How to prepare for NIE entrance exam (English)?

   

 I had never dreamed of becoming a public high school teacher. However, after working as a part-time English teacher at public and private universities for five years, I decided to pursue a teaching position at a public high school. To become a high school English teacher, I had to pass the entrance examination and attend a one-year training course at the National Institute of Education (NIE). After completing the training and a two-month practicum, I officially became a high school teacher in 2020. In this essay, I will share my experience of preparing for the entrance exam at NIE.

First, I closely followed announcements from the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports (MoEYS). I liked the MoEYS Facebook page and set notifications to ensure I would see announcements immediately. Additionally, I followed the Facebook pages of Teacher of Cambodia and former NIE trainees. These pages provided helpful information, including updates about the number of teachers being recruited and the positions available. I also reached out to former classmates who had completed their training at NIE, and they shared valuable insights about the examination.

                                                        credited too freepik.com

    Second, I gathered relevant documents from various sources. I started by reviewing materials from my Bachelor's degree (BA) program, including subjects like language proficiency, applied linguistics, teaching methodology, and academic writing. Next, I visited bookstores in Bak Tuk to purchase guides on preparing for the NIE exam. I also searched online on Google and Facebook, finding many past exam papers for both English and general knowledge. Since I was busy with my job at the time, I decided to focus on reviewing these old exams and the documents I had found online.

    Third, I selected and categorized the most relevant documents and printed them out, organizing them from the most recent to the oldest. I had limited free time because I was working at three universities simultaneously, so I allocated my time accordingly: 20% for studying general knowledge, 30% for practicing past exams, and 50% for spending time with my family. I had a two-year-old daughter, and it was important for me to dedicate time to her.  

   Finally, I focused on self-study, particularly on general knowledge and English. I noticed that the general knowledge questions were often taken from previous exams. Luckily, I had reviewed these past papers several times before taking the test, so I was able to answer the questions confidently and finished the exam an hour early. However, I was not allowed to leave the room until the exam time was up. The English portion of the exam was relatively easy for me since I had been teaching English for five years. The English test included sections on vocabulary, grammar, reading, and writing. The vocabulary section consisted of key terms, many of which I was familiar with due to my Master's degree (MA) studies at the Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL). The grammar section, like the general knowledge test, was based on past exams.

    In conclusion, passing the entrance exam at NIE was not a difficult task for me. Although my high school was only supposed to recruit one English teacher, two of us were selected. We completed our training at NIE in September 2020 and are now teaching English at the same school. However, applying to schools in the city can be very competitive.

Updated: In 2023, MoEYS has already transformed a bachelor + 1 program to a bachelor + 2 program.  I believe that the exams will be different from previous ones, so future candidates should prepare even harder for the entrance exam. Good luck!  

Link to download document for exam preparation

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