Admission test to a Bergenstest course online

As promised from my previous post, I am doing a separate entry on the recent admission test I did to get a slot in an online course in preparation of taking the Bergenstest.

I have to let you know first though that there are other available internet-based courses. The examples I will be showing are sourced from the admission test of Rosenhof. So if you have questions whether these are actual tests in the Bergenstest, I cannot 100% say.

So about the course! The course is made for academics who wish to improve on the written part of the Test in Norwegian- higher level. This test is aimed for persons aiming to apply at a university or college in Norway and for employees needing a certification on the Norwegian language proficiency. To take the course, it is a prerequisite that the applicant has already a knowledge in Norwegian language to a level equivalent to passing a language test or more.

The test will evaluate whether you understand the basics in Norwegian grammar, as well as testing if you have a wide vocabulary. The maximum points you can earn is 100. A score of 80-100 is a very good result and it means that the course will be useful for you as intended. Scoring 70- 80 is also a good result. You will learn a lot from the course. A score of 60- 70 means that you have the potential but you may or may not need to take a lower level Norwegian course. You have to send in an essay if you wish to be evaluated to be admitted to the course. And lastly, for a score under 60, it is recommended that you take another course.

The test is divided into 5 parts. You can only take the test once and after sending in your answers, it will be registered. Taking time and thinking it through is a good strategy here. And one more thing, without me stating the obvious: No asking for help or using a dictionary for this. The results will not reflect the actual level your Norwegian is, i.e., you are only fooling yourself.

Part one is reading comprehension. Here you will choose the right word that completes the sentence/ thought of the sentence. One strategy I applied here was reading the whole article first and got a sense of what the article is all about.   There are 3 choices on each drop box.

Part one: Reading comprehension

Part two will test your vocabulary. I found this part quite easy. When I started learning Norwegian, I always had a dictionary in my pocket and I always look up the words I don´t understand. Or if I don´t have a dictionary at hand, I write it down and then look it up later. Though I don´t have a very ginormous vocabulary- by doing that, I was able to increase it slowly. I still encounter some words and expressions even after 6 years living here, but I never fail to find out what they mean.

Part two: vocabulary

Part three is grammar, word and expressions. You are ask here to write down the lacking phrase so that sentence A and B means the same. This is where you learn paraphrasing, which is a very useful too in learning Norwegian grammar. 

Part three: Grammar

Part four is listening exercises. Recorded conversations is played continuously and only once. At the end of each conversation you have around 15 seconds to choose the right answer. There are four alternatives to choose from so you really have to listen very well because the choices can be tricky. 

Part four: listening exercises

Part five is fill in the blanks. Another one to test your knowledge in grammar and reading comprehension. Again, it is wise to read first the entire text before diving in.

Part five: Fill in the blanks

Now did I say five parts? Well If you fall into the 60-70 score range then you will have to write an essay if you wish to be evaluated to take the course. A confession: I didn´t read the whole introduction of the test so even though I already passed the 70% passing line, I still did an essay. Haha Eager beaver alert! So yeah, the last part is the essay. For the essay, I was asked to write about the new role of fathers in the Norwegian society. It is normal for Norwegian men to take part in caring of babies/children, which is I think  a good thing and something all men should be doing all around the globe. :)

Part six: Essay

So there you have it. I hope this gives a bit of insight to those who are planning to take the test. I will be doing more Bergenstest related entries to keep you updated. So stay tuned!