～にしたがって— As Things Progress

• 年を取るにしたがって、体力が落ちてきた。

  Toshi wo toru ni shitagatte, tairyoku ga ochite kita.

  As I get older, my stamina has been declining.

  As one change (aging) advances, the other (stamina drop) follows proportionally

• 上に行くにしたがい、気温が下がる。

  Ue ni iku ni shitagai, kion ga sagaru.

  As you go higher, the temperature drops.

  にしたがい is the more formal conjunctive form

• 係員の指示にしたがって、避難してください。

  Kakariin no shiji ni shitagatte, hinan shite kudasai.

  Please evacuate in accordance with the staff's instructions.

  Noun 指示 + にしたがって here means 'following / in accordance with'

• ・Two meanings: proportional change ('as') and compliance ('in accordance with').
• ・にしたがい is the formal written variant.
• ・For the 'as ~' meaning, both clauses should describe gradual, continuous change.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～にしたがって is tested against.

• ～一方(で) — On One Hand, On the Other
• ～上(に) — On Top of That
• ～くせに — And Yet You Dare
• だけでなく — Not Only That
• ついでに — While You're At It
• ～つつ(も) — While Yet Doing Otherwise
• ～というと／～といえば — Speaking Of That
• ～といっても — Even Though I Say