PTE Overview, Eligibility, Fees, Requirements & Registration

PTE Overview

PTE Full Form – Pearson Tests of English

What is the Pearson Test of English (PTE)?

PTE Academic is an English language test designed for foreign students and immigrants.

The PTE test is divided into two categories:

1. PTE Academic
2. PTE Home

What are the benefits of taking the PTE Academic Exam?

PTE Academic is an online English language test that is totally automated and designed for international education and immigration. This exam is driven by artificial intelligence (AI), and unlike traditional grading systems, the PTE grading is fully objective and free of human prejudice.

Types of PTE Exam

There are two categories under the PTE Academic exam:

• PTE Academic Exam
• PTE Academic UKVI

 

Academic PTE Exam

PTEAcademic evaluates applicants’ speaking, listening, reading, and writing abilities. The test might take up to three hours to complete. Over a thousand colleges throughout the world recognize this test, including Harvard Business School, INSEAD, and Yale. PTE Academic is acceptable even for visa reasons in Australia and New Zealand.

UKVI PTE Academic

The PTE Academic UKVI is a UK-only exam. To be eligible for UK visas, you must pass the Secure English Language Test (SELT). This test is open to anybody who desires to work, study, or reside in the United Kingdom.

Exam Fee for PTE

• PTE Academic exam costs USD 170.
• PTE Academic UKVI exam costs USD 180.
• There is a fee for the PTE exam.

 

PTE exam fee – For the PTE Academic test, the fee is USD 170 plus 15% VAT and bank charges.

Cancellation Fees for PTE Exams –

If a candidate is unable to take the examination on the appointed day, they are entitled to a full refund if they cancel the test 14 days prior to the scheduled date.
If a candidate cancels their enrollment seven calendar days prior to the test date, they will be reimbursed 50% of the money.

• Candidates who cancel their test registration fewer than 7 calendar days before the exam will not get a refund.
• Candidates who reschedule their PTE exam 14 calendar days before their actual test date will not be charged any additional fees for the new test day.
• Candidates who reschedule the exam 13-8 calendar days before the actual test date must pay 50% of the new test date’s rescheduling cost.
• Candidates who reschedule their exam fewer than seven calendar days before the actual test date must pay the entire exam cost.

 

What is the procedure for rescheduling the PTE exam?

To reschedule a Pearson exam, follow these steps:

• Visit www.pearsonpte.com to get started.
• Register for a My PTE account.
• Select the option to reschedule or cancel.

Booking a PTE Exam

Registration for the PTE Account and the PTE Exam

To register for the PTE exam, follow these steps:

• Create an online account or log in to an existing account on the official PTE Academic Website.
• Fill in all of the details, including your passport information, carefully once you’ve created an account.
• Following that, you may select a test center, day, and time that is most convenient for you.
• After filling in all of the information, you may proceed with the payment.
• Once the money is received, you will get an acknowledgement receipt.

 

Which is more challenging, the PTE or the IELTS?

IELTS and PTE are both regarded to be of similar difficulty. The PTE test is exclusively available online, but the IELTS exam is available both online and offline.

PTE Academic Exam Highlights

Exam Name	PTE Exam
PTE Full Form	Pearson Test of English
Types of PTE Exam	The PTE exam has two categories: 1. PTE Academic 2. PTE Home
What is the PTE exam for?	Pearson Tests of English (PTE) Academic is an English language test for international study and immigration.
In which countries is the PTE certification accepted?	PTE is widely accepted in countries such as Australia, the USA, the UK, Ireland, Singapore, Canada, New Zealand, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
PTE Exam Format	PTE Academic test format has three components:                                                                                                         Part 1: Speaking & Writing                                                                                                         Part 2: Reading                                                                                                         Part 3: Listening
Who conducts PTE?	The PTE exam is conducted by the Pearson VUE (Virtual User Environment).
What is the official website for PTE?	https://pearsonpte.com/
How much does the PTE Exam Fee cost?	The PTE exam fee is USD 170 + 15%tax and bank charge.
PTE Helpline	0120-6679008

 

 

PTE Eligibility Overview

PTE Exam Eligibility

Pearson does not provide any precise qualifications for taking the PTE test.

1. What are the requirements for taking the PTE test?

To be qualified for the test, no special educational qualifications are required.

2. Is there an age limit for taking the PTE test?

To be eligible, the applicant must be at least 16 years old, and those under the age of 18 must have a parental consent form.

3. What is the maximum number of PTE test attempts?

There are no limitations on how many times a candidate may take the test.

4. Is the PTE certification valid in all countries?

Canada, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore, New Zealand, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy all recognize the PTE certificate.

 

PTE Preparation

PTE Exam Preparation Tips:

• It is critical that you work hard regularly whether you enroll in a PTE tutoring facility or study for the PTE test on your own.
• There are several resources available on the internet to assist you in better preparing.
• You might also utilize the coursebooks in addition to the online materials.
• Don’t put off taking the exam until the last minute. The sooner you begin studying, the more likely you are to succeed on the exam.

 

Time to Prepare for the PTE

It takes between 4 and 6 weeks to prepare for the PTE test with constant practice.

How can one study at home for the PTE exam?

• Utilize the information accessible on the PTE’s official website.
• Make it a habit to read books, newspapers, periodicals, and academic journals on a regular basis.
• Join online English-language discussion groups.
• Become a member of a PTE coaching center.

 

PTE Research

Study Guide for the PTE

There are a few PTE preparatory study materials listed below that you may utilize when studying for the PTE test.

Coursebooks

If you are preparing on your own, you can use the official coursebooks to help you. Some official guidelines to help you prepare better are listed below:

The Official PTE Academic Guide

PTE Academic Practice Test Plus – Volume 1 PTE Academic Practice Test Plus – Volume 2 PTE Academic 79 Plus l Two Full-Length Practice Tests With Answer Keys PTE Academic 79 Plus l Two Full-Length Practice Tests With Answer Keys

Online Practice Test for PTE

The online materials accessible on the ptestudy.net/practice/ website can be used. To access the PTE preparation tools on this website, follow these steps:

• net may be accessed by logging in.
• Sign up for a PTE preparation account or log in if you have one already.
• Obtain access to the PTE practice resources available online.

PTE Practice Test (Offline)

You may practice for the complete version of the PTE Academic test by downloading audio files, PDFs, and sample answers to get a feel for the format and organization of the test.

Study App for PTE

The official practice app is available for download (PTE Academic Official Practice App). The following are some of the advantages of utilizing this app:

• The program covers the PTE exam format, structure, and scores in great detail.
• There are both offline and online practice exams available.
• Simple preparation recommendations and advice, as well as a study planner to keep track of your progress, will be provided.

 

Practice PTE Exam

Reading Practice for the PTE

The PTE Reading Section is used to assess a candidate’s ability to read.

Duration: 32-41 minutes total

Question Type	Task	Skills Tested	Maximum Number of Words
Multiple choice, choosing a single right answer	Read the text and select a single response based on the tone or content	Reading	Approximately 110 words
Choosing multiple right answers from multiple choices	Read the text and chose multiple right answers based on the tone or content	Reading	Approximately 300 words
Reordering paragraphs	Sequentially rearrange the boxes that are arranged in the wrong sequence.	Reading	Approximately 150 words
Reading: Fill in the blanks	A passage with several blanks will be given. Drag and drop the apt words into the blank spaces.	Reading	Approximately 80 words
Reading and Writing: Fill in the blanks	A passage with several blanks will appear on the screen. Fill in each blank with the correct response from the drop-down list.	Reading	Approximately 300 words.

PTE Academic Reading Section Preparation Tips

You must be able to read fluently and comprehend texts to ace the PTE Reading Section. Here is a collection of reading section preparation suggestions :

Multiple-choice with just one correct answer:

• Recognize the fundamental theme of the paragraph. To get the correct answer, pay attention to the keywords.
• Before you begin replying, thoroughly read the questions and make sure you understand what you should be doing.
• Recognize the frequency of terms such as only, always, never, and occasionally. By eliminating these possibilities, you will be able to quickly identify the correct answers.
• There are no negative markings in this section. As a result, even if you are unsure about the correct answer, it is always best to respond.
• It’s important to remember that the elements in the text aren’t in any particular order in relation to the issue. More than half of the solutions may be found in the first two lines or the last two lines.
• You must be able to paraphrase the responses without distorting their meaning.

 

Multiple-choice and multiple-answer questions:

Negative markings are present on this section. As a result, if you are hesitant about your response, it is best not to respond to the question.

• Changing the sequence of paragraphs
• First, try to figure out the title and the passage’s main idea.
• Keep in mind that pronouns like it, he, she, them, they, and those cannot begin the first sentence.

 

You might start by looking for the sentence that comes before the one that starts with terms like however, but, however, and other extra phrases like aside and besides.

Fill in the blanks with the following information:

• There are no negative markings on this component. Even if you are unsure about the correct answer, answer the questions.
• Pay attention to the audio segments that occur before and after the gap. This will aid in the search for the missing term.
• Within the given paragraph, you may discover the synonyms for the missing words.

 

Listening Practice for PTE

The PTE Listening component evaluates a candidate’s ability to listen. Audio and video materials will be used to answer the questions. Only one audio and video clip will be played.

45-57 minutes in length

Question Type	Task	Skills Tested	Maximum Number of Words
Summarizing spoken text	Listen to the recording and write a summary within 50 to 70 words.	Listening and writing	60 to 90 seconds
Multiple choice questions, choose multiple answers	Listen to the recording and answer the MCQ based on the tone and content	Listening	40 to 90 seconds
Fill in the blanks	A transcript of a recording with several blanks appears on the screen. Listen to the audio and fill the missing blank with the right word	Listening and Writing	30 to 90 seconds
Highlighting the correct summary	Listen to the recording and choose the passage that aptly summarizes the content.	Listening and Reading	30 to 90 seconds
Multiple choice, choosing a single right answer	Listen to the audio and choose a single right answer based on the tone or content of the audio	Listening	30 to 60 seconds
Selecting the missing word	Listen to the recording and choose the right word that completes the audio	Listening	20 to 70 seconds
Highlighting the incorrect word	The transcript of the recording will be displayed on the screen. Select the words in the transcript that are different from the actual recording.	Listening and Reading	15 to 50 seconds
Writing from dictation	Listen to the recording and type out the sentence.	Listening and Writing	3 to 5 seconds

PTE Academic Listening Section Preparation Tips

Here is a collection of listening preparation ideas to help you ace the exam.

General Listening Advice:

• You learn to actively listen to news audios, podcasts, YouTube videos, and music, paying attention to sections that are simple to grasp and parts that are tough to comprehend. After you’ve identified the source of your challenge, work on resolving those difficulties.
• Try viewing movies first with subtitles and then without.

Compile a summary of the Spoken Test:

• Limit your responses to 70 words or less.
• Use words like ‘The speaker stated’ to begin your sentences.
• Pay attention to the repeated words and terms and understand the essential theme.

Choose many answers in a multiple-choice format:

• Negative markings are present on this section. As a result, pay additional attention to it and avoid making educated judgments.
• Make sure you listen all the way to the conclusion of the recording.

Fill in the blanks with the following information:

• It is recommended that you take notes on this subject using a notepad.
• Determine if the word has an article or not, whether it is single or plural, and so on by attentively listening to the audio.

The right summary should be highlighted:

• Recognize the speaker’s main point and the message he or she is trying to express.
• To reduce down your possibilities, use the elimination procedure.

Choose the term that is missing:

In the first half of the audio, you must be able to comprehend the primary concept. You should be able to foresee the ending by the second half.

Underline the words that are incorrect:

• Negative markings are present on this section. As a result, thoroughly examine your answers before submitting them.
• When you click on a word, keep in mind that double-clicking it will unselect it.

Write a story based on a dictation:

• Rather than taking notes, consider typing your responses into the computer. You will save time as a result of this.
• Make sure your spelling, punctuation, and grammar are correct.

Speaking and Writing Practice on the PTE

The PTE Speaking and Writing Sections assess a candidate’s ability to write and speak.

Time frame: 77-93 minutes

Question Type	Task	Skills Tested	Maximum Number of Words
Read aloud	Read the given out loud.	Reading and Speaking	Depends on the length of the text
Repeat sentence	Repeat the sentence after listening to the audio	Listening and Speaking	15 seconds
Describing the image	Describe in the detail the image provided	Speaking	40 seconds
Re-telling lecture	Listen to the audio and retell the lecture in your own words.	Listening and speaking	40 seconds.
Answer short questions	Listen to the audio and answer the question in a single word	Listening and Speaking	10 seconds
Summarize a written text	Read the text and summarize it in a single sentence	Reading and writing	10 minutes
Essay	Write an essay on the given topic within 200-300 words	Writing	20 minutes.

 

PTE Academic Writing Section Preparation Tips

There are two components to the writing section. Here is a list of recommendations to help you prepare for each of these areas.

Write a summary of the written text:

• You can get a 90 out of 90 if you are confident in your grammar and vocabulary.
• You can get a 73 if your grammar and vocabulary abilities are average.
• Keep your responses to 45 words or less. Long sentences should be avoided since the scoring system may not be able to appropriately analyze them.
• All nouns and the initial word of the sentence should be capitalized.
• The first-person narrative should be avoided. Instead, use the third person.
• Each paragraph should be summarized in a single phrase, with examples provided only if they are referenced.
• Pay close attention to the punctuation and concentrate on the last paragraph, which highlights the text’s major idea.

Writing an Essay:

• Determine if you’re writing an opinion essay, a problem essay, or a pros-and-cons essay. Then decide on your essay’s format.
• Make sure your spelling, punctuation, and grammar are correct.
• Make sure to write in this order: introduction in the first paragraph, body of essay in the second and third paragraphs, and conclusion in the fourth and final paragraph.
• In the body paragraphs, use examples and facts.
• Keep your sentences between 200 and 300 words long.

 

PTE Speaking Section Preparation Tips

Follow these tips if you would like to perform well in this section

Tips for Public Speaking:

• Improve your oral fluency and pronunciation by watching videos online.
• To improve your pronunciation, utilize Google and YouTube IPA and Phonemes.

Read it out loud:

• When you talk, pay attention to your intonation.
• If you make a mistake, don’t stop reading; keep going.

 

Sentence should be repeated:

• Pay close attention to the audio and attempt to remember the statement.
• Begin speaking as soon as the audio finishes. The end of the audio is not indicated by sound or text.
• If you can’t recall the entire statement, try to memorize the keywords and repeat them.

Define the image:

• Use terms like “illustrate,” “elucidate,” “display,” and “demonstrate.”
• Determine whether the image is a pie chart, a bar chart, or a line graph. Each of these has a distinct function. Timelines are used in line graphs, slices are used in pie charts, and bar charts compare.
• While recording, do not pause for more than 3 seconds.

Lecture Retell:

• Pay close attention to the keywords and attempt to grasp the main theme.
• Make a list of the most essential statements and use them to recount the lesson.

Answer the following short question:

• Wherever required, use the articles ‘a, an, and the.’
• If you don’t know the answer, repeat the words in the question.

 

PTE Exam Pattern & Syllabus

PTE Syllabus

PTE Speaking and PTE Writing (77 – 93 minutes):

• Personal Introduction
• Reading out loud
• Repeating Sentences
• Describing images
• Re-telling lectures
• Answering brief questions
• Summarizing given texts
• Essay writing

PTE Reading (32 – 40 minutes):

• Fill in the blanks
• Multiple choice question and answers (choosing a single answer and multiple answers)
• Rearranging the jumbled sentences

PTE Listening (45 – 57 minutes):

• The listening section consists of the following:
• Summarizing the audio content
• Multiple choice questions and answers (single answer and multiple answers)
• Fill in the blanks
• Highlighting the correct summary
• Choosing the missing word
• Highlighting the incorrect word
• Writing from dictation

The PTE test consists of the following sections:

• Speaking and Writing Sections (77-93minutes)
• Reading Section (32-40 minutes)
• Listening Section (45-57 minutes)

PTE Reading Section

The PTE Reading Section has 5 sub-sections. The total duration to complete this section is 32-40 minutes.

PTE Reading and Writing – Fill in the Blanks	Fill in the blanks in the given passage with the right answers.
PTE Multiple Choice – Multiple answers	Read the given passage and choose multiple right answers.
PTE Reordering paragraphs	Reordering the given sentences in the correct order to form a coherent passage.
PTE Fill in the blanks	Choose the right word from the dropdown boxes and fill in the blanks.
PTE Multiple Choice – Single answer	Select a single right answer from the list of options.

The total duration to complete this section is 45-57 minutes.

PTE Academic Listening

PTE Summarize spoken test	Summarize the audio in about 50-70 words in 10 minutes.
PTE Multiple Choice – Multiple answers	Carefully listen to the audio and choose multiple correct answers.
PTE Listening and Writing – Fill in the blanks	Listen to the audio and fill in the blanks with the exact phrases in the given transcript.
PTE Highlight the perfect summary	Listen to the audio and choose the right summary.
PTE Multiple Choice – Single answer	Choose a single right answer from the multiple-choice.
PTE Find the missing words	Listen to the audio, find the missing words and fill in the blanks.
PTE Highlight the incorrect words	Listen to the audio and change the incorrect words.
PTE Write from dictation	Listen to the audio and highlight the incorrect words.

This section has 8 sub-sections. The total duration to complete this section is 77-93 minutes.

PTE Academic Speaking and Writing

PTE Personal Introduction	With 25 seconds of preparation time, you will have to read out a prompt and record your personal details within 30 seconds. These details are later sent to schools.
PTE Read aloud	You will be given a transcript. You will have read the text on the transcript out loud. If you pause for more than 3 seconds, the recording will be stopped.
PTE Repeating sentences	Audio will be played. You will have to repeat the audio within 15 seconds.
PTE Image Description	You will be shown an image. After observing it for 25 seconds, you will have to describe it in your own words.
PTE Retell lecture	Listen to the lecture and summarize it in your words.
PTE Respond to a short question	Listen to the audio and respond to it with single or multiple words.
PTE Summarize in a single sentence	Read the given passage and summarize the important points within 75 words in 10 minutes.
PTE Essay writing	Write an essay in about 200 – 300 words in 20 minutes.

 

The PTE Syllabus is as follows

PTE Speaking and Writing:

• Personal Introduction
• Answer short questions
• Re-telling lecture
• Summarization
• Reading out loud
• Repeating sentences
• Describing images
• Essay writing

PTE Reading

• Fill in the blanks
• Multiple-choice questions and answers
• Rearranging paragraphs

PTE Listening

• Summarization
• Multiple-choice question and answers
• Fill in the blanks
• Writing from dictation
• Highlighting incorrect words

The Test process is as follows:

1. Reading the question – Depending on the length of the text, you will be given time to read the text prompt.
2. Preparing for the answer – You will be given an average of 10-15 seconds to prepare for each section to answer the questions.

Answering the questions – Your answers will be recorded as you write, speak and select the right answers.

PTE Results & Scores

PTE Score Chart 

PTE SCORE	DESCRIPTION
85 and above	Can read and comprehend with ease. Can easily understand spoken English. Can summarize details from various audio sources and written texts. Can express self coherently. Can converse with clarity in complex situations.
Between 76 and 84	Can comprehend a range of complex texts with their implicit meaning. Can express themselves without any difficulty. Can communicate effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.
Between 59 and 75	Can comprehend the main concepts of a complex text. Can communicate with fluency and spontaneity without much difficulty.
Between 51 and 58	Can communicate with sufficient command over the language, but makes many errors. Can easily understand standard spoken language. Can share factual information about everyday matters with a certain confidence. Can comprehend most of the details from recorded and broadcast resources.
Between 43 and 50	Can comprehend standard language encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can tackle common situations that might arise in places where the language is spoken.
Between 30 and 42	Can comprehend phrases and commonly used expressions that are of relevant topics including personal information, shopping, local geography and employment. Can communicate in simple terms their personal background and immediate environment.
Between 10 and 29	Can comprehend basic everyday phrases and expressions. Can introduce himself/herself and pose simple questions to others. Can interact with people.

 

PTE vs. IELTS Band Score Comparison 

PTE Band Score	IELTS Band Score
86 and above	9
83-85	8.5
79-82	8
73-78	7.5
65-72	7
59-64	6.5
51-58	6
43-50	5.5
35-42	5
30-34	4.5

PTE Band Score

The PTE score is machine-scored. The scoring is of two types:

• Partial Credit
• Correct or Incorrect

Partial Credit: Partial credit is marked for all right answers. For all wrong answers, points will be deducted from the points earned for the right answers. No marks are awarded for the wrong answers.

Correct or Incorrect: The candidate will be awarded one point for each correct response. No points will be awarded for an incorrect answer.

PTE Score Calculation:

The overall score will be calculated based on the candidate’s performance in all the sections. The PTE score calculators take the sum and average for the overall score. The two important contributors to the PTE score are Communicative Skills and Enabling Scores.

PTE Communicative Skills Score: The score for this category consists of reading, writing, speaking and listening. The score range for the skill is between 10 and 90 points.

PTE Enabling Skills Score: These skills include grammar, spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, oral fluency and written discourse. The score of enabling skill ranges between 10 and 90 points.

For the overall PTE score, all scores under Enabling Skills are added and the total is divided by 6. The average of this is added along with the four communicative skills scores. The average of these 5 parts together is taken as the overall PTE score.

PTE Speaking and Writing

S.No	Section	Scoring
1	Read Aloud	Partial credit
2	Repeat Sentence	Partial credit
3	Describe image	Partial credit
4	Re-tell lecture	Partial credit
5	Answer Short Questions	Correct/ Incorrect
6	Summarize Written Text	Partial credit
7	Writing Essay	Partial credit

PTE Reading

S.No	Section	Scoring
1	Multiple-choice, choose a single answer	Correct/ Incorrect
2	Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers	Partial credit for each correct response. Points deducted for incorrect options chosen
3	Re-order paragraphs	Partial credit for each correctly ordered, adjacent pair
4	Reading: Fill in the blanks	Partial credit for each correctly completed blank
5	Reading and writing: Fill in the blanks	Partial credit for each correctly completed blank

PTE Listening

 

S.No	Section	Scoring
1	Summarize spoken text	Partial credit
2	Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers	Partial credit for each correct response. Points deducted for incorrect options chosen
3	Fill in the blanks	Partial credit for each correct word spelled correctly
4	Highlight correct summary	Correct/ Incorrect
5	Multiple-choice, choose a single answer	Correct/ Incorrect
6	Select missing word	Correct/ incorrect
7	Highlight incorrect words	Partial credit for each word. Points deducted for incorrect options chosen
8	Write from dictation	Partial credit for each word spelled correctly

 

PTE Result

How to check the PTE Result?

The PTE results will be out within 5 business days from the actual test date. Candidates can access their PTE exam result online. Once the results are out, candidates will be notified via email. Once they receive this email, they can log in to the PTE Academic student account.  The PTE exam certification is valid for two years from the actual test date. Students who wish to prove their eligibility post two years will have to retake the exam.