What Is Part 2?
Part 2 asks you to talk about a personal experience - a trip, event, challenge, or memorable moment. You get 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak.
The trap: most people try to find the "perfect" story. Don't. You can make up any story - it doesn't have to be real. The evaluator scores your LANGUAGE, not your life experiences.
The Story Arc
Every great 60-second story follows this arc:
Setup (15 seconds):
"One of the most memorable experiences I've ever had was when [event]. This happened about [time] ago when [context]."
Main Event (30 seconds):
"What happened was [detail 1]. I remember feeling [emotion] because [reason]. Then, [detail 2]. The most interesting part was [highlight]."
Conclusion (15 seconds):
"Looking back on it now, I realize that [lesson/reflection]. It was truly an unforgettable experience that taught me [something]."
This arc ensures a clear beginning, middle, and end - exactly what the scoring rubric looks for.
Descriptive Language Cheat Sheet
Make your story vivid with these adjectives and adverbs:
Positive experiences:
- "It was an absolutely incredible experience"
- "I was truly amazed by what I saw"
- "The atmosphere was vibrant and exciting"
- "I felt overwhelmingly grateful"
- "It was one of the most rewarding moments of my life"
Challenging experiences:
- "It was extremely challenging but worth it"
- "I felt completely overwhelmed at first"
- "The situation was incredibly stressful"
- "Despite the daunting circumstances..."
- "It pushed me well outside my comfort zone"
Using 3–4 of these descriptors in 60 seconds signals vocabulary range to the evaluator.
The Fake Story Strategy
You don't need a real story. Have 3 ready-made stories memorized:
- A trip you took - works for travel, adventure, memorable event prompts
- A challenge you overcame - works for difficulty, growth, learning prompts
- A time you helped someone - works for kindness, teamwork, community prompts
Adapt the story to the prompt. If the prompt asks about "a time you solved a problem," use your challenge story but angle it toward problem-solving. Same story, different framing.