What is the Purpose of PTE?
PTE Academic is a computer-based English assessment test that evaluates candidates’ abilities to read, speak, listen, and write in an academic environment. The duration of the test is about 2 hours, and it is taken at a test centre. PTE Academic is accepted by over 3500 universities and colleges globally.
Types of PTE Test
The Pearson Test of English (PTE) offers several test types tailored to different purposes. Candidates can choose the appropriate test based on their goals, whether it's for study, work, or immigration.
- PTE Academic: For those applying to study at English-speaking universities or institutions.
- PTE Academic UKVI: A Secure English Language Test (SELT) approved by the UK Home Office for visa applications.
- PTE Home: Designed for UK family and work visas, this test assesses speaking and listening skills only.
- PTE Core: Accepted by the Canadian government for work and migration purposes (coming into wider use).
All PTE tests are computer-based and use AI scoring for fast, fair, and accurate results. Depending on the test type, candidates are assessed in key areas such as speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
| Section | Duration |
|---|---|
| Part 1– Speaking &Writing | 54-67 minutes |
| Part 2 – Reading | 30 minutes |
| Part 3 – Listening | 30 minutes |
Part 1: Speaking & Writing
Personal Introduction: This section is only for you to familiarize yourself with the test and does not contribute to your overall score. You will be given 25 seconds to read and prepare before you respond, and then you will have 30 seconds to record your response.
Read Aloud: A text will appear on the screen, and you are expected to read and speak. The duration will depend on the length of the text and will vary. The text will contain about 60 words.
Repeat Sentence: You will listen to a recording of a sentence and then repeat the sentence. The length of the listening recording will be about 3 to 9 seconds, and you will be given 15 seconds to respond.
Describe an Image: An image will appear on the screen, and you will have to describe the image for about 40 seconds.
Respond to a Situation: You will listen to an audio and read a description of a situation. Then, you will have to answer a question related to the situation and provide an extended response. The total length of the text would be about 60 words, and the time to speak would be about 40 seconds.
Answer Short Questions: You will listen to a question and respond to the question with a single word or a few words. The duration of the audio would be about 3 to 9 seconds, and you will have to respond within 10 seconds.
Summarize Written Text: You will read a short text of about 200 words and write a summary of what you have read in about 25 to 50 words. The time given to complete your response is about 10 minutes.
Write an Email: You will read a text of about 100 words, and then you have to write an email in response in about 9 minutes.
Part 2: Reading
The duration of this section is about 30 minutes and contains 5 different question types. This section also assesses reading and writing skills through an integrated task of Fill in the Blanks.
The different question types in this section are:
Reading &Writing: Fill in the Blanks: You will see a text with blanks to be filled in. Words will be given in a drop-down menu, and you will have to choose the right word to fill in the given blanks. The total length of the prompt would be about 200 words.
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer: You will read a text and then answer a set of multiple-choice questions based on the tone or content of the text. The multiple-choice questions will have more than one response. The total length of the prompt would be about 275 words.
Re-order Paragraphs: You will see several paragraphs arranged or listed in a random order. You will have to arrange the paragraphs in the right order. The length of the prompt would be about 110 words.
Fill in the Blanks: Text would appear on the screen with blanks. You will have words given in the boxes. The right words need to be dragged and dropped into the right blank position.
Multiple Choice, Single Answer: You will read a text with about 110 words and answer a multiple-choice question by selecting only one right answer.
Part 3: Listening
This section of the test is about 30 minutes long and has different question types. Audio and video clips will be played, and you can listen or watch them only once. It is important to make notes while listening to audio or watching video clips to arrive at the right answer.
The different question types in this section are:
Summarize Spoken Text: You will listen to a recording for about 45 to 75 seconds and then summarize what you heard. The total length of the summary should be about 20-30 words in length.
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer: You will listen to a recording for about 50-90 seconds and then answer multiple-choice questions based on the content of the recording. Each question will have more than one response.
Fill in the Blanks: A transcript of a recording will appear on the screen with blanks to be filled in. You will then listen to the recording and type the missing word in the given blank. The length of the recording would be about 30 to 60 seconds.
Multiple Choice, Single Answer: You will listen to a recording for about 30-60 seconds and then answer multiple-choice questions based on the content of the recording. Each question will have only one response.
Select Missing Word: After listening to a recording, you will have to select the missing word from the list of options given. The length of the recording would be about 20-70 seconds.
Highlight Incorrect Words: The transcript of a recording appears on the screen for about 15-50 seconds. You will then listen to a recording and identify the words that were different from what was spoken in the recording and highlight them.
Write from Dictation: You will listen to a recording and then type the sentence in about 3 to 5 seconds.
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