Appeared for the exam on 20th Jan, 2018 in Bengaluru, India.
The process was smooth but reminded me of school days.
Order was
Listening: Had headphones. Initially, found it pretty simple. But, the speed picked up all of a sudden, and I missed couple of pointers.
Reading: It was pretty simple.
Writing: The most difficult one. Had barely written anything since years, and mis-managed time. Got the feeling that I screwed it.
Speaking: Was a pretty normal discussion, but I realised that I spoke too much, too fast.
Score was expected on 2nd Feb, but I got a mail that it will be delayed and they are doing a quality check. Researched about it and found that this could happen, if there is a difference of 2 or more points between the score of any two sections. It could also be because of more sinister reasons, but there is nothing one can do, but wait.
Finally, got the results on 13th Feb.
Listening: 8
Reading: 9
Writing: 7
Speaking: 7
Overall: 8
The test is easy in general, and one can easily score the highest possible CRS score, which I fell short of.
One should prepare a little. My overall prep was googling some FAQ/expert advice, during the 30 mins cab ride. At least, practice some amount of writing. Holding a pencil all of a sudden and with the clock running, things do get a little tight. Also, in the speaking test, don’t go too fast and speak clearly.