Preparing for the YKI test

Here are some of my thoughts about the YKI test (yleinen kielitutkinto):

• The most important thing - be realistic. Most people aim at the intermediate level which is level B1 and B2. Intermediate level means that you can independently handle topics such as everyday life, work, society, travelling, home, environment etc. Learning process is always individual. Some people can manage in a year, some people need more years. I'm talking about years here. Unfortunately there are people who think that learning Finnish  for 10 hours or not at all will make them pass the test. YKI test is not that easy. You really need to know Finnish well before signing up for the test. No need to be perfect but you need to be good at Finnish. 

• In the end it's all up to you! Teachers will only give you the right directions and support  but you are the one who is doing the studying. Please don't think that your teacher is responsible for your results. It's not the way it goes. If the test goes well, you have definitely done some great job with your studies. If you don't pass the test, you'll still have some learning to do. 

• Once you know that you're going to take the YKI test, start with the basic Finnish course. Of course, you can also learn independently to some extent (some basic expressions, for example) but with the help of a teacher you will get better and faster results than studying by yourself. 

• Listen to Finns and they way they speak, speak Finnish as much as possible. Speaking is one of the best "medications". Listen to Finnish news and music. Try to think in Finnish. It will all pay off in the end.  

Speaking is the best "medication"! :) 

• Get a book called Ykäänkö vai ykiinkö by Gimara. In this book you will find different exercises related to speaking and writing. 

• Take courses that specialize in the YKI test. I can warmly recommend my friend and colleague Mari Nikonen (Ask a Finnish Teacher) for YKI courses: https://www.askafinnishteacher.com/finnish-courses.html. 

• If you want to work on your Finnish pronunciation for the speaking part of the YKI test, warm recommendations to my other friend and colleague Päivi Virkkunen and her Ääntämisklinikka: https://aantamisklinikka.fi. 

• Read books in simplified Finnish: https://randomfinnishlesson.blogspot.com/2021/09/what-  books-to-read-in-easy-finnish.html. 

• Follow the page https://uusikielemme.fi. You will find absolutely everything from that super great page! 

My cat Lady is also interested in improving her Finnish skills.