Many people need to take the Cambridge exam for study or work but are daunted by the difficulty of the exam.
True, it's tough, but not impossible.
The Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English is one of the most well-known English language certificates, recognized by many universities and institutions. Having it can be useful and in some cases even essential, for example if you want to enroll in a foreign university.
The CAE exam is quite demanding: I've seen many people fail it even after they've lived in an English-speaking country for many months.
It's difficult because it requires an advanced level of language, is long and stressful, has a complex structure, deadlines and strict rules that allow for no exceptions.
The first step to passing the CAE exam is to be honest with yourself and objectively assess your English level (or have yourself assessed).
You should remember that the Cambridge CAE is an advanced-level exam, and it's quite difficult.
Keep in mind that there's only one exam higher than the CAE, the CPE, which certifies a near-native level of English.
You won't achieve an advanced level of English with a month-long course if your starting level is just above intermediate.
It requires a lot of studying, so I recommend registering for the exam only when your starting level is already very high so, at this point, you can focus on the exam dynamics, familiarize yourself with its structure, and learn to stick to the time limits.
I've seen too many people fail because they underestimated the exam or overestimated their English level, so trust me that if you don't start with a solid foundation, you better postpone the exam.
Courses are generally very expensive and, in my opinion, aren't always worth the money.
Personally, I recommend an exam preparation course only to people who have difficulty studying on their own, managing their time and sticking to a regular study schedule.
If, however, you're motivated and very disciplined, you can save the cost of the course.
A middle ground is a couple of private lessons with a good teacher, with whom you can engage in conversation and ask them to correct your writing exercises.
For the same amount of money as a course, or less, you'll receive much more thorough support and I have chosen this latter option.
The worst enemy of a student preparing for a Cambridge English exam is the bilingual dictionary, good only for lazy people who don't want to make the effort to think in English.
Unfortunately, to acquire a good level of English, it's essential to make the effort to not think according to the linguistic patterns of your native language.
A very useful exercise to get used to thinking in English is NOT to translate, but to try to understand the meaning of a word from its context.
I also highly recommend studying a lot of phrasal verbs, idioms and collocations. These are an aspect of the language that, in my opinion, gets too little attention in courses.
If you don't know what they are, we're off to a bad start as, at an advanced level of English, you should already know quite a few of them, and they're essential for passing the CAE exam.
Phrasal verbs are verbs whose meaning changes when used in combination with a preposition.
We could say that phrasal verbs, idioms, and collocations have the same effect on a person's linguistic ability as spices do in cooking.
Imagine that you've cooked a soup, following every step of the recipe perfectly and using only good-quality ingredients, but the result is a dish with little flavor because you didn't use salt or spices.
Knowing as many phrasal verbs, idioms, and collocations as possible will earn you many points in speaking and writing, because the use of a broad vocabulary is highly valued in the CAE exam.
Overall, I think it is necessary to have a good grammar book, a good vocabulary book and some help along the way.