Oxford MLAT Test Preparation

Original post by LordFishlock

Are practice papers released for MLAT, or is it only the specimen paper? And does anyone know if word order is important in the LAT, say if you were translating from english to the made up language? Does it matter what order you put your answer in?

Word order will depend on the language they give you. It might be a heavily inflected language where declensions are used to denote the function of particular nouns instead of word order. In the specimen LAT I think they specify whether word order is important? I'm not sure if they'll always specify but in any case it should be quickly apparent from the example sentences.

As for the MLAT the best prep is just to practise irregular conjugations and other little tricky bits of grammar. Unfortunately there aren't any more practice papers.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 62

Hi guys, I am sitting the MLAT in November for Oxford, to do Spanish and Russian ab initio, meaning I have to to the Spanish language test and the LAT section. Are there, apart from the specimen paper, any other past papers available online? I can't seem to find any at all! Thank you guys!

Reply 63

username1221364

5

Original post by LordFishlock

Hi guys, I am sitting the MLAT in November for Oxford, to do Spanish and Russian ab initio, meaning I have to to the Spanish language test and the LAT section. Are there, apart from the specimen paper, any other past papers available online? I can't seem to find any at all! Thank you guys!

If you scroll down, there is a file of specimen papers from two years ago.

http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/applying_to_oxford/tests/

Reply 64

Original post by Coffeetime

If you scroll down, there is a file of specimen papers from two years ago.

http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/applying_to_oxford/tests/

Yeah I know, but I meant any others apart from that. Do you know if there are any websites that have worksheets that are in any way similar to the MLAT/LAT? Just struggling to find some realistic material. Thanks.

Reply 65

Original post by qwertyuiop1993

Word order will depend on the language they give you. It might be a heavily inflected language where declensions are used to denote the function of particular nouns instead of word order. In the specimen LAT I think they specify whether word order is important? I'm not sure if they'll always specify but in any case it should be quickly apparent from the example sentences.

As for the MLAT the best prep is just to practise irregular conjugations and other little tricky bits of grammar. Unfortunately there aren't any more practice papers.

Do you know if there are any websites that have worksheets that are in any way similar to the MLAT/LAT? Just struggling to find some realistic material.

Reply 66

Original post by LordFishlock

Do you know if there are any websites that have worksheets that are in any way similar to the MLAT/LAT? Just struggling to find some realistic material.

I'm not sure how difficult these problems are, but at a glance they seem to be asking similar things:

http://www.uklo.org/example-questions

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 67

bíborcsiga

4

Original post by LordFishlock

Do you know if there are any websites that have worksheets that are in any way similar to the MLAT/LAT? Just struggling to find some realistic material.

For the LAT:
http://lingclub.mycpanel.princeton.edu/challenge/puzzles.php
http://www.dow.cam.ac.uk/documents/ta/Applications/Linguistics_test.pdf

Reply 68

UltimatePanda

Hey just wondering who has completed the MLAT for either Italian or Linguistics? I found the Linguistics part quite difficult... Anyone want to compare answers? :P

Reply 69

Kat Wood

Has anyone completed the Linguistics part of the specimen MLAT on the Oxford website with ease?! I have tried but am struggling, so wouldn't be able to compare answers but would love to have a look at someone else's!

:smile:

Reply 70

BeautifulPotato

9

GUYSGUYSGUYSGUYS...

My German teacher has missed like 60% of our classes this year because she's buying property in London...and she said she'd help me for the MLAT but she hasn't and next week is half term...So today I said to her "I've found a specimen paper online for the MLAT - what sort of mark should I be aiming for in this thing?" And she said, "Definitely 100%. I doubt they'd give an offer to you if it was less than full or almost full marks because you're supposed to know German." Is she fo' reaal?? I can only manage about 75% in half an hour!! FFS. HELP.

Reply 71

Original post by BeautifulPotato

GUYSGUYSGUYSGUYS...

My German teacher has missed like 60% of our classes this year because she's buying property in London...and she said she'd help me for the MLAT but she hasn't and next week is half term...So today I said to her "I've found a specimen paper online for the MLAT - what sort of mark should I be aiming for in this thing?" And she said, "Definitely 100%. I doubt they'd give an offer to you if it was less than full or almost full marks because you're supposed to know German." Is she fo' reaal?? I can only manage about 75% in half an hour!! FFS. HELP.

Of course she's not for real, and to manage 75% providing you get it all right is quite an achievement.

Reply 72

BeautifulPotato

9

Original post by LordFishlock

Of course she's not for real, and to manage 75% providing you get it all right is quite an achievement.

Is it?? 75% is OK?? YAY! Thank you, sir....thing is...I don't think she was being sarcastic?? She's a little odd like that...

Reply 73

Does anyone have any advice for Spanish, or perhaps all languages, in terms of learning specific areas of vocabulary? For example, verbs that regularly come up, or topics that are usually on the test, if that makes sense? Just had a look at some of the vocab for the specimen tests and sometimes it just seems like if you don't know the word, it can be fairly difficult. Furthermore, I don't really know how to mark myself when I get perhaps half or most of the translation right? Is it quite exact, like if you make two mistakes you lose two marks? Just don't really know what mark to give myself when I get all but two words wrong, or syntax in a little bit of a twist.

Reply 74

Kat Wood

Original post by BeautifulPotato

GUYSGUYSGUYSGUYS...

My German teacher has missed like 60% of our classes this year because she's buying property in London...and she said she'd help me for the MLAT but she hasn't and next week is half term...So today I said to her "I've found a specimen paper online for the MLAT - what sort of mark should I be aiming for in this thing?" And she said, "Definitely 100%. I doubt they'd give an offer to you if it was less than full or almost full marks because you're supposed to know German." Is she fo' reaal?? I can only manage about 75% in half an hour!! FFS. HELP.

How do you know you got 75%? where have you found answers?

Reply 75

BeautifulPotato

9

Original post by Kat Wood

How do you know you got 75%? where have you found answers?

She sat down with me and went through it and according to her mark scheme...75%...so far not found anything official D: Would mark scheme qualify as FOI request? I think so.

Reply 76

Original post by BeautifulPotato

She sat down with me and went through it and according to her mark scheme...75%...so far not found anything official D: Would mark scheme qualify as FOI request? I think so.

For French the average score for successful applicants is around 75% so I wouldn't worry at all! Oxford wants competent linguists but also critical literary minds - not getting 100% on the MLAT will certainly not hurt your chances much.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 77

hrsharp

Original post by LordFishlock

Hi guys, I am sitting the MLAT in November for Oxford, to do Spanish and Russian ab initio, meaning I have to to the Spanish language test and the LAT section. Are there, apart from the specimen paper, any other past papers available online? I can't seem to find any at all! Thank you guys!

They only release one past paper.. :frown:

I'm doing the MLAT for both French and Spanish and the thing I've found most helpful is going through all tenses, the subjunctive mood,por and para, that sort of thing http://www.trinity.edu/mstroud/grammar/ this site has exercises for most of the things you have to cover but its pretty dull :frown:

http://www.rhul.ac.uk/classics/cucd/test.html this is a language aptitude test..it's from 1995 so it's a bit outdated but at least it'll give you some practice...Ill post on here if I find any other resources...buen suerte :biggrin:

Reply 78

usernameyep

1

Hello,

I'm applying for English and Spanish and just have a couple of questions about the MLAT

For the translation questions, from Spanish to English and vice versa, if I don't know what one of the words means, or I don't know the accurate translation for it, is it best to leave an obvious blank where I didn't know the answer, or to have a guess (even if I know it is completely wrong). Because these are out of about 6 marks, would leaving a blank just deduct one mark?

Or for example, if I don't know the word for 'report' could I just substitute it for a word I do know like 'file' etc. or would they just think that I was a complete idiot who thinks file means report

I think I'm just fretting, but for my peace of mind!

thank you

Reply 79