PTE Academic: the computer-based English test
PTE Academic measures your English speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in a single, short test.
Who accepts PTE Academic?
PTE Academic scores open doors to 3,000+ universities, colleges, and professional bodies globally, including Oxford University, Harvard Business School, and Macquarie University.
PTE is also approved for all UK, Australian, and New Zealand visa and immigration categories.
The Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic) evaluates candidates’ speaking, writing, reading, and listening abilities in order to determine whether they are qualified to study abroad and have a solid command of the English language.
The PTE exam syllabus is primarily made up of three sections, the Speaking & Writing Section, the Writing Section and the Listening Section.
The PTE Academic exam, administered by Pearson PLC Group, is a computer-based English language examination that is recognized by educational institutions all around the world. PTE-Academic is the English test taken by students and aspirants who want to study or immigrate to a significant English-speaking country abroad. PTE is short for Pearson Test of English. Pupils must pass the PTE exam to demonstrate their proficiency in the English language.
PTE Exam Syllabus 2023
As informed earlier, in this article we are going to mainly focus on the PTE syllabus 2023.
PTE Syllabus
| PTE Section | PTE Exam Syllabus | Total Questions/Duration |
| PTE Speaking & Writing | Personal Introduction • Read Aloud • Repeat Sentence • Describe Image • Re-Tell Lecture • Answer Short Questions • Summarize Written Text • Essay | No. of Questions: 28 – 36 Duration: 54 – 67 minutes |
| PTE Reading Section | Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer • Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers • Re-Order Paragraphs • Reading: Fill in the Blanks • Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks | No. of Questions: 13 – 18 Duration: 29 – 30 minutes |
| PTE Listening Section | Summarize Spoken Text • Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer • Fill in the Blanks • Highlight Correct Summary • Multiple Choice, Single Answer • Select Missing Word • Highlight Incorrect Words • Write From Dictation | No. of Questions: 12 – 20 Duration: 30 – 43 minutes |
Section-by-section PTE Syllabus
The Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic) evaluates candidates’ speaking, writing, reading, and listening abilities in order to determine whether they are qualified to study abroad and have a solid command of the English language. Students can demonstrate to the admissions committee and the visa officials that they are able to comprehend the officially recognized language while studying abroad by performing well on this test.
With a high exam score, candidates are also guaranteed to be able to convey their ideas, work to get worldwide exposure, and generally function on the global stage in front of foreign audiences. This makes it easier for the applicants to confirm that they are prepared to interact with international faculty members and students while studying in the same official language.
Speaking and Writing Sections of the PTE Exam: 54 to 67 minutes
PTE Speaking and Writing Part Curriculum: The verbal and written portions of the candidates’ communication skills are tested in this segment, as the name suggests. The Speaking & Writing segment of the PTE exam lasts between 54 and 67 minutes and consists of seven different question types. The PTE test’s Speaking & Writing segment is the longest. The candidate will be evaluated on both their speaking and writing abilities using academic-style English.
This phase consists of seven brief sections that assess your ability to respond quickly when speaking and writing on the written test, which you will be reading for the first time. The entire part lasts between 54 and 67 minutes, with 54 to 67 seconds permitted to each phase.
| Segments Pattern | Time Duration |
| Personal Introduction | 55 seconds: 25 seconds for prompt, 30 seconds to record |
| Read Aloud | 30-40 seconds to prepare for reading out the text of 60 words |
| Repeat Sentence | 15 seconds: 3-9 seconds for prompt, 15 seconds to record |
| Describe Image | 25 seconds are granted to study the image as well as prepare your response on the same |
| Re-Tell Lecture | 90 seconds for prompt length, 10 seconds to prepare and 40 seconds to answer |
| Answer Short Question | 20 seconds: 3-9 seconds for prompt, 10 seconds to answer |
| Summarize Written Text | 10 minutes to answer to text prompt of 300 words |
| Essay | 20 minutes to answer to text prompt of 2-3 sentences |
| Total Questions | 28 – 36 |
| Time Allocation | 54 – 67 minutes |
PTE Exam Syllabus: Reading Section: 29 – 30 minutes
Syllabus of PTE Reading Section: This section tests the candidates on the basis of their ability to understand the written instructions in the language. The section further divided into 5 segments is 29 to 30 minutes long. Check out the segment-wise pattern for the time distribution of this section:
| Segments Pattern | Time Duration varies on the length of the Text Prompt |
| Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer | Read 300 words of text |
| Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers | Read 300 words of text |
| Re-Order Paragraphs | Read 150 words of text |
| Reading: Fill in the Blanks | Read 80 words of text |
| Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks | Read 300 words of text |
PTE Exam Syllabus: Listening Section: 30 – 43 minutes
Syllabus of PTE Listening Section: The listening section of the PTE Academic is stretched over 30 to 43 minutes of duration. This one is designed to determine the ability to understand spoken English by the candidate. Here, the student needs to ascertain that they carefully hear the audio file played and retain what they heard. This section is divided into 8 segments and the time given to each segment is as follows.
| Segments Pattern | Time Duration |
| Summarize Spoken Text | 60-90 seconds to retain 50-70 words, 10 minutes to write |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer | 40-90 seconds for prompt |
| Fill in the Blanks | 30-60 seconds |
| Highlight Correct Summary | 30-90 seconds |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | 30-60 seconds |
| Select Missing Word | 20-70 seconds |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | 15-50 seconds |
| Write From Dictation | 3-5 seconds |
Tips for the PTE Exam
The PTE Exam Day suggestions listed below are for candidates planning to take the PTE Academic Test.
⇒ There shouldn’t be any doubt about skipping breakfast. You would be well-fueled for a longer period of time with a reasonably heavy breakfast. It is advised that candidates bring a little snack or piece of fruit with them to quell uncontrollable hunger.
⇒ Applicants are recommended to dress comfortably in a variety of temperatures. It is crucial that the individual is at ease when taking the test.
⇒ In order to arrive on time and prevent any last-minute hassles, candidates must be at the PTE Academic Test center 30 minutes prior to the reporting time.
⇒ Candidates must present a valid passport as proof of identification once they arrive at the PTE Test Center in order to continue. The candidate would have his or her photo taken and biometrics scanned for official usage only at the time of ID verification for security reasons.
⇒ Applicants will have access to a locker facility for the storage of their personal items at the PTE Test Center. Snacks, devices like a watch or phone, their bag, if they have one, and their bag are some examples.
FAQ about PTE:
| What is the total duration of the PTE Academic test? |
The total duration of your PTE Academic test is two hours and fifteen minutes.
How could I best get ready for my upcoming PTE Academic exam?
Having a plan in mind would be the greatest approach to preparing for any test, including PTE Academic. The schedule should cover the full curriculum and give enough time for completing practice papers. The candidate should pay more attention to themes that are challenging for them while still completing simple problems.
How much time should be spent studying for the PTE Academic exam?
The candidate has complete discretion over this. But pupils who have appeared for the test before and are on their second attempt would take fewer time preparation time than first-time test takers. It wouldn’t be strictly correct to enter a number.
For first-time test takers, how difficult is the PTE Academic exam?
No. You should be aware that the test was developed to determine the student’s level of ability in the English language. As a result, a candidate who studied for the PTE Academic test shouldn’t find this English exam to be challenging.
Is it simple to pass the PTE Academic exam?
A candidate who is familiar with the PTE Academic syllabus and who has studied diligently for the test with complete sincerity and vigor will be able to pass with flying colors.
What is the cutoff for the PTE Academic?
The fact that there is no passing or failing grades should be understood by candidates. Universities would have a minimum PTE score requirement that applicants would need to meet in order to be considered for admission.
How can I get ready at home for PTE?
The globe is unquestionably smaller because to the Internet. Applicants can use the internet to access accurate information that is current with the most recent PTE syllabus from the official PTE website. Applicants can also use our preparation guide, as well as literature that are available both online and offline, as well as the PTE website.
The PTE Academic exam is graded in what ways?
Candidates will receive their PTE Academic scores for each of the skill parts on a scale of 10 to 90 after completing the PTE Academic exam. Also, they will receive a general score.