HOW TO GET AN A
ON THE TEST
Test Structure:
The test consists of 3 major sections:
- Text for listening or reading comprehension
- Grammar exercises (verbs, syntax, prepositions,
etc.)
- Communication (questions and answers,
writing a dialogue or an essay, translations, etc.).
General Rules:
- It's better to study for shorter periods of
time (15-20 minutes) several times a day.
- Remember to practice verb conjugations and other
paradigms (like pronouns, adjectives, numbers). Use the online recordings.
- It's ALWAYS better (and more fun) to study with
a friend or in small groups. You can ask and answer questions, tell things to each
others, and monitor and correct each other.
- Do the review sheet for the unit.
Review sheets for each unit, inc. answers, are available online.
Reading and Listening Comprehension:
The first section on the test is a text for listening
or reading comprehension.
A text for reading comprehension is a text on
a topic that is related to what you have read in the unit. It includes
vocabulary and grammatical issues from the unit as well as unknown elements.
The text is followed by questions similar to the ones you have had in your
homework.
Texts for listening comprehension are easier, shorter,
and do not include as many unknown elements. The text is read to you twice, then
you answer questions in writing.
The best way to prepare for this section is to
go back to the texts in your book, and listen to all of them with and without
the written text.
Verbs:
Audio/visual recordings of the verbs of
Unit1,
Unit 2,
and Unit3
are available online. They are given in full conjugation plus translation.
For later units use the Verb Dictionary.
Practice your verbs; know:
- their meaning,
- the 4 forms of the present tense,
- the infinitive,
and later into the semester, also:
- the 10 past tense conjugations (and when to use which),
- the imperative and future tense conjugations, when applicable.
On the test, you are required to vocalize the verbs
(using nikkud)!
Go over the verb exercises in the book
and check where you have made mistakes, as you are likely to repeat the
same mistakes!
Vocabulary:
Even though knowledge of vocabulary alone is not
enough, there is very little you can do without words even if you understand the concepts.
Therefore it is extremely important that you know your vocabulary.
Index cards is a very effective way to learn and practice the new
vocabulary. Have a card for each word, with Hebrew on one side
and the English translation on the other. It's best to make the cards as
early as possible (when a new word is first introduced) and keep adding to your
stack as you go. The cards allow you to practice translation from Hebrew
to English (easier) and from English to Hebrew (more challenging).
Your cards may also include information like:
- the part of speech (whether the word is a noun,
verb, etc.),
- the gender of a noun,
- singular/plural forms,
- different verb conjugations.
Spelling:
To improve your spelling you can:
- Go over your homework and analyze your mistakes;
- Use the online texts for dictations: listen
to a sentence, write it down, then compare what you wrote with the original
text.
If you still mix certain letters ( 
) you want to take care of it now!
Translation:
We don't do a lot of translations in the course,
but when you prepare for a test, translation (especially into Hebrew)
is a very powerful tool.
Here is one very effective little exercise:
Pick one of the texts in the unit and translate it
into English. A few hours later, translate it back into Hebrew and compare your translation to the
original text.
Conjugations:
Go online to practice the
conjugations
of the following:
- Pronouns (
)
- Nouns with pronoun suffixes
(For example:
)
- Prepositions with pronoun suffixes
(For example:
)
- Verb conjugations.
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