Editorial standards
We'd rather you trust our practice because you can audit how it's made — not because we claim authority. So here's exactly how every test, score and study resource on PTE Mocks is built, reviewed and corrected.
Who we are
PTE Mocks is an independent, self-funded team building free, full-length PTE Academic mock tests with instant AI scoring. We are not a coaching college and we are not owned by, licensed by, or affiliated with Pearson — the company that owns and administers the real PTE Academic exam. We don't claim to be official examiners. What we do claim is that our practice is built carefully, scored transparently, and corrected quickly when it's wrong — and the rest of this page is how we hold ourselves to that.
How we build the content
Every test, passage, prompt and vocabulary entry goes through a two-pass process. The first pass drafts the item against the official 2026 PTE Academic format — the right task type, length, timing and difficulty band. The second pass is a review pass: we re-read it against the format spec, check the answer key, strip anything ambiguous, and make sure the difficulty matches the label. Reading and Listening items are checked so the question text never simply repeats the passage; Speaking and Writing prompts are checked to be answerable within the real exam's time limits.
We use AI to help draft and to score at scale, but format decisions, answer keys and the final review are human-checked. When we get the format wrong, we treat it as a bug and fix it — see corrections below.
How the AI scoring works
PTE Academic is itself computer-scored, so AI scoring is the right model for practice — but only if it's calibrated honestly. Our scoring engine evaluates your spoken and written responses against the same trait dimensions the real test uses (for example: content, fluency and pronunciation for speaking; content, form, grammar, vocabulary and spelling for writing) and maps them onto the official 10–90 scale. Speaking responses are transcribed and assessed on what you actually said and how you said it; writing is assessed on the text you submit.
We calibrate against publicly available official scoring descriptors and sample responses so the bands are realistic — a practice score should feel like a fair preview, not a flattering one. AI scoring is an estimate, not the official result, and we say so on every report. Where the engine can't score a skill reliably, we show that honestly rather than inventing a number.
Sourcing & accuracy
Our format facts — task types, counts, timings and scoring — are grounded in Pearson's published PTE Academic test-format documentation, and we update them when the exam changes. Our vocabulary and collocation lists draw on published academic-English research, including Pearson's Academic Collocation List, with our own plain-English definitions and examples. Where we state a fact about the exam, it reflects the official format at the time of writing; if Pearson changes the test, our content is updated to match.
Independence & non-affiliation
PTE Mocks is independent. We take no payment, sponsorship, or content direction from Pearson or any test publisher. “PTE” is a trademark of Pearson; we use it only to describe the exam our material prepares you for. We are not endorsed by or affiliated with Pearson, and our practice material is modelled on — not copied from — the official test.
Corrections & disputes
If you find an error — a wrong answer key, a mislabelled task, a score that looks off — tell us at hello@ptemocks.com. We aim to respond within 72 hours, fix confirmed errors promptly, and we'd rather correct something quietly and quickly than defend a mistake. Spotting our errors makes the practice better for everyone, so we genuinely want to hear them.
Want the bigger picture of why we built this and how the engines work? Read About PTE Mocks.