What's the best way to study for the French MLAT?

The first thing to remember is that they're not trying to catch you – the MLAT is a test to assess your current level in a language, in order for it to be considered alongside all the other elements that make up your application. The test itself is divided into 3 parts so it's best to look at them separately: prepositions, verb conjugation, and translation.The first part is pretty self-explanatory and requires filling in the gaps with the suitable preposition (if any). The best way to study for this is to revise what prepositions are used with which of the most common verbs, and which ones may vary depending on the verbal phrase (such as apercevoir qqch VS s'apercevoir de qqch).The second part is not only a test of your ability to conjugate verbs, but also to choose the right tense based on the rest of the sentence. The best way to approach this part is not only to consolidate the most common conjugation patterns and exceptions to the rule, but also to focus on the most common combination of tenses used in French, such as 'if' clauses (imperfect + conditional). Additionally, it is useful to brush up on the subjunctive mood, to show the examiners you understand its proper use in French.The third part is the most daunting of the three but doesn't have to be if you approach it with the right mindset. Other than revising the basic vocabulary that you will have come across throughout your French A level, it is not essential to go crazy learning pages of new vocabulary. As they say on their website, "they are not primarily a test of vocabulary", but rather, test the basic structures of the chosen language. Consequently, it's more important to make sure you are not translating the sentence word-for-word, but instead, make sure the meaning is translated accurately. For this, a solid understanding of connectives and other similar expressions is very important. If you do happen to come across a word or verb you don't know, don't panic. Instead of wasting time trying to remember a word you don't know, try and think of a synonym or phrase that conveys the same meaning. That shows the examiners that you have found a suitable solution given the circumstances. If not work on the rest of the sentence and move onto others before coming back to that word. It's better to finish the whole test than to have spent 5 minutes on a single sentence.That brings me to the final point: timing. A lot of this comes down to how comfortable you are with doing the test in the given 30 minutes, and for that, all you can do is practice. Do the first few without a timer to get used to the format of the test, and from then on, focus on timed practice so that come the day of the test, sitting down and doing it will come naturally.