PTE

PTE EXAM OVERVIEW

PTE Academic

For a university or college student to succeed academically in a context where English is the primary language of communication, one must possess the aptitude and capacity to communicate effectively and efficiently. The main aim of the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) is to accurately measure the Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking skills of a student who wishes to pursue education in institutions where English is the language of instruction.

The PTE test is for those students whose native language is not English and they are required to demonstrate their English language skills and abilities to institutions in English-speaking nations. The test accurately determines and measures a student’s English language proficiency so that they can be successful in courses and academic subject matters in institutions where the course of instruction is English. Educational institutions use the PTE Academic’s results to decide about an applicant’s ability to communicate in the English language at the time of admission.

Pearson’s, a leading educational company in the world, is responsible for developing the PTE Academic test used for assessing a test taker’s ability to listen, speak, read, and write in English. The test development team which develops the PTE Academic Test is based in several countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Australia.

The PTE Academic test is made as per guidelines and by the Council of Europe’s Common European Frame of Reference (CEF or CEFR; Council of Europe, 2001) where CEF or CEFR is the well-accepted standard of performance in the testing of language. The PTE Academic test items are internationally accepted and ensure that the test measures the student's ability to communicate in academic English at the international level.

The PTE Academic test measures all four English language skills of the candidate such as Listening, Speaking, Writing & Reading and it lasts for two hours.

Other than that, the test consists of three main parts. A general introduction and specific instructions about what is expected in each part of the test are given. Each part further contains sections.

The following three parts are a part of the test:

Part 1: Speaking and Writing

This part consists of seven sections and lasts for 54-67 minutes. It tests your speaking and writing skills, using English you might hear in an academic environment.

Part 2: Reading

This part consists of seven sections and lasts for 54-67 minutes. It tests your speaking and writing skills, using English you might hear in an academic environment.

Part 2: Reading

This part of the test is 29–30 minutes long and it contains five different question types. Because PTE Academic is an integrated skills test, one item type ('Reading and Writing: Fill in the blanks') also assesses writing skills.

Part 3: Listening

This part of the test is 30–43 minutes long and it contains eight different question types.

The questions are based on audio or video clips, which begin to play automatically. You hear each audio or video clip once. You are allowed to take notes.

Scoring

All parts of the PTE Academic test are machine-scored. Therefore, scoring is such that scores on some items depend on correctness while scoring on other items depend on correctness, formal aspects, and the quality of the student’s response.

Popular Colleges Accepting PTE Exam

  • Bond University Queensland

  • Central Queensland University - Rockhampton, North Campus Queensland

  • Charles Sturt University - Wagga Wagga Campus New South Wales

  • Deakin University - Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus Victoria

  • Engineering Institute of Technology - Perth campus Western Australia

  • Griffith University - Nathan Campus Queensland

  • La Trobe University - Bendigo Campus Victoria

  • LCI Melbourne - Art & Design School Victoria

  • University Canada West British Columbia

  • Carleton University Ontario

  • University of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan

  • University of Windsor Ontario

  • Cape Breton University Nova Scotia

  • University of Regina Saskatchewan

  • Dalhousie University Nova Scotia

  • University of Ottawa Ontario

  • University of Guelph Ontario

  • Ara Institute of Canterbury - City Campus Southland

  • Eastern Institute of Technology - Hawke Bay Campus Hawke's Bay

  • Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) - Nelson Campus Southland

  • Aspire 2 International - Auckland Campus Auckland

  • Manukau Institute of Technology -Manukau Campus Auckland

  • New Zealand Institute of Business & Technology (NZIBT) Auckland

  • Auckland University of Technology - City Campus Auckland

  • Massey University - Auckland Campus Auckland

  • The University of Waikato - Hamilton Campus Hamilton

  • University of Warwick England

  • University of Strathclyde Scotland

  • University of Liverpool England

  • De Montfort University England

  • Aston University England

  • Durham University England

  • University of West London England

  • University of Bath England

  • Newcastle University England

  • Kent State University Ohio

  • Clark University Massachusetts

  • University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Wisconsin

  • San Jose State University California

  • Rowan University New Jersey

  • Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Illinois

  • Wright State University Ohio

  • Arkansas State University Arkansas

  • University of Findlay Ohio

SYLLABUS

PTE Exam Syllabus:

The Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic) evaluates applicants' Speaking, Writing, Reading, and Listening skills to ensure that they are capable of learning in an international context and have a good command of the universal language of English. The PTE exam syllabus is divided into three sections:

  1. Speaking & Writing Section
  2. Reading Section
  3. Listening Section.

Students who desire to excel in their PTE Test should be familiar with the most recent PTE syllabus. The PTE Exam syllabus provided below is for applicants planning to take the next PTE Test.

PTE Exam Syllabus

PTE Section PTE Exam Syllabus Total Questions/Duration
PTE Speaking & Writing
  • Personal Introduction
  • Read Aloud
  • Repeat Sentence
  • Describe Image
  • Re-Tell Lecture
  • Answer Short Questions
  • Summarize Written Text
  • Essay

No. of Questions: 28 – 36

Duration: 54 – 67 minutes

PTE Reading Section
  • Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer
  • Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers
  • Re-Order Paragraphs
  • Reading: Fill in the Blanks
  • Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks

No. of Questions: 13 – 18

Duration: 29 – 30 minutes

PTE Listening Section
  • Summarize Spoken Text
  • Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer
  • Fill in the Blanks
  • Highlight Correct Summary
  • Multiple Choice, Single Answer
  • Select Missing Word
  • Highlight Incorrect Words
  • Write from Dictation

No. of Questions: 12 – 20

Duration: 30 – 43 minutes

Students who perform well on this test can demonstrate to the admissions committee and visa authorities that they are capable of understanding the globally acknowledged official language while studying in a foreign country. Here are some more details about these sections of the test:

PTE Speaking and Writing Part Syllabus:

  • As the name implies, this segment assesses candidates based on their two key communication abilities, verbal and written.
  • The Speaking & Writing segment of the PTE exam lasts around 54 - 67 minutes and covers seven different question types.
  • The Speaking and Writing component of the PTE test is the longest.

This component consists of seven small sections that assess the candidate’s quickness in speaking and writing the written test. The entire section lasts for 54 to 67 minutes, with the following time given to each segment. 

Segments Pattern Time Duration
Personal Introduction 55 seconds: 25 seconds for prompt, 30 seconds to record
Read Aloud 30-40 seconds to prepare for reading out the text of 60 words
Repeat Sentence 15 seconds: 3-9 seconds for prompt, 15 seconds to record
Describe Image 25 seconds to study the image as well as prepare for a response on the same
Re-Tell Lecture 90 seconds for prompt length, 10 seconds to prepare, and 40 seconds to answer
Answer Short Question 20 seconds: 3-9 seconds for prompt, 10 seconds to answer
Summarize Written Text 10 minutes to answer to text prompt of 300 words
Essay 20 minutes to answer to text prompt of 2-3 sentences
Total Questions 28 - 36
Time Allocation 54 - 67 minutes

PTE Reading Part Syllabus

This section assesses students' ability to understand instructions written in the English language. The part, which is divided into five sections, lasts 29 to 30 minutes. Study the segment-wise pattern for this section's time distribution:

Segments Pattern Time Duration varies on the length of the Text Prompt
Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer Read 300 words of text
Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers Read 300 words of text
Re-Order Paragraphs Read 150 words of text
Reading: Fill in the Blanks Read 80 words of text
Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks Read 300 words of text

PTE Academic Listening Syllabus

The PTE Academic listening section lasts for 30 to 43 minutes. The phrase "celebration" refers to the act of celebrating a special occasion. The student must ensure that they carefully listen to the audio file and remember what they hear. This portion is broken into eight segments, with the time allotted to each segment as follows.

Segments Pattern Time Duration
Summarize Spoken Text 60-90 seconds to retain 50-70 words, 10 minutes to write
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer 40-90 seconds for prompt
Fill in the Blanks 30-60 seconds
Highlight Correct Summary 30-90 seconds
Multiple Choice, Single Answer 30-60 seconds
Select Missing Word 20-70 seconds
Highlight Incorrect Words 15-50 seconds
Write From Dictation 3-5 seconds

Scoring for the PTE Exam

The PTE exam has a score range of 10 to 90. In PTE, each examination part has a separate score that is put together to achieve a final score. Since it is an English language competency test, grammar, fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary, comprehension abilities, and memory skills are all necessary.

PTE Score Range PTE Score Statement
89-90 Expert
83-85 Very good
74-84 Very good
73-77 Good
64-72 Good
58-63 Competent
50-57 Competent
42-49 Modest
35-41 Modest
30-34 Limited
0-30 Limited

Get your PTE Results:

Simply sign in to your PTE account, which was created upon enrolment, to view your PTE results and scores. By signing into your account, you can view your digital score report and share it with the institutions you've chosen. You can do it immediately or later. Within five working days of the test, the results are available online.

Important Test Advice for PT

The PTE examination is not easy, and applicants must prepare for all sections with equal devotion. Follow the advice below to earn the perfect score in just one try.

Understand the format entirely

  • Each of the three sections has a distinct format.
  • Several forms of questions are asked when writing and speaking.
  • It is critical to have a firm grasp of the format, pattern, and types of questions you might expect on the day of the exam.
  • You can only study effectively if you understand the format and syllabus.

Develop a good vocabulary

  • If you want to settle down in a place where English is the primary language, you must have a decent vocabulary.

Pronunciation is essential

  • Begin speaking and listening to English every day.
  • Make sure to write what you hear while practising the accent and pronunciation.
  • This will help reduce spelling mistakes and learn correct pronunciation along the way.

You cannot make spelling mistakes if you practice spelling

  • If you are unsure about the exact spelling, avoid long and complex words, but do not make typos.

Set a timer for yourself

  • Your time is divided between thinking, answering questions, and writing.
  • You will submit an unfinished test if you do not manage your time properly.

Use the rule of elimination

  • This method will assist you in narrowing your choices as much as possible.

Follow all of the instructions provided

  • This is also an opportunity to put your skills to the test.
  • It assesses your capacity to understand English instructions.

A high exam score also guarantees that candidates can communicate their ideas, give presentations, seek international exposure, and generally function on the international stage in front of foreign audiences. This permits applicants to demonstrate their readiness to study in the universal official language among students from all around the world and international faculty members.