A big relief even though I knew I would be ok
I took the IELTs because I had no choice for my PGWP. I did some basic test prep. Nothing too fancy, just some youtube videos and the Cambridge study materials one of the mods on here recommended. I got an 8.5 overall. I am a nervous test taker, so it is a relief for me to finally have this done. I just wish they didn't ask me about sports. Probably would have had a slightly higher score, but to be honest, I won't be mad about this score. For anyone who is nervous, just believe in yourself. You got this!
Update for everyone asking questions
Just to preface, I am from the US, so I am a native English speaker. I needed to take the General IELTS for my PGWP.
The speaking portion was actually the hardest for me. I have ADHD and my meds barely help. I have trouble staying on track when speaking. I just did the best I could to speak clearly and with thought. They asked me about sports to start (I don't know why they kept choosing sports). I made it clear that I don't have any sports experience, however I will do the best I can. It shifted topics to competition with kids and parents not allowing it. I got more introspective stating my views in a more cohesive manner and that, I think, is what really gave my score the best points. That subject felt more natural to me. Having only 2 minutes to speak on any subject is tough. I avoided the "Um" and "Uh" as much as possible. I am a nervous speaker, so I treated it more like a conversation than an exam. Sounding scripted was something someone on YouTube mentioned as a pitfall for the speaking portion.
As for reading and listening, I did it via computer at my test location. I would write down key words during the listening portion that matched with the answer key. It gave the option to look over the questions first. I would fill in the answers as it went. I had plenty of experience with this as I have worked in high volume call centers for over 13 years. It gets tricky though because they only play the recording once. So definitely take the time to review the questions.
For the reading portion, some things were very ambiguous. It was a little challenging, but you get plenty of time. If you are not sure, reread what you need and double check yourself. Just don't always second guess your answer, if you are sure, then be confident.
The writing portion was much harder, again, sports related for my exam. "Why do people play sports, even when thay are dangerous, how can sports safety be improved" I preface with "I don't have any personal experience with sports, I only know what I have witnessed from family and friends." I used slightly bigger words, which I struggle to remember the right synonyms at times. Like instead of using "friendship", I used "comradery". Showing a larger grasp of vocabulary.
Normally I am an excellent writer (pure effort, I hate AI). However, I cannot write about sports for the life of me.
Honestly, I expected at the most a 6 or 7 and that is as a native speaker. The score I received was higher than I expected.
A mod told me, in a previous post, that the online test are inaccurate in so many ways. I was scoring horribly on them because of inaccurate answer keys. I found an actual Cambridge IELTS site that had free test example downloads. I went over them a few times until I figured out how they were styled, watched a couple of youtube videos that were from the last few months, and went from there.
After the listening portion, where I took every minute I could to review (ADHD also gives me memory issues), I spent the reading and writing portion twiddling my thumbs for over an hour total. I had reviewed everything 3 times, tweaked a few things in the writing portion, and decided, I did the best I could do and to be happy with what I had. That is what worked best for me. I decided that stressing myself out by over analyzing myself would only make me make changes that could hinder myself more.
I wish everyone the best of luck and I know you will do great!