Knowing the format lifts scores more than extra study hours. The order to prepare in.
English tests measure different abilities. Some weight reading and listening, some centre on speaking, some require academic writing, and each demands different preparation. Whether you need a score for employment or for a university application changes which test you should take, so checking the requirements of whoever receives it avoids wasted study.
Before starting, sit one paper under real conditions. Knowing the distance to your target and which sections cost you marks determines where your hours should go. Concentrating on the weak sections raises the total more than studying every section evenly.
Knowing the question types and how they are set raises the score at the same ability level. Deciding in advance how many of each type appear, what order suits you, and when to guess reduces the decisions you face in the room.
Losing marks on questions you could answer, simply for running out of time, is common. Sinking into one item and losing the whole final section is the classic failure. Work out the time available per question, and practise the habit of marking and moving on past that limit until it is automatic.
A high score does not mean speech flows, and speaking well does not automatically produce a score. The two overlap without being identical. If what you need now is the number, test-focused preparation is efficient; if the aim is actually using the language, separate practice is needed after the score.
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