Although my last blog post was around half a year ago (level A2.1 at the time), I haven’t stopped studying Finnish. In fact, I just completed my first attempt at the intermediate YKI test last week. I will need to wait 2 months for the results, but I wanted to share my experience regardless.
Over the past year leading up to the YKI test, I searched high and low for personal accounts of others’ experiences, but only a handful seemed to exist on the Internet. So in this series, I will share everything I wanted to know before taking the YKI test.
Keep in mind that the processes and rules may vary with the test center you select.
Which test center did I choose and why?
I took my YKI test at Helsingin aikuisopisto. I specifically chose this as my test center, because I wanted some place familiar to me. Because I had previously taken some Finnish courses at Helsingin aikuisopisto, I was already familiar with the layout of the building and the bus route to get there. As someone who has trouble with navigating to and within unfamiliar places, it was important for me to choose a familiar place to minimize the stress of navigation on the test day.
What can you keep on your desk during the YKI test?
During the test, we were allowed to keep the following items on our desks:
- ID document (e.g. henkilökortti or passi)
- Pencils, sharpener, eraser
- Water bottle
Other notes:
- Only traditional HB pencils (lyijykynä) can be used, i.e. no mechanical pencils
- Residence permit cards and driver’s license cards are not accepted as identification
- Phones and other electronic gadgets are collected before the test starts
Bags and jackets were hung on hooks at the back of the test room.
When does the YKI test start?
There is no standard starting time for the YKI test, but my test started at 9:45am.
One annoying thing about the YKI test is that you cannot know the exact time the test will be held until just a week or so before the test date. In other words, you cannot choose or know the test time at the time of registration. I received the email informing us about the test start time 11 days before the test day.
Signing in on the day of the test
The official test start time for my group was at 9:45am, this is only when the signing in process began. I made sure to arrive well in advance, around 9am, but no one was allowed to sign in before the start time. Though, I have no regrets about arriving early or having to wait — it gave me time to eat a snack, listen to a podcast, and visit the washroom before the test started. Much better panicking about being late.
At 9:45am, the test supervisors began calling out the names of test takers to check IDs and collect electronic devices. Phones and other electronic devices were collected into separate zip lock bags marked with the test taker’s name.
During this process, people were divided into two separate groups, since the rooms were too small to fit everyone at once. Each group had around 20 people, and the two groups took the subtests in different orders. This was a pleasant surprise, since I had expected a much larger crowd of people considering around 80 people had signed up for this test center. I’m guessing the other 40 people were instructed to sign up for the test in a different part of the building.
The signing in process took around 45 minutes before we were ushered into the test rooms.
The YKI test schedule
Although the test day lasted around 6 hours, from 9:45am to 3:30pm, only about 3 hours were spent on the actual test. The rest of the time was spent on logistics, breaks, and test instructions.
Here are the approximate times we had for the subtests (excluding instruction time):
- Reading comprehension – 1 hour
- (Break – ~25 min)
- Listening comprehension – ~25 minutes
- (Mini break – ~3 min)
- Speaking – ~20 minutes
- (Break – ~15 min)
- Writing – 55 minutes
Can you take bathroom breaks during the YKI test?
Having heard that the YKI test takes 5-6 hours, I was concerned there wouldn’t be enough opportunities for bathroom breaks. But as you can see from above schedule, we were given several breaks throughout the test day, and the actual test taking portions didn’t take too long. I was also told that if absolutely needed, you can go during the test with supervision. Though, it would be quite unfortunate if you had to leave the room during the test, since every minute is precious during the YKI test.
The language studio
The listening and speaking parts of the test were held in a separate language studio with recording equipment. Each desk had a pair of headphones connected to a computer, and the headphones were equipped with microphone attachments. There was no obvious option to adjust the volume, but the default volume was adequate, and the audio quality was good.
Although each desk had a computer monitor, the monitor was off and not used during any part of the test. Similar to the reading & writing room, there was an analog clock on the wall but unfortunately no task timers or countdown clocks. The desks were placed side by side, separated only by tiny wooden dividers about 30cm tall. You do not get your own soundproof booth, and the room becomes very loud when everyone starts talking at once.
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