PTE

What is PTE?

PTE stands for Pearson Test of English, which is a computer-based test for students who wish to apply for study abroad.

The test allows aspirants to prove their English language proficiency on communicative skills and enabling skills. It is recognized by most major educational institutions in abroad. PTE assesses four communicative skills: Reading, Writing, Reading and Listening done in a single sitting of 2 hours. There are 20 different types of tasks. Some tasks will test integrated skills (e.g., reading AND speaking)

Why Choose PTE?

  • Computer-Assessed:PTE Academic is a fully computerized, including assessment. This means, throughout your test there will be no human interaction. The only interaction you will have will be with the test software. This gives test takers a unique advantage because it eliminates possibility of bias arising from cultural or personality differences. Similarly, conversing with someone who is a native speaker of English is not ideal when you are trying to prove your own competency in the language. Hence, unlike other paper-based tests, PTE-A tests performance evaluation objectively.
  • Quick Results:On an, those who sit PTE Academic receive their results within five working days. Most students receive their results within two days. This is vastly superior to other standardized tests which may take up-to two weeks to publish their results.
  • Flexibility in Choice:PTE Academic can be taken almost on any day of the year. According to Pearson.com, there are more than 200 center’s around the world where you can take the test.
  • Comprehensive Analysis:PTE Academic questions are based on real-life English skills as well as academics, so PTE Course Melbourne trains students to use relevant tasks and measures skills in an integrated way. PTE-A also enabling skills such as grammar, vocabulary, fluency, spelling and pronunciation. Some other tests may only assess only communicative skills.
  • Widely Accepted:PTE Academic is accepted for study applications by thousands of academic programs around the world.

What is the test structure?

The examination consists of four sections and is divided into three parts. The sections in PTE examination are Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening.

  • Speaking & Writing:The duration of this part of exam is 54-67 minutes. In Part one, a candidate is tested mainly on Speaking and Writing skills. Under this, the first section contains Personal introduction. The students are given an opportunity to give information about themselves. This part of question is not scored. It is just done to provide information to the selected institutions. Part two, contains a number of question types where a student first gets to listen to an audio and then respond into the microphone. The format of question in this section are reading aloud the sentences, repeating of sentences, describing the image, re-telling the lecture, answering short question, summarizing written test and writing an essay.
  • Listening:The duration of this part of exam is 30-43 minutes. A student has to attempt questions like summarize spoken text, multiple choice-choose multiple answers, fill in the blanks, highlight correct summary, multiple choice-choose single answer, select missing word, highlight incorrect words, write from dictation under this section.
  • Reading:The duration of this part of exam is 29-30 minutes. It comprises of questions like multiple choices-choose single answer, multiple choices-choose multiple answers, Re-order paragraphs, fill in the blanks, Reading and writing-fill in the blanks.

What are the important tips for PTE exam?

Do’s

  • Use correct punctuation for writing tasks: full stops, capital letters, commas etc. Answer the question. If the question asks you to write or speak about sport, write or speak on the same topic and do not deviate from it. Keep strictly within the word limit given for writing tasks. Respond quickly and keep speaking during speaking tasks. The microphone will close after three seconds of silence and stop recording

Don’ts

  • Write entirely in capital letters. Only use capitals when needed: at the beginning of sentences, names etc. Click next before you have completed the task and ready to move on.

Factors in the PTE Test

  • Time Management: Some questions have set timers...
  • Negative Marking: Some questions carry negative marks...
  • Scoring Pattern: Evaluates communicative and enabling skills...
  • Average Score Required: PR visas require a high score, while student visas have different requirements...

PTE Academic vs PTE General

There are some critical factors that you should keep in mind before attending a PTE test:

  • Timeis one of the most crucial factors in a PTE test. Most of the questions have a set timer, and others collectively have a time limit wherein you must manage your time. You must answer the questions within the time limit, or else you’ll lose marks.
  • Negative Marking For some of the questions in a PTE exam, you will be marked negatively if you provide an incorrect answer.
  • Scoring pattern Another critical factor is the scoring pattern. It is essential for you to understand that you are being judged for your English language skills. You will be judged for your communicative and enabling skills.
  • Average score required the range for the overall score is 10-90 points. The average required for each person can be different, if you are applying for a student visa abroad, then you won’t be needing a perfect 69 or 75 in each section. However, if you are applying for a PR visa, you will need a perfect score.

PTE Academic vs PTE General

  • There are two types of PTE exams: PTE Academic and PTE General. Let’s discuss some of the differences between these two exams.
  • The PTE Academic has four sections: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking, whereas the PTE General exam is mainly divided into two sections: a written paper and a spoken test. The written segment is further divided into listening, reading comprehension, and writing skills section.
  • While the PTE Academic exam score is only valid for two years from the date of issue, the PTE General exam score does not have any validity limitation.
  • The PTE General Exam is held in the months of May, December, and June whereas the PTE Academic Exam is held in more than 200 locations and over 360 days in a year. The PTE Academic exam benefits applicants who are planning for admission into a university/institution, whereas the PTE General focuses more on realistic communication skills testing.
  • The PTE General is accepted in non English speaking European countries. The PTE Academic score is accepted by 6000 academic institutes across the globe.