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An Overview of PTE

Pearson English Tests (PTE) is a computer-based academic English exam for non-native English speakers who want to study, work or settle abroad. It assesses your ability to read, write, listen and speak. In the range of ten to ninety points, candidates will receive a PTE score. The validity of the PTE depends on the type of test you are attaining.The PTE test lasts two hours and requires applicants to answer 20 different type of questions

 PTE registration can be done online by:

  • Step 1-creating an account, 
  • Step 2-completing the profile
  • Step 3-choosing a PTE test date and location and 
  • Step 4-submitting the PTE application fee.

 

What are the types of PTE exams?

The PTE exam is administered in 3 formats: 

  1. PTE Academic Examination
  2. General PTE Exam, and 
  3. PTE Examination for Young Learners. 
  4. PTE Academic: This test may be taken throughout the year depending on the candidate's convenience and available dates. Candidates' reading, writing, speaking and listening skills are tested in this multiple-choice format. The test is provided on a computer at a secure testing center. The validity of the points is 2 years. . The PTE test lasts two hours and requires applicants to answer 20 different type of questions
  5. General PTE: This test can be taken 3 times a year viz. May, June and December. You can check the available dates on the official PTE website. This test consists of two parts: a written test and an oral test resembling an interview, in which both sections assess the candidate's reading, writing, speaking and listening skills with a direct approach-Closer to reality. The test consists of six different levels of proficiency designed to test and approve the candidate's general English ability. Scores are valuable for life.
  6. PTE Young Learners: This test is designed for children ages 6-13. It includes story writing, picture matching, group chat and board games, etc. This is a fun test involving real-life situations to gauge your child's English skills without stress. Scores are valuable for life.

 

PTE Academic Exam Syllabus

The following PTE Exam curriculum is for candidates who are planning to take their next PTE Exam. The PTE Academic test course is broken down into three sections: Speaking and Writing, Reading, and Listening. You will need to go to a secure Pearson test center to pass the academic PTE exam. You will use the monitor and microphone to listen, read, and answer questions. There are three main parts of the PTE curriculum during the two-hour test: speaking and writing (together), listening, and reading. There is also an optional 10-minute break between reading and listening. During your research, you can find 20 different types of questions, from multiple choice to detailed essay and analysis. 

  1. Real Academic English Assessment 
  2. Listen to lecture excerpts  
  3. Show pictures and charts 
  4. Distinguishing accents

Speaking & Writing Syllabus

As the name says, this portion assesses the candidate's communication abilities, including their oral and written abilities. This component is divided into six short pieces that assess your swiftness in speaking and writing the written exam, which you will be reading for the first time.

Question types of PTE speaking sections:

  1. Read Aloud

In this task, you will be presented with a short passage of text that you must read aloud and record. Preparation time is 30 seconds. Recording will stop after 40 seconds. However, if you keep silent, it will stop after 3 seconds.

  1. Repeat a sentence

Listen to the recording and repeat the sentences you hear. Do not rush. Speak clearly and check the recording status.

  1. Image description

Displays images such as maps, graphs, charts, tables, or images. Your task is to study it and explain it in 40 seconds or less. Please try to include as much detail as possible.

  1. Retell the lecture 

This task asks you to listen to a lecture, prepare an answer for 10 seconds, and summarize in your own words what you heard. Like the previous task, it is limited to 40 seconds.

  1. Answer short questions

Listen to the audio and answer the questions. You can answer in one word or a few words. You will have to think quickly because Mike will start recording only a second later. After 3 seconds of silence, it will power off.

We have prepared some recommendations to help you succeed in your testing.

  1. Don't be in a hurry/Dont get Panic

English is just a language, not a measure of intelligence. Time is limited, but that doesn't mean you have to act as quickly as possible. Practice speaking at your normal speed.

  1. Learn to summarize

Practice repeating short lectures without paying attention to details. You don't have much time, so learn to pay attention to important ideas.

  1. Avoid unnecessary breaks

Note that silence for more than 3 seconds turns off the microphone. Also, do not speak before the recording begins. Your response will not be recorded.

  1. Work on your vocabulary 

You should describe the image in your own words. Find synonyms for terms, understand what they mean, and make sure you can use them correctly to describe your images.

  1. Practice speaking

Find an English-speaking club in your area and practice speaking. If this option isn't available, you can also check online resources or join a tutoring session with a native speaker.

Question types of PTE listening sections:

  1. Summarize the written text

For this task, you need to create a summary of a specific text. Just write a sentence of 75 words or less. Add a gist and keep it short. You have only 10 minutes to complete the task

  1. Write an essay

Some students find this part the most difficult. Within 20 minutes he has to write a 300-word argumentative essay. You will be prompted and have to indicate whether you agree with the statement. Develop your claim and back it up with evidence and examples from your experience.

 

Want to know how to master these tasks? Check out these tips:

  1. Avoid slang

You should write your essay in academic language. Using slang in your writing (and even in your speaking section!) seems out of place.

  1. Pay attention to spelling, punctuation, and grammar

Every time you make a mistake in the writing section, you get less points for the task. We encourage you to read academic texts and practice paraphrasing. Pay attention to spelling and grammar.

  1. Write an argumentative essay

The best way to learn how to write an essay is to write an essay every day. For more information on how to write an academic paper, see your college guide. By the way, writing every day will improve your reading comprehension and increase your vocabulary.

  1. Practice writing complex sentences

In the Written Text Summary task, the summary must be written by him in one sentence. You should learn to extract the main idea of ??the text using connectives.

  1. Learn your limits

The abstract should be between 5 and 75 words and the essay should be within his 300 words. If you write more than the character limit, you will not receive points. Therefore, it is recommended that you practice writing according to these restrictions.

Reading Syllabus

This portion assesses the applicants' ability to comprehend detailed instructions in the target language. The portion is 29 to 30 minutes long, broken into 5 chunks.

Question types of PTE reading sections:

  1. Multiple choice (choose one) 

Questions require you to read the prompt and answer the question. You have to choose only one correct answer. Do not spend more than 3 minutes answering the PTE reading questions.

  1.  Multiple-choice questions (choose multiple options)

Similar to the previous one, but you must select multiple answers. Spend maximum up to 3-4 minutes on these questions.

  1. Re-order paragraphs 

This tests your ability to logically reorder sentences and paragraphs.

  1. Filling in the blanks 

Suggests dragging the correct word to the correct place in the text. Do not leave any fields unanswered.

  1. Reading and Writing Task : Fill in the blanks

Fill in the Blanks is similar to the previous task. You have to read a 300 word text with some keywords missing.

Want to know how to prepare for this section?  Here are some simple and effective tips to pass the Exam.

  1. Master time management 

Time is limited, 40 minutes maximum for the entire PTE reading section. For this reason, it's a good idea to practice your reading tasks and spend less time on each task.

  1. Learn grammar rules and practice vocabulary

It may seem obvious, but you can't succeed without basic grammar. Be careful with collocations, common expressions, and idioms. You can use flashcards to memorize rules and new words.

  1. Read a lot

A simple but effective technique can help you improve your English reading comprehension. Try reading a variety of texts, from newspapers to scientific literature. Make sure you can define key ideas for each paragraph and go into detail.

Listening Syllabus

 

The PTE Academic's hearing component takes between 30 and 43 minutes to complete. This one is meant to test the candidate's ability to hear spoken English. The learner must ensure that they closely listen to the audio clip being played and recall what they hear.

Question types of PTE listening sections:

  1. Summarize spoken text. You will listen to a short recording for 1-1.5 minutes and write a brief summary of what you heard. Try to keep it short – within 50-70 words. Make sure you include the crucial points.
  2. Highlight correct summary. The task is pretty simple: listen to the recording and choose the right answer that best summarizes the audio.
  3. Select the missing word. You will listen to the short audio for 20-70 seconds without last words and then choose the right ending for the recording.
  4. Highlight incorrect words. This task will require you to listen to the audio and read the transcript. You need to find some of the words that the speaker did not use in the recording.
  5. Write from dictation. Simple: listen to the sentence and type it in the text box. You will get a point for every correct word.

 

Note that you can listen to the recordings only once, so make sure you are ready for the tasks and won’t miss anything. Now, let’s talk about strategies you can use to prepare for this section:

  1. Listen to native speakers

The best way to boost your listening skills is to listen to various speakers with different accents. We suggest you to pay attention to native speakers from the UK, US, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Also, you can listen to non-native speakers from Europe, India, and China. This will help you learn the different pronunciations.

  1. Keep a diaryWhen listening recordings, write down the title and try to summarize each one of them. This will help you learn how to define key ideas of spoken passages.
  2. Take notes. This is a crucial skill that will come in handy on PTE exam and will work for every section. Learn to use symbols, abbreviations, and shortenings as you won’t have much time on the test.

 

PTE Academic Exam Pattern

The Pearson English Language Test (PTE Academic) assesses candidates' writing and speaking abilities to ensure that they can learn in an international context and are fluent in the global language of English. 

 The PTE Academic Test is scored on a scale of 10 to 90, with the 10 lowest and 90 being the highest. The score, based on a scale, represents a person's ability to read, speak, and interpret oral and written instructions in English.

Speaking and Writing 

54 - 67 minutes

Reading Section

29 - 30 mins

Listening

30 - 43 minutes

 

PTE Academic Scoring System

The first thing you need to know is that the test uses automated machine-based scoring. The maximum score in PTE Academic is 90 points. This score is based on the performance of all test items. In fact, your score depends on two factors: 

  • Communication skills: including reading, writing, speaking and listening. The score of this quiz contributor ranges from 10 to 90 points.
  • Activation Skills: Includes pronunciation, fluency, grammar, spelling, and speaking. These skills are assessed based on your performance in four sections. The maximum score is 90 points.

 

In the chart below, you can convert PTE Score to IELTS Score and TOEFL iBT Score.

PTE Academic

IELTS

TOEFL iBT

86 and above

9

120

83-85

8.5

113

79-82

8

105

73-78

7.5

99-100

65-72

7

94

59-64

6.5

87-88

51-58

6

79-80

43-50

5.5

74-75

35-42

5

65-66

30-34

4.5

54-56

 

Why take the PTE exam?

PTE is a fully computerized test that requires no human interaction. This is supposed to be a fairly fair exam as it scores candidates using world-class AI skills. Additionally, your PTE results will be sent to you within five business days of the test date. If you need visa urgently and don't have time for additional exams, PTE is the way to go. Finally, if you do well in PTE Academic, you can apply to the best G8 institutions and pursue your studies there. If you are planning to immigrate, having a good PTE score can help you earn more points.

Why is the PTE exam required? 

Experts say that the English Pearson Test is more practical, reliable and simple. Each question in the test is intended to simultaneously assess two abilities such as reading and speaking or listening and reading. Experts say that the English Pearson Test is more practical, reliable and simple. Candidates score higher on the first or second attempt due to these variables. It also simplifies the public relations procedure for those applying for a permanent resident visa. Thousands of academic institutions around the world recognize the PTE Academic test. Those who want to apply to study in a major English speaking country such as the UK, Australia, USA or New Zealand, take the PTE Academic test to prove their English proficiency.

How do I register for PTE?

Pearson Academic reservations are made by registering a PTE account (pearsonpte.com) and allowing PTE login with this account. 

Here are the steps to register for PTE: 

  1. Fill in the required information at https://id.mypte.pearsonpte.com/Account/Login, such as your name, address, phone number and date of birth.
  2. Next, candidates will need to fill out their profile carefully. These should include any additional information, test preferences, exam history, past score reports (if applicable), and any other relevant information that may be helpful during the admissions process or when submitting scores.
  1. Applicants must fill in their personal information exactly as on the passport. 
  2. Candidates must select the test date and venue from the list of PTE sessions that best suits their requirements.
  3. By paying the price of the PTE test, the reservation will be completed.

There are no strict restrictions to register for the PTE exam, although applicants must be 18 years of age at the time of registration. Otherwise, they must provide parental authorization to register.

What makes PTE different?

  1. Machine scoring = accurate, fast, objective scores
  2. The first completely computer-based English test
  3. PTE test ‘international’ English, not just British or American
  4. Practice tests for maximum confidence on test day
  5. Convenient, friendly test centers
  6. Send your scores as often as you like – for free

Rescheduling PTE Exams:

  1. You will not be charged anything if you reschedule your test 14 calendar days before the test date.
  2. You will be charged 50% of the test fee if you reschedule the test less than 14 calendar days but 7 calendar days before the test date. 
  3. You will be required to pay the full exam fee if you reschedule your test less than 7 calendar days after the test date.

 Canceling the PTE Exam: 

  1. You will receive a full refund if you cancel your PTE exam before or up to 14 calendar days before the test date. 
  2. You will receive 50% of the test fee if you cancel the test within 14 calendar days but 7 calendar days before the test date. 
  3. You will not receive a refund if you cancel the test less than 7 calendar days after the test date.

 

How to access the scores of the PTE exam?

  1. Points are available within 5 business days. 
  2. You will be notified by e-mail of score availability. 
  1. Once you receive the letter, you can log into Pearson VUE where you registered and schedule your PTE exam. 
  2. Through "View Score Report" you can access your score.
    1. Sign in to your Pearson account
    2. By default, your homepage will be on the myPTE tab after you log in. To see your most recent PTE score, go to the My Activity tab, which is located next to myPTE at the top of the page.
    3. You should be seeing an exam scores record with the corresponding date on this page if a grade has been provided for you.

 

How do I send PTE scores to colleges and universities?

Here are the steps to send your PTE scores to universities:

  1. Log in to your pearsonvue.com/pte account. 
  2. Access your score by clicking "View Score Report".
  3. Then click `` Submit Score ''
  4. Enter the name of your desired or chosen institution in the field that says "Academy/Organization/Department/School" and click "Search". 
  5. Choose your base from the options that correspond to your results.
  6. Check the box next to the establishment's name when it appears on the list. You can choose 7 colleges/Universities options at once.
  7. Click "Next" at the bottom of the page when you're done selecting and verifying your information, then click "Next" again to confirm. 
  8. You can send your scores to as many schools as you want for free. Repeat the process for each facility.