42 answers · current PTE format
PTE Academic, answered.
Everything people actually ask before booking the test — the format, the scoring, the exact score you need for your visa or course, and how preparation works. Checked against the current exam and the official score guides.
01 · 7 questions
Test format — latest 2026
What the exam looks like now, and what changed in the August 2025 update.
PTE Academic is a single computer-based test of about two hours, split into three parts: Speaking & Writing (one combined part), Reading, and Listening. Across those parts there are 22 task types — everything from Read Aloud and Describe Image to Summarize Written Text, Re-order Paragraphs and Write from Dictation. You sit it in one continuous session with a headset and microphone.
Pearson refreshed the test on 7 August 2025. Two new task types were added — Summarize Group Discussion (Speaking) and Respond to a Situation (Speaking) — and the overall structure and timing were tidied up. The familiar tasks (Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image, Essay, Write from Dictation and so on) all remain. Everything on this platform targets that current format.
The current PTE Academic test runs roughly two hours in one sitting. Speaking & Writing is the longest part, followed by Reading and then Listening. There is no long scheduled break, so stamina and pacing matter — which is exactly why full-length, timed mocks are worth doing before exam day.
There are 22 scored task types across the three parts, plus an unscored Personal Introduction at the very start. Speaking & Writing has the most (Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image, Re-tell Lecture, Answer Short Question, the two newest additions, Summarize Written Text and Write Essay). Reading and Listening share several multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank and ordering tasks.
Yes. Speaking tasks are recorded through a headset microphone and scored automatically — there is no human examiner in the room. The audio for listening tasks plays once through your headset. Because it's all computer-delivered, getting comfortable with the recording box, the countdown and the no-replay audio beforehand makes a real difference.
PTE Academic is for university study and for skilled migration to countries like Australia and New Zealand. PTE Academic UKVI is the same test approved as a UK SELT. PTE Core is the test Canada's IRCC accepts for economic immigration. PTE Home is a short Speaking & Listening SELT for UK family and settlement visas. Pick the one your visa or institution actually names.
It's different rather than simply harder. PTE is fully computer-scored, so it rewards clear, fluent delivery and precise task completion rather than rapport with an examiner. Many test-takers find the speaking less stressful (no live interviewer) but are caught out by negative marking and strict task rules they'd never meet in IELTS. Knowing the machine is half the battle.
02 · 7 questions
Scoring & your predicted score
How PTE is marked, what negative marking is, and how our prediction works.
PTE reports on the Global Scale of English from 10 to 90, giving you an overall score plus a score for each of the four skills — Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing. Most tasks contribute to more than one skill. Scoring is automated, based on detailed traits like oral fluency, pronunciation, content, grammar, spelling and written discourse.
Older PTE reports listed six 'enabling skills' (oral fluency, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, written discourse) as separate scores. Since late 2021 those are no longer reported as standalone numbers; instead Pearson shows a 'Skills Profile.' They still drive your result behind the scenes, which is why our feedback breaks performance down by these traits.
Only on three task types: the multiple-choice, multiple-answer tasks in Reading and in Listening, and Highlight Incorrect Words. On those, a wrong selection cancels out a correct one, so you should only tick options you're confident about. Every other task type has no negative marking — never leave those blank.
It's a transparent estimate to guide your preparation, not an official Pearson score — and we show how it's calculated rather than hiding it in a black box. It sharpens as you complete more practice. Treat it as a reliable direction-of-travel and a way to find your weakest skill, not as a guaranteed exam result.
Speaking is judged on content, oral fluency and pronunciation; writing on content, form, grammar, vocabulary, spelling and written discourse. Our engine evaluates the same traits and, unlike most tools, explains why each answer scored where it did — so you can fix the specific thing instead of guessing.
Usually it's delivery, not vocabulary. The oral-fluency descriptor rewards a steady, even pace with few hesitations and repetitions. Strong speakers often plateau because they pause to find the 'perfect' word. Smooth, confident delivery — even with simpler words — almost always scores higher than hesitant, sophisticated speech.
Yes. Spelling is a scored trait in writing tasks, and Write from Dictation rewards every correctly spelled word in the right order. Capital letters and punctuation are part of written discourse and form. Small, avoidable errors quietly cost points across multiple tasks, so accuracy is worth the extra few seconds to check.
03 · 7 questions
Score targets — PR, visas & study
The exact PTE numbers for Australia, Canada, the UK, New Zealand and universities.
Australia's Department of Home Affairs awards points by English level, scored per skill (you can't average). For tests on/after 7 August 2025, Competent is roughly Listening 47 / Reading 48 / Writing 51 / Speaking 54; Proficient (10 points) is about 58 / 59 / 69 / 76; and Superior (20 points) is Listening 69 / Reading 70 / Writing 85 / Speaking 88. Always confirm the current figures on the Home Affairs site before booking.
Superior English is the top English band that earns 20 points in the skilled-migration points test. On the current per-skill thresholds that means roughly Listening 69, Reading 70, Writing 85 and Speaking 88 — each skill on its own. Most retakers are stuck one skill short (very often Speaking or Writing), which is exactly what our diagnostic is built to find.
As a rough concordance: IELTS 6 ≈ PTE 50–57, IELTS 6.5 ≈ PTE 58–64, IELTS 7 ≈ PTE 65–72, IELTS 7.5 ≈ PTE 73–78, IELTS 8 ≈ PTE 79–82, and IELTS 8.5 ≈ PTE 83–86. These are indicative bands — the body you're applying to defines the exact requirement, so use their table as the source of truth.
For economic immigration (Express Entry and many PNPs) IRCC accepts PTE Core, not PTE Academic. PTE Core results map to Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB). A common target is CLB 7 in each skill, with CLB 9 unlocking the maximum language points in the Comprehensive Ranking System.
UK visas use Secure English Language Tests. Skilled Worker and many work routes require level B2 (around 59 in each section on PTE Academic UKVI as of 2026); some study below degree level needs B1. UK family and settlement routes use PTE Home at A1, A2 or B1 depending on the stage. Check the exact level for your specific visa.
It varies by institution and course, but most undergraduate and postgraduate programmes ask for a PTE Academic overall in the 50–79 range, sometimes with a minimum in each skill. Competitive or language-heavy courses sit at the higher end. Your offer letter or the university's admissions page will state the precise number.
It depends on who's reading the score. Migration bodies like Australia's Home Affairs assess each skill separately — a high overall won't rescue one weak skill. Many universities set an overall minimum plus a floor in each skill. Because per-skill rules are so common, we always target your weakest skill, not just the average.
04 · 7 questions
Our platform & how it works
The free mock, exam fidelity, the two modes, and what the paid plans add.
A full-length, scored mock you can take with no signup and no card. At the end you get a predicted per-skill score, an overall readiness percentage, and your three biggest leaks — the specific tasks and skills costing you the most points. Most people start there and only upgrade when they want the feedback and plan to close the gap.
Our mock player mirrors the Pearson chrome — the top-right countdown, Next-only navigation, the three-state recording box, and audio that plays once. The point is face-validity: the more your practice feels like the real screen, the more it transfers on exam day and the fewer surprises you get.
Guided practice is for learning the format: you get coach tips on each task, you can pause the timer, replay audio and go back. Real exam simulation is strict — exact timing, audio plays once, no pauses, no hints — so you can predict a realistic score. Both run the full set of task types and end with a complete report.
Yes. Every scored task type in the current format is included, across Speaking & Writing, Reading and Listening — including the latest additions. You can take them as a full mock or drill any single task type on demand from the practice hub.
Both. Every plan includes AI feedback on your speaking and writing. On Premium Plus (and the 90-Day Complete plan) real PTE experts review your essays and speaking on top of the AI, so you get a human read on the things automated scoring can miss.
Your score moves when you put in focused practice on the right things — there's no magic switch and we don't promise a number. What we do is make sure your practice is aimed correctly: AI feedback on every attempt, a plan built around your specific weakest skill, and human expert review on Premium Plus. That's the difference between drilling for weeks and drilling on what's actually costing you points.
You can read tips, review reports and do many drills on a phone, but we strongly recommend taking full mocks on a laptop or desktop with a headset — that's how the real exam is delivered, and speaking tasks need a proper microphone. Practising on the same kind of setup you'll test on removes a lot of exam-day friction.
05 · 7 questions
Pricing & plans
What each plan costs, how billing works, and which one fits your timeline.
There's a free full-length mock to start. Paid plans are the Week Pass at $9/week, Premium at $20/month, Premium Plus at $40/month, and the 90-Day Complete plan as a single $99 payment. Prices are in USD and you pay in your local currency at checkout.
The Week Pass, Premium and Premium Plus are recurring and renew until you cancel — handy because most people only need a few weeks before their exam. You can cancel anytime and keep access until the current period ends. The 90-Day Complete plan is a one-time $99 payment with nothing recurring.
A single PTE re-sit costs far more than any plan here, and the exam fee is non-refundable. The paid plans exist to stop you re-sitting: AI feedback on every speaking and writing attempt, a dated plan built around your weakest skill, and on Premium Plus, human expert review.
If your exam is days away, the Week Pass gets you full access for a final sprint. If you've a few weeks, Premium adds the tracker, dated plan and trajectory. Premium Plus adds human expert review for the fastest jump. If you're starting from a real plateau and want one payment to carry you to your target, the 90-Day Complete plan is the best value.
We don't offer a score guarantee — your result on the real exam depends on your own preparation, and no honest provider can promise a number. Plans are clearly priced and you can cancel recurring plans anytime. We'd rather earn your trust with an honest free mock than with a promise we can't keep.
Everything in Premium Plus for a full 90 days, as a single $99 payment with no auto-renew: unlimited scored mocks, AI feedback, human expert review of your essays and speaking, and a dated plan that's rebuilt after each mock around the skill holding you back.
Pearson's official scored practice test is about $35.99 and there are only three versions — it gives you a number and nothing else: no lessons, no diagnosis, no fix. For a similar or lower spend here you get many AI-graded mocks plus exactly which task and skill is costing you points, with built-in tips and drills.
06 · 7 questions
Booking, results & retakes
Exam cost, result speed, validity, retakes and how many mocks to do.
It varies by country, but the PTE Academic fee is commonly around US$200–300 (often higher with late booking). Because that fee is non-refundable and a re-sit means paying it again, the maths strongly favours preparing properly the first time. Check pearsonpte.com for the exact fee in your country.
PTE is known for quick turnaround — results are typically available within 48 hours, and often sooner. You'll get an email when your scorecard is ready in your Pearson account. (Our mock, by design, also withholds the score until analysis is done, so the experience matches.)
A PTE Academic score is valid for two years from the test date. Most visa and admissions bodies require a score no older than two years at the time you apply, so plan your test date with your application deadline in mind.
There's generally no mandatory waiting period — you can book the next available slot — and there's no limit on the number of attempts. That said, re-sitting without changing anything rarely changes the result. Diagnose the specific skill that's short, drill it, confirm with a timed mock, then rebook.
Quality beats quantity. A sensible rhythm is one full timed mock to baseline, then short focused drills on your weakest tasks, then another full mock every 5–7 days to confirm the gap is closing. Most people need a handful of full mocks plus regular targeted practice — not dozens of random ones.
PTE Academic is accepted by thousands of universities worldwide and for migration by Australia and New Zealand, among 115+ countries. For UK visas you'll usually need the UKVI version, and for Canadian economic immigration you'll need PTE Core instead. Always confirm which PTE your specific institution or visa names.
Stop cramming new content and rehearse execution: take one or two full timed mocks on a laptop with a headset, lock in your essay and Describe Image templates, practise a steady speaking pace, and get your equipment and test-day logistics sorted. Confidence on exam day comes from familiarity with the screen, not last-minute vocabulary.
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