Half of my students worry whether they should take the computer-based or paper-based Cambridge C1 (CAE) exam, and the other half have no idea there are two choices.
So which should you choose? What are the pros and cons?
Content
There is no difference in the content of the exams.
Neither is easier! The timing is the same too.
Price
Where I live the price is almost identical, but the computer-based test seems to be slightly more expensive. (As I write this, the paper-based exam is 400 francs, and the computer-based exam is 410.)
Speaking
The Speaking Test is separate from the rest of the exam (often held on a different day) and is always done in the same way. Choosing computer or paper has no effect on it.
The Room and Equipment
The paper-based test generally looks like an exam in school - a large space with lots of people sitting on little desks.
The room might be noisy and you’ll hear everyone coughing and moving their chair.
There will be a clock on the wall so you can tell how long is left. Hopefully you get a good view. (Wear a watch!)
Many students complain that the audio quality in the Listening Test is bad, or the volume is too low. The audio is played from a CD player in one corner of the room. That means there's a chance of poor sound quality, echo, distortion etc., plus your fellow candidates coughing and sneezing at key moments.
The computer-based test is often in a smaller room full of computers. When I was in school we had ‘language labs’ and we’d all go and learn Spanish on CD-ROMs. Imagine a room like that.
The room might be noisy but you’ll have you own headset that you can wear and maybe block some sound. The headset means fewer distractions, better sound quality, and you can adjust the volume.
In all parts of the exam you’ll have on-screen timers telling how long you’ve got left.
Other Differences
In the paper-based test you’ll be able to use highlighters in the Reading Test, underline things, make little notes to yourself. (There is a highlight function on the computer test, but I think it's not very practical. See the video below.)
On the other hand, in the computer-based version, you’ll be able to edit your essays etc as you go. So you won’t end up with a messy piece of paper full of crossing-out and arrows and whatnot.
In the Writing Test, the computer version shows you your word count. Useful!
The main difference is that you’ll get your results much faster if you do the computer-based test. For me, that would be one of the main reasons to take that version. I want to know if I passed right away!
Who should do the paper-based CAE exam?
You've spent a year preparing for the exam by highlighting or underlining keywords.
You've been doing the writing papers by hand you're probably used to it.
Who should do the computer-based CAE exam?
You're used to using a computer to write emails, or if you've been doing all your writing practice on the computer then it makes sense to do the computer-based test.
You need your results quickly.
You think you might struggle to hear the audio in a large room.
If you think the computer-based test is for you, watch this video so you know how to do it and what to expect.
Good luck!
Andrew