How fatigue affected my focus during the Listening section of the PTE Academic exam

When I first tackled the TOEFL writing tasks, I misunderstood the instruction to "support your opinion with reasons and examples." I thought it meant I had to include complex vocabulary and lengthy sentences to sound more academic. However, during practice tests, I realized that clarity and relevance mattered more than complexity. Simplifying my sentences and focusing on clear, direct examples improved both my writing flow and my score. This shift helped me communicate my ideas more effectively without getting lost in trying to sound overly sophisticated. Has anyone else experienced a similar misunderstanding with TOEFL instructions and found a strategy that worked better?