PTE Exam Pattern 2025: Section-wise PTE Test Format

The PTE exam is a completely computerised English proficiency test that is separated into 3 different sections namely the Speaking and Writing, Reading, and Listening. The exam assesses the proficiency of non-native English speakers for the purpose of university admissions and visa applications. 

Here is the detailed pattern of the PTE exam:

There is no set minimum or maximum number of questions in the PTE exam. The total number of questions is within a range and subject to change. However, there are a total of 20 different question types which contribute to a total of 52-64 questions in the exam. 

There are a total of 52-64 questions in the PTE-A exam which are distributed among Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of the PTE exam as given below.

No. Candidates should note that the exam has been designed to test the candidates’ English proficiency levels. Hence, a candidate who is well prepared would qualify for the PTE Academic exam with flying colours.

It is possible to prepare for the PTE exam in just one month if you have a well-organised and targeted study schedule. Proficiency in English language skills, including speaking, listening, reading, and writing, is required for the Pearson Test of English (PTE). To determine your strengths and shortcomings, start by evaluating your present proficiency in English. Set up time each day for practice, concentrating on each skill area and use dependable PTE study resources. Get acquainted with the format and time limits of the test by practicing with sample questions, especially in areas that present difficulties. Additionally, to enhance time management and replicate the exam experience, think about utilising practice exams. It is possible to obtain a high PTE score in less than a month with persistent work and focused practice.

There are 8 different question types in Part 1 - Speaking & Writing of the PTE exam. Each different question type is listed below.

1. Personal Introduction
2. Read Aloud
3. Repeat Sentence
4. Describe Image
5. Re-tell Lecture
6. Answer Short Question
7. Summarise Written Text
8. Essay

There are 5 different types of questions in Part - 2 of the PTE exam, these are:

1. Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks
2. Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer
3. Re-order Paragraphs
4. Fill in the Blanks
5. Multiple Choice, Single Answer

There are 8 different types of questions in Part 3 - Listening of the PTE exam. The type of questions asked are listed below:

1. Summarize Spoken Text
2. Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
3. Fill in the Blanks
4. Highlight Correct Summary
5. Multiple Choice, Single Answer
6. Select Missing Word
7. Highlight Incorrect Words
8. Write from Dictation

The test comprises three core sections:

1. Speaking & Writing (54-67 minutes): Assesses your ability to speak fluently and write clearly through various tasks like describing images,  summarizing texts,  and responding to prompts.
2. Reading (30 minutes): Evaluates your reading comprehension and information analysis skills through multiple-choice questions based on academic and factual passages.
3. Listening (25-30 minutes): Tests your ability to understand spoken English through tasks like summarizing lectures,  completing sentence clozes,  and answering multiple-choice questions based on audio recordings.

An automated scoring system analyzes your performance in each section and assigns a score from 10-90 for each skill (Speaking, Writing, Reading, Listening). Your overall score reflects your general English proficiency level, calculated based on the average of your individual section scores. The scoring process is unbiased

The test comprises three core sections:

1. Speaking & Writing (54-67 minutes): Assesses your ability to speak fluently and write clearly through various tasks like describing images,  summarizing texts,  and responding to prompts.
2. Reading (30 minutes): Evaluates your reading comprehension and information analysis skills through multiple-choice questions based on academic and factual passages.
3. Listening (25-30 minutes): Tests your ability to understand spoken English through tasks like summarizing lectures,  completing sentence clozes,  and answering multiple-choice questions based on audio recordings.

There is no set minimum or maximum number of questions in the PTE exam. The total number of questions is within a range and subject to change. However, there are a total of 20 different question types which contribute to a total of 52-64 questions in the exam. 

Below are some of the best expert advices on how you can start preparing for your PTE exam:

1. Cram Everything about the PTE Exam: If you practice this, more than 30% of your job is done. PTE Academic is a time-based test and a prior understanding of the entire exam pattern, question types and the right approach to answering each of these questions can save you a lot of time for the answering part rather than it getting wasted on reading and understanding instructions for each question type. 
2. Prepare on a Wide Range of Topics: Understanding what is being asked in the question is important and answering it for any given skills is another part. For that reason, you will be required to make your English more versatile by consuming knowledge on each topic from different channels such as newspaper, documentries, podcasts, vlogs, blogs, magazines and dramas - all these formats include a wide range of vocabulary. 
3. Avoid Using Memorised Script or Format for Answering a Question: Create a pattern or structured response for answering a particular type of question but do not learn specific format or script. You can instead use your own words to create a response based on - point (the main idea of the question), illustration and explanation of the same. 
4. Practice and Practice More: Practicing often and practicing different types of questions in the PTE exam can get you an edge.     

Candidates are advised to appear for the PTE Academic exam after having prepared well for the exam. Candidates are advised to refer to online/offline study material available on the official PTE website and also go through our preparatory guide.

Both the PTE Academic and IELTS have been designed to understand the English language proficiency of the candidate. They have been designed to test the writing, speaking reading, and listening skills of the test taker. Hence, both the tests are at par with each other and the candidate should opt for the one he is comfortable in. However, there are some points of differences that must be noted when making a decision, these are:

1. The PTE exam (2 hours) is shorter than the IELTS exam (3 hours).
2. All the segments (sections) of a PTE exam are tested within a day, in a single sitting. However, the different sections in an IELTS exam are assessed on different days. 
3. The IELTS exam tests speaking, listening, reading and writing proficiencies in the English language separately, which may not be appropriate for testing the real-life comprehension abilities of the test-taker. On the other side, the PTE exam tests all these skills simultaneously based on the belief that successful communication is developed by combining all these skills together. 
4. Your performance in a PTE exam is judged by AI, which leaves little to no room for human errors and any sort of bias. the scores awarded in this manner are mostly accurate. While, in an IELTS exam, a human examiner is present to test your overall English proficiency. 
5. Results can be expected within two days of taking the PTE exam, while the IELTS exam results are released later. 

One can take the PTE test 12 times within a 12 month window. However, you may be granted permission to take some extra attempts if the reason for your retake aligns with the retake policy of the PTE exam. 

Note: Candidates must not use new IDs to get benefitted with extra number of attempts as this may lead to the delay in results and may put one in breach of exam's malpractice policy.  

There are no specific eligibility criteria based on nationality, background, or education level for the PTE exam. Anyone aiming to demonstrate their English proficiency for studying abroad, immigration, or professional purposes can take the PTE test. However, individual universities or visa applications may have their own score requirements. 

Yes, you can appear for Pearson Test of English every month but with some certain conditions. 

1. You can only retake the test after you have received scores from your previous PTE test. 
2. A student can take the PTE test for a maximum of 12 times in a period of 12 months. So, if you have taken the test 12 times within a period of 6 months, you will have to wait for another 6 months for being able to book another test date.   

Apart from this, there is no condition for appearing in PTE exam. Keep in mind, retaking the exam is not a bad thing but preparing well for the exam is an effective approach.

The PTE test dates are available all year round. However, a student can appear for the PTE exam for a maximum of 12 times within a period of 12 months.  

The Pearson PLC Group ensures that students have a good experience while taking their PTE exam. To ensure this, several PTE test centres have been opened across major locations in different countries. Only 10-15 test takers (at max.) are allowed to take the PTE exam in a day at the designated PTE test centre. For this reason, students must book their PTE exam slots timely on priority.   

Each PTE Academic test has 20 auto-scored question types. Multiple choice answers are scored as right or wrong, but scores for more complex question types, like essay questions, are based on a mix of criteria. Some responses are also reviewed by a human expert before the automated score is finalised.

There are a total of 52-64 questions in the PTE-A exam which are distributed among Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of the PTE exam as given below.

Absolutely! Authentic study material from the official PTE website can be used to self-prepare for the exams. Candidates are highly recommended to only source their study material from a trusted source, such as our preparation guide or the official PTE website.

As per Pearson PTE, the minimum PTE scores required to obtain an Australian student visa is 42. This much of score makes you eligible to apply for the Subclass 500 visa. However, the universities may need an even higher PTE score depending on the course and location you choose. Hence, it is advisable that you confirm the exact PTE score requirement for your course at your desired university's website.  

Both the PTE Academic and IELTS have been designed to understand the English language proficiency of the candidate. They have been designed to test the writing, speaking reading, and listening skills of the test taker. Hence, both the tests are at par with each other and the candidate should opt for the one he is comfortable in. However, there are some points of differences that must be noted when making a decision, these are:

1. The PTE exam (2 hours) is shorter than the IELTS exam (3 hours).
2. All the segments (sections) of a PTE exam are tested within a day, in a single sitting. However, the different sections in an IELTS exam are assessed on different days. 
3. The IELTS exam tests speaking, listening, reading and writing proficiencies in the English language separately, which may not be appropriate for testing the real-life comprehension abilities of the test-taker. On the other side, the PTE exam tests all these skills simultaneously based on the belief that successful communication is developed by combining all these skills together. 
4. Your performance in a PTE exam is judged by AI, which leaves little to no room for human errors and any sort of bias. the scores awarded in this manner are mostly accurate. While, in an IELTS exam, a human examiner is present to test your overall English proficiency. 
5. Results can be expected within two days of taking the PTE exam, while the IELTS exam results are released later. 

The main difference between PTE Academic and PTE Core lies in their intended purpose, test format, and where they are accepted. Here are the basic differences between above given PTE exam patterns:

Both IELTS and PTE are English proficiency tests required to study abroad in countries where the native language is English. However, the comparison between the two will depend entirely on the student’s preferences and purpose of taking the test. Below are a few points that can help you make clear choices.

1. Acceptance: IELTS is more widely accepted worldwide while PTE is less acceptable. However, the latter is getting increasingly accepted by more and more institutions and organisations in the world owing to its faster processing time. Both the exams are accepted for Australian student visas and migration applications. 

2. Exam Pattern: Both the IELTS and PTE exams comprise the Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking sections. However, the duration and the sequence of assessing these 4 core English language skills differ in both exams.

The IELTS exam assesses Listening (30 minutes), Reading (60 minutes) and Writing (60 minutes) skills in a sequence while Speaking (10-14 minutes) is assessed face-to-face by a real examiner. This is done on a different date from the actual IELTS exam, maybe till a week later. You may expect to get your IELTS exam results after 1 or 2 weeks of taking the exam depending on the type of exam you opted for (on-paper or computer-based).

On the contrary, the sequence of assessment of these core skills in the PTE exam is Speaking and Writing (50 - 67 minutes), Reading (30 minutes) and Listening 30-45 minutes. The total duration of the exam is 2 hours and test takers can expect to see their results within 48 hours of taking the exam. 

3. Assessment: The Speaking section in the IELTS exam is assessed separately in real-time by the English experts in a face-to-face round which is often conducted a week after your IELTS exam date. 

The Speaking section in the PTE exam is assessed along with the Writing section which is a more natural way to assess test taker’s skills. The speaking section along with all other sections are completed online, on the computer and are assessed by artificial intelligence. 

4. Release of Results: PTE releases its test results within 48 hours of taking the test. However, the IELTS exam result can take around a week's or 2 weeks' time to get relesaed. IELTS scores are generated by English experts who compare your performance with the global standards while PTE uses an automated scoring system by using AI. 

These factors may help you arrive at your decision of which exam to choose from for your academic endeavours. 

The fee for PTE Academic coaching would depend on your location. You can always refer to the official PTE website for the latest online/offline preparatory material.

Although the PTE Academic exam can be difficult, it is possible to pass it with the correct preparation. It evaluates English proficiency with computer-based speaking, writing, listening, and reading exercises that call for flexibility and fast thinking. Some people may find the test easier to handle, particularly those who are tech-savvy and speak English well. Practice is crucial because the computerised scoring system can be stringent on fluency, grammar, and pronunciation. Performance can be greatly enhanced by time management, practice in each section on a regular basis, and familiarity with the test format. Test-takers can improve their confidence and strengthen their areas of weakness by using preparation materials like tutorials and mock exams. Many people succeed in passing the PTE Academic exam with commitment and methodical practice.

This is entirely upon the discretion of the organization. Universities and colleges do offer deserving candidates' scholarships and grants and your PTE Academic scores could act as a catalyst to the same.