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Anyone wrote TEPS materials?

 
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Hatcher



Joined: 05 Jan 2007

PostPosted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 5:42 pm    Post subject: Anyone wrote TEPS materials? Reply with quote

A publisher asked me to write a bunch of stuff and wanted to collect some ideas about what makes the materials solid and educational.
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fustiancorduroy



Joined: 12 Jan 2007

PostPosted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 11:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, I've written TEPS tests. What is it exactly that you want to know?
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Hatcher



Joined: 05 Jan 2007

PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 3:13 am    Post subject: is it that simple? Reply with quote

Well, I am worried I will write a bunch of materials and he will suggest I am missing something. I have a book and was wondering if there is any strategy or secrets to the tests? Did u have your work rejected for any reason?
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fustiancorduroy



Joined: 12 Jan 2007

PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 6:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you want to make good TEPS material, I suggest you do the following:

- Buy at least one of the Hackers TEPS books. All the question types will be covered, but, of course, all the explanations will be in Korean. It will be a good chance for you to practice your Korean and your TEPS writing skills! Smile
- Buy the new Darakwon TEPS books. There are two practice books, with one designed for students trying to get a 650 on the test, the other for students who want to score in the 850 range.
- Try to get a few copies of a publication called 월건TEPS. Go to a big bookstore, look in the 텝스 시험 section, and ask for it specifically ("월건텝스 잡지 있어요?").

If you REALLY want to ensure that your TEPS materials are accurate, have the publisher sign you up to take the actual TEPS bright and early on the soonest possible Sunday morning. While you are taking the test you can either: surreptitiously copy down some of the questions on your desk to write down in your notebook after the proctor has left the room, or make an earnest effort to take the test.

The TEPS is a bit tricky to write for because it was designed specifically with Koreans in mind. One point that illustrates this is the fact that native speakers who take the test often fail to score in the "Native-speaker" range of the test (which is 900 points and above). After working on materials for about a month, I went in and took the test and got about a 970 (the perfect score is 990, but it is, apparently, impossible to get much higher than a 975 or so).


Good luck with your writing.
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Hamlet



Joined: 18 Mar 2008

PostPosted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 12:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've been writing test preparation books for several years. One thing I've learned is that it is much more difficult than it looks. It looks like just a bunch of silly dialogs, but each one is quite specific in regards to what it is testing and how it is testing it. You need to study and understand each question type in order to duplicate their style.

Once you do that, you're golden, but don't expect to just sit down and write a bunch of good passages before a lot of studying has taken place. On the up side, if this publishing company is hiring you, with no experience or writing samples, just because you are a native speaker then they probably don't have a clue what they are doing either, so you may be able to get just about anything accepted.

Good luck!
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fustiancorduroy



Joined: 12 Jan 2007

PostPosted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 2:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hamlet wrote:
I've been writing test preparation books for several years. One thing I've learned is that it is much more difficult than it looks. It looks like just a bunch of silly dialogs, but each one is quite specific in regards to what it is testing and how it is testing it. You need to study and understand each question type in order to duplicate their style.

Once you do that, you're golden, but don't expect to just sit down and write a bunch of good passages before a lot of studying has taken place. On the up side, if this publishing company is hiring you, with no experience or writing samples, just because you are a native speaker then they probably don't have a clue what they are doing either, so you may be able to get just about anything accepted.

Good luck!


Indeed. This is why I suggested getting those TEPS books and actually taking the TEPS. Brushing up on your grammar wouldn't hurt, either. In order to write TEPS questions properly, you will have to really have to understand the thought process the test makers have behind each question. And of course, strong writing and test-taking skills are essential, too.

Hope your writing goes well.
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