and you haven't yet done a mock, it's the most important investment you can make in the final stretch of your preparation.
Explore Mock Exams at linguisttraining.com/courses/mockexams
