PTE

Pearson Test of English is another test that focuses on assessing the English language proficiency of the candidate. It is very different from the two of its popular competitors IELTS and TOEFL in terms of scoring patterns and results. It is a completely computerized test and the results are typically available in 5 working days.

What is the PTE Academic?

The PTE Academic exam is a computer-based only English proficiency test accepted by educational institutions around the world. Those students and aspirants who aspire to go abroad for studying or immigration in a major English-speaking country may take the PTE Academic exam is a mandatory condition to gain admission.

Why PTE Exam is required?

PTE Academic is a computer-based English language test given by non-native English speakers who wish to study abroad. It tests Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking skills of the candidates. The test is designed in such a way that every question generally tests 2 skills together, like reading and speaking or listening and reading.

Who Takes the PTE Exam?

PTE Academic exam is accepted by thousands of educational institutions across the world. Apart from this, PTE Academic is also accepted by the governments of Australia and New Zealand for visa purposes. Those who aspire to go abroad for studying in a major English speaking country like the UK, Australia, USA, and Canada take the PTE Academic exam to prove their English language efficiency.

IELTS vs PTE vs TOEFL

All three exams IELTS, PTE and TOEFL evaluate your English language skills based on four parameters of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Now the primary question is which test to take? Before arriving at any conclusion, you must consider your requirements or preferences. To choose amongst IELTS vs PTE vs TOEFL: which exam is better, please read here.

Eligibility

Students must be at least 16 years of age at the time of appearing for the test. Also, candidates who are below 18 years of age need to give a parental consent form for giving the PTE Academic test.

How Many Attempts Allowed

Just like many other English language exams, there is no limit by Pearson as to how many times a candidate can give the PTE. Candidates can take the exam with a gap of 5 days. So, candidates can take the PTE Academic exam as many times as they want until they are satisfied with the test for the application process.

PTE 2019 Registration

For booking PTE Academic online, you need a valid ID, generally a passport. Candidates are also required to show that ID on the day of the exam else they are not allowed to enter the PTE Test center.

Steps to register PTE Academic

• Visit the official PTE Academic website.
• Create your Pearson account by giving your details.
• Once you complete the registration process, you will receive an email within 48 hours from Pearson with your login details.
• The next step is to search for your nearest test center.
• Also select suitable available time and date.
• After selecting all your details like time, date, and slot you will be asked to proceed to the checkout button.
• Then make payment and finalize your booking.

Cancel or Reschedule PTE Exam

If you do not want to give the PTE Academic test, then you can claim a refund before 14 calendar days before the test date. Canceling or rescheduling the PTE Academic exam can be done on the PTE official website only. We recommend booking the test only when you are confident and available.

PTE Exam Fees

The current PTE Academic exam fee is 13,300 INR.

PTE Exam Cancellation Fees

Candidates who decide on not pursuing his PTE Academic test after making their booking online have up to 14 full calendar days before their test date to claim a full refund. Candidates who cancel the test, with less than 14 calendar days, but at least 7 full calendar days before their test date will receive a partial refund of 50% of the test fee paid. However, no refunds would be provided to candidates on canceling the exam less than 7 calendar days before the exam. Candidates should note that the exam test date is not included in the cancellation policy so add another day when calculating.

PTE Rescheduling Fees

Candidates who plan to reschedule the test, with less than 14 calendar days, but at least 7 full calendar days before their test date will be required to pay 50% of the test fee. No refunds will be provided on rescheduling the exam less than 7 calendar days before the exam. Candidates should note that the reschedule policy does not include your test date.

PTE Exam Dates

The exam is conducted throughout the year at the designated Test Centres across the country. These dates might vary from center to center. Students must search for the seats available on the Pearson PTE Academic website. Simply select the test centers closest to you, and click next. The website would prompt you to the calendar with the available dates.

PTE Syllabus

Candidates need to understand the PTE Academic syllabus to appear for the exam. The PTE Academic is broadly divided into Speaking and Writing, Reading and Listening sections. Candidates can check out the detailed PTE Syllabus for each category below:

Speaking and Writing

• Personal Introduction
• Read aloud
• Repeat sentence
• Describe image
• Re-tell lecture
• Answer short question
• Summarize written text
• Essay

Reading

• Fill in the blanks
• Multiple-choice questions
• Re-order paragraphs
• Fill in the blanks
• Multiple-choice questions

Listening

• Summarize spoken text
• Multiple-choice questions
• Fill the blanks
• Highlight the correct summary
• Multiple-choice questions
• Select missing word
• Highlight incorrect words

PTE Exam Pattern

PTE Academic Syllabus includes three sections – Speaking & Writing, Reading, and Listening. You get marked on these three sections and you get the PTE Academic total score as well. The PTE Exam Pattern mentioned below talks about the components of the PTE Academic Paper in detail for the benefit of the candidate:

Speaking and Writing — 77 to 93 minutes

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PTE Scoring pattern

PTE Academic is scored on a scale of 10 – 90 where 10 is lowest, with increments of 1 point. Graded on the scale, the score showcases the person’s ability to read, speak, understand verbal instructions and write the English language. The scores are presented in a graph, giving an easy understanding of the candidate’s core skills in the language as well as improvement areas.

Sending PTE scores 

Candidates who wish to send their score can do so via an online secure portal set up by PTE. Universities do not accept paper or PDF versions of PTE Academic score reports.

Steps to sending your PTE Score Report:

• Login to your account.
• Click ‘View Score Reports’.
• Click ‘Send Scores’.
• Type the name of your chosen institution
• Review your details then scroll down the page and click ‘Next’ and then ‘Next’ again to confirm

PTE Results

Results are usually available online within five working days from the test date. The PTE Academic results are issued online. And can be accessed from your PTE Academic student account. First, you will receive an email within five working days with instructions on accessing the results online. After that, you need to follow the instructions to log in to your Pearson account.  You can share your results with the colleges and universities of your choice through your Pearson account.

Arriving on the test day?

Candidates are required to arrive at least 30 minutes before their test, to check-in and pass security. They should not forget to bring an acceptable ID, usually a passport for the smooth functioning of the exam formalities.

Countries Accepting PTE Score

Aspirants looking to pursue higher education in Australia, New Zealand, USA, UK, Canada, Ireland, Singapore, and Germany among many other countries are required to appear for the Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic exam. One of the most widely accepted computer-based tests of English, PTE Academic is generally undertaken for studying abroad and immigration options.

PTE Exam Preparation Tips

Often students start the preparation with either joining a coaching center or simply signing up for free practice tests. What a student forgets is that, like any exam, even language proficiency exams have to be dealt with a methodology. Here are a few study tips that would help you perform in the PTE Academic Exam. It is, however, important to note that no number of tips, tricks or tools can outwit the dedication and efficiency of the practice. So, improve these skills and practice them repeatedly to succeed.

Academic Speaking Tips 

• Read Aloud
• Rising your tone at the beginning and falling tone at the end of the sentence will make the sentences sound authentic.
• If you realize you made a mistake, continue speaking and don’t stop.
• From day 1 of preparation, practice with different tongue-twisters every day until the exam day.
• Repeat Sentence
• Listen with closed eyes and memorize the sentence.
• There is no beep at the end, so just start speaking after the clip ends.
• If you can’t manage to remember the whole sentence, at least focus on the keywords and repeat those.
• Describe Image
• Start with words like illustrate, elucidates, depicts, etc.
• Notice whether it is bar-chart, line-graph or pie-chart. Line graphs have a ‘timeline’, pie charts have ‘slices’ and bar charts compare.
• Make use of the following words – on the left-hand side, on the right side, next to, below/bottom, above, at the top, foreground, background, etc.
• Try finishing in 30–35 seconds and don’t leave incomplete recorded sentences.

Academic Writing Section Tips

• Getting a perfect score of 90 out of 90 is possible with strong vocabulary and grammar. If you have an average vocabulary and grammar, you can expect to score around 73.
• Try writing your answers between 35–45 words. Avoid very long sentences, as the scoring algorithms may not be able to evaluate long sentences with great accuracy.
• Pay attention to punctuation.
• Capitalize all the starting words and nouns in a sentence.
• Don’t provide any examples, unless asked for.
• Write the summary in third person form I.e. avoid usage of I, Me, We, etc.
• concentrate on the last paragraph as it usually contains a summary of the text.

• Summarize each paragraph in a single sentence

Academic Reading Section Tips 

• Multiple-choice, Choose Single Answer
• Understand the main message of the passage and focus on keywords to find the correct answer.
• Focus on the frequency words (for example – always, sometimes, never many, all, often, never, only) eliminate those options and maybe you will find the correct answer.
• Since there is no negative marking for this question, answer the question and don’t leave it blank.
• Make use of the rule of elimination. Narrow down your options as much as possible.
• Read the question before you read the text to understand what kind of information to look for.
• 60% of the answers can be found in the first or last two lines of the passage.
• Remember the information in the passage as the questions will not be asked in chronological order and you will find the answer anywhere in the passage.
• Learn to paraphrase, which means conveying the meaning using different words.
• Multiple-choice, Choose Multiple Answers
• Since this question has negative marking, don’t select options if you are not entirely sure. If you are not sure, leave it.
• Re-order paragraphs
• First, search for headlines including a major idea from the paragraph.
• The sentence starting with pronouns like he, she, her, they, them, those, etc will never be the first sentence.
• Look for contradictory phrases with, however, but, although an additional phrase like also, moreover, furthermore, besides. Find the sentence before it.
• Fill in the blanks
• There is no negative marking, so answer all the questions even if you are not sure.
• Concentrate on the parts of speech before and after the blank, it will help in finding the missing word.
• Most of the time, missing word will have a synonym in the text provided.

Academic Listening Section Tips

• Listen actively, which means learning to listen to English songs differently. Focus on the lyrics which requires more attention.
• Watch movies and TV shows first with subtitles and then without subtitles.
• Listening to new content will increase your vocabulary which will improve your understanding of spoken English while listening.
• Summarize spoken text.
• Restrict your answer to 50-70 words.
• You can start with saying something “The speaker said”
• Use the provided notepad to write down the keywords.
• Close your eyes for better attention.
• Focus on the theme and the most repeated words.
• Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers
• Don’t make blind guesses as this question has negative marking
• It is recommended you read questions before the audio starts.
• Stay focused till the end as the answers could be in the end.

Some PTE FAQ’s

Still, have queries regarding your PTE test, check out the most frequently asked questions for any unanswered query.

1. How to choose the right PTE exam?

PTE Academic is accepted by universities worldwide for the main purpose of higher education abroad.

PTE General is also accepted by universities and employers and serves as proof of English language proficiency and is mainly used for employment purposes.

1. How should I prepare for the PTE to get 79+ marks?

1. Whether through self-study or with the help of extra classes, candidates are always advised to give in their best during the examination. Referring to official PTE Study Material, solving multiple PTE Practice Papers and revising the PTE Syllabus is a good start.

1. When do we get the PTE academic exam results?
2. Results are usually available online within five working days from the test date. The PTE Academic results are issued online. And can be accessed from your PTE Academic student account. First, you will receive an email within five working days with instructions on accessing the results online. After that, you need to follow the instructions to log in to your Pearson account.

1. How can I boost my PTE score to 90?
2. Candidates are often encouraged to visit and revisit their PTE Academic syllabus. Know the PTE Exam Pattern and above all practice as many PTE Sample Papers as possible to leave minimum room for error.