Advice for TISUS

The topics for this year’s TISUS oral exam are out. (For those of you who do not know, TISUS is an exam in Swedish for anyone who wishes to apply to a Swedish university. In my opinion, TISUS is unnecessarily difficult.)

This year’s examinees will discuss either Environment and Climate, or Diversity and Integration.

Learn

- Read as much as possible about the topics in newspapers articles and online. Read only in Swedish, this way you will pick up a lot of necessary vocabulary.

- Watch news and documentaries on the topics on SVTPlay. Debates are particularly interesting, as you also get an idea of how ideas are presented in discourse.

- Organise your reading. Identify sub-topics. Make notes.

- Write down words, phrases and terminology that you find relevant.

Practice

- Make flashcards with words and phrases. Sit down with a Swedish friend, and make examples together.

- Practice reasoning about the topics. Talk about pros and cons. Evaluate causes an consequences.

- Write down and practice phrases to interact with the other examinees.

Strategy

- Practice not only talking about the topics in question, but also how to link arguments together.

- You are not supposed to express strong opinions during the exam. Ask a friend to help you to discover different aspects and perspectives on your topics.

- You will be discussing the topics in a group of three, for twenty minutes. Prepare how to interact within the group. You are supposed not only to make sure you get the chance to speak, but you are also responsible for everyone in the group having the opportunity to interact.

- Imagine different scenarios. What happens if you run out of inspiration during the exam? What will you do if the other examinees do not give you the chance to talk?

Good Luck!

/Sofi