Okay so I've been lurking here for months and I figured it was time to actually contribute something useful. I failed my first ILAC attempt back in February — not by a lot, but enough to sting. The listening section completely caught me off guard. I thought my English was solid enough that I could just walk in, but the academic context stuff tripped me up way more than I expected.
For my second attempt I spent about six weeks being really deliberate about it. I used an ILAC practice test almost every day for the last two weeks, just to get comfortable with the pacing and question types. That repetition honestly made the biggest difference. I also found a study guide that broke down the grammar rules in a way that finally clicked for me — I'd been making the same tense errors for years without realizing it.
For anyone prepping right now: don't underestimate the reading speed requirements. My biggest exam tip is to practice skimming for main ideas first, then go back for details. I finished with a few minutes to spare instead of scrambling. Happy to answer questions if anyone's going through the same thing.