Content Writer - Study Abroad | Updated On - Jul 1, 2024
Highlights:
- Three-Part Structure: PTE exam pattern is divided into three core sections: Speaking and Writing, Reading, and Listening.
- Multiple Question Formats: The exam utilizes a total of 20 different types of question formats, including multiple-choice, open-ended, short answer, and highlighting tasks.
- Automated Scoring: Your performance is evaluated by computer-based and machine-scored, human expert scorers are used to train the scoring engine on speaking and writing tasks.
- Globally Recognized: PTE academic score is accepted by more than 3,500 universities globally for study, and in Australia and New Zealand for work and migration visas.
Choosing the right PTE exam format will depend on your goal and country. Pearson PTE conducted 3 different types of tests; PTE Academic, PTE Core, and UK Visa Tests. PTE exam pattern is divided into 3 parts which evaluate four primary language skills: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Each PTE test pattern consists of 20 different types of questions. The Multiple-choice questions are scored as either right or wrong. Complex question types, like essay questions, are scored based on a mix of criteria. The total score ranges from 0 to 90, and achieving 65+ is recommended for the best universities. PTE Academic exam pattern is accepted by more than 3,500 universities and colleges globally for study. You can effectively prepare for PTE exam pattern from Pearson’s official website.
PTE Academic Exam Pattern
PTE academic is a computerized exam completed within a 2-hour session. You need to answer with the help of the computer and headsets for listening, reading, and answering questions. PTE Academic is majorly opted by candidates planning to pursue academic careers in English-speaking countries. PTE Academic exam pattern has 20 different types of questions including essay writing, MCQs, and evaluating information. To know about PTE exam pattern of Academic, understand the test format below:
PTE Academic Format | Details |
---|---|
Exam Pattern | PTE Speaking and Writing: 54 – 67 minutes PTE Reading: 29 – 30 minutes PTE Listening: 30 – 43 minutes |
Exam Duration | 2 hours and a Single test session |
Medium | Computer-based with headset |
Mode | Taken in a test centre / Home Edition |
Test Type | Assesses real-life English |
Question Types | 20 different question types |
PTE Core
PTE Core is designed specifically for Canadian immigration, citizenship, and work visa applications. The test format is the same as the academic PTE exam. To take the Core exam, you need to pay INR 17,00 PTE exam fee. To apply for Canadian Universities, you need to understand PTE score calculation to CLB level.
CLB Level | PTE Listening | PTE Reading | PTE Speaking | PTE Writing |
---|---|---|---|---|
10 | 89-90 | 88-90 | 89-90 | 90 |
9 | 82-88 | 78-87 | 84-88 | 88-89 |
8 | 71-81 | 69-77 | 76-83 | 79-87 |
7 | 60-70 | 60-68 | 68-75 | 69-78 |
6 | 50-59 | 51-59 | 59-67 | 60-68 |
5 | 39-49 | 42-50 | 51-58 | 51-59 |
4 | 28-38 | 33-41 | 42-50 | 41-40 |
3 | 18-27 | 24-32 | 34-41 | 32-40 |
PTE for UK Visa
Considering a move to UK, PTE UKVI test could be the right choice for you. There are four types of PTE UKVI tests, each catering to a specific visa application purpose. For details on PTE for UK Visa test patterns and fees, check the table mentioned below:
Exam Types | Sections | Timings | Fees |
---|---|---|---|
PTE Academic UKVI | Speaking and writing Reading Listening | 2 Hours | INR 17,000 |
PTE Home A1 | Repeat Sentence Describe Image Conversation: Listen and Answer | 22 Minutes | INR 14,435 |
PTE Home A2 | Repeat sentence Describe an image Retell story | 25 Minutes | INR 14,435 |
PTE Home B1 | Repeat sentence Describe an image Retell story Story: Listen and Answer | 22 Minutes | INR 14,435 |
Section Wise PTE Academic Exam Pattern
Candidates must have a better idea of PTE exam pattern and syllabus to achieve a good result. PTE exam sample papers assist candidates in understanding types of questions, and the process of preparing effectively. Candidates must check UKVI PTE exam pattern is of 3 hours duration, and is based on the Global Scale of English (GSE). PTE exam patterns for all three sections with practice papers are given below for a brief understanding and practice:
PTE Speaking and Writing
PTE academic pattern for this section, the candidates are tested based on their 2 major skills of communication, which are spoken and PTE Writing skills. This section includes six small sections that test you on your promptness over speaking and writing the written test that you would get to read for the first time. The time allotted to each segment is as follows:
PTE Question 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, and 40 seconds to answer |
Re-Tell Lecture | 90 seconds for prompt length, 10 seconds to prepare, and 40 seconds to answer |
Answer Short Question | 3-9 seconds for prompt, 10 seconds to answer |
Summarize Written Text | 10 minutes to answer to text prompt of 300 words having a full single sentence with no more than 75 words each |
Essay | 20 minutes to answer to text prompt of 2-3 sentences and write in 200-300 words |
PTE Writing Practice papers | |
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PTE Speaking Practice papers | |
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PTE Reading Pattern
The section is further divided into 5 segments. PTE Reading section examines the candidates based on their ability to understand the written instructions in the language. Check out the segment-wise PTE pattern for time distribution of this section:
PTE Pattern | Time Duration (Varies on the Length of the Text Prompt) |
---|---|
Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks | Read 300 words of text, and time duration is not applicable |
Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers | Read 300 words of text, and time duration is not applicable |
Re-Order Paragraphs | Read 150 words of text, and time duration is not applicable |
Fill in the Blanks | Read 80 words of text. and time duration is not applicable |
Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer | Read 300 words of text, and time duration is not applicable |
PTE Reading Practice Papers | |
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PTE Listening
The listening section of PTE Academic is designed to determine the ability to understand spoken English by the candidate. Here, you need to carefully hear the audio file played and retain what they heard. PTE Listening is divided into 8 segments and the time given to each segment is as follows.
PTE Exam Pattern | Time Duration |
---|---|
Summarize Spoken Text | 60-90 seconds to retain 50-70 words, 10 minutes to listen and 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 | 30-90 seconds |
Select Missing Word | 20-70 seconds |
Highlight Incorrect Words | 15-50 seconds |
Write From Dictation | 3-5 seconds |
PTE Listening Practice Papers | |
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PTE Exam Question Types
PTE exam pattern also offers the four main skills - reading, writing, speaking, and listening. PTE General Exam Pattern is solely for candidates who speak other languages or ESOL. You will face various types of questions in PTE. PTE exam pattern for Speaking and Writing consists of 8 different question types and is 54-67 long. Reading PTE Academic exam pattern is 29–30 minutes long and contains 5 different types of questions. Part 3 Listening of PTE test pattern includes 8 types of questions and is allocated 30–43 minutes to complete.
PTE Score Pattern
PTE score pattern is on a scale of 10 to 90. You can estimate your English language marks based on PTE score range you obtain. PTE exam score patterns are given below:
PTE Score Range | PTE Marks Pattern Description | Acceptance of Score at Universities Abroad |
---|---|---|
85- 90 | High level of English proficiency. Proficient in the English language Very fluent in the English language Excellent English writing and speaking skills Ability to interpret complex paragraphs, phrases, and sentences | Usually, colleges/ universities do not demand such high scores. |
84- 76 | Fluent in English Highly effective social, academic, and professional communication skills Ability to understand long texts and expressions. Ability to write such well-structured and grammatically correct sentences | Usually, top colleges/Universities have such high PTE cutoff This kind of a high PTE score is normally not required for undergraduate admissions |
75- 59 | Ability to Interpret the main idea of a topic Ability to produce clear and concise content Decent language use and vocabulary The acceptable rate of speech Some grammar errors and pronunciation issues expected | Most colleges/universities require this PTE score range for undergraduate and postgraduate admissions |
Language use is appropriate Fluent in speaking Few grammatical errors expected Demonstrates a wide range of vocabulary Tone and stress are appropriate |
| |
59- 75 | Ability to understand the main idea of topics Produce clear and detailed text Grammatical errors and incorrect use of sentences expected Vocabulary is weak The acceptable rate of speech | Most colleges/universities require this PTE score range for undergraduate and postgraduate. |
43-58 | Hesitation while speaking Poor Pronunciation and language use Numerous grammatical issues | Generally, this PTE score is required at colleges/universities for undergraduate admissions |
30- 42 | Understands simple terms Ability to interpret the language Numerous grammatical errors and incorrect use of sentence | This PTE score is a low score for approval at colleges/universities |
10- 29 | Understands only familiar words Interpret simple sentences Very basic knowledge of the English language | This PTE score is extremely score for approval at colleges/universities |
PTE exam pattern focuses on three major sections of language proficiency, Reading, Listening, and Speaking and Writing sections. PTE exam total marks are calculated on a range of 10-90. PTE exam pattern includes Academic and General. PTE exam duration is 2 hours, required to study, migrate, or work anywhere, and is also accepted for Canada’s SDS applications.
FAQs
Ques: What is the format of PTE exam?
Ans: PTE exam format consists of 3 parts - Speaking and Writing, Reading, and Listening. PTE exam pattern is designed to evaluate all four language skills - speaking, writing, reading, and listening.
Ques: How long is each section of the PTE exam?
Ans: The Speaking and Writing section is 54–67 minutes long, the Reading section is 29–30 minutes long, and the Listening section of PTE exam pattern is 30–43 minutes long
Ques: What question types are there in PTE Speaking and Writing section?
Ans: PTE Speaking and Writing section contains 8 different question types like
personal introduction, read aloud, repeat sentences, describe images, re-tell lecture, answer short questions, summarize written text, and essay type.
Ques: What question types are there in PTE Reading section?
Ans: PTE Reading section contains 5 different question types; fill in the blanks, multiple choice, multiple answer, re-order paragraphs, fill in the blanks, multiple choice, and single answer type.
Ques: What question types are there in PTE Listening section?
Ans: There are 8 different types of questions in PTE Listening section; summarize spoken text, multiple choice, multiple answers, fill in the blanks, highlight correct summary, multiple choice, single answer, select the missing word, highlight incorrect words, and write from dictation types.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.
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