PTE at a Glance

The Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) is a fast growing computer-based test of English designed to assess the proficiency of non-native English speakers for study abroad and immigration. Pearson created PTE Academic in response to demand from institutions, government and other organizations for more accurate way of testing non-native English language students who enter the English speaking countries. PTE Academic runs test sessions 363 days of the year and typically delivers results in five business days. It is approved by the Australian government for visa applications and accepted by thousands of institutions in the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Ireland, including Harvard, Yale and INSEAD.

PTE Academic assesses listening, reading, speaking and writing all via computer in a single 3 hour test session. During the three hour test session there will be three main parts to the test: speaking and writing (together), listening and reading. There are twenty different question formats, ranging from multiple choices through to essay writing and interpreting information.

Structure

The Pearson Test of English Academic comprises 3 sections: i) Speaking & Writing ii) Reading and iii) Listening.

Here is the detailed paper pattern:

Section	Duration	PTE Academic
Speaking & Writing	77 – 93 minutes	Personal Introduction Read Aloud Repeat sentence Describe image Re-tell lecture Answer short question Summarise written text (10 mins) Essay (20mins)
Reading	32 – 41 minutes	Reading and Writing: Fill in the blanks Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers Re-order paragraphs Reading: Fill in the blanks Multiple-choice, choose single answer A 10-minute break is optional
Listening	45 – 57 minutes	Summarise spoken text Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers Fill the blanks Highlight the correct summary Multiple choices, choose a single answer Select missing word Highlight incorrect words Write from dictation

Sample PTE Score Report

PTE Score Comparison with IELTS and TOEFLiBT