Guided walkthrough · updated 2026

What actually happens in a PTE Academic mock, task by task.

One canonical mock in exact test-day order. For every task we show what appears on your screen, how long you get, what the scorer is actually rewarding, and the single habit that moves the score the most. If you have never sat a PTE before, read this once and the format stops being scary.

Take the free mock →Deeper strategy per task →

Before the scored tasks · unscored

Personal Introduction. Read a prompt about yourself, then record a 30-second reply. 25s to prepare, 30s to record. This one is not scored: it is a mic check. Use it to steady your nerves, get the microphone level right, and hear your own voice before it starts counting.

Part 1

Speaking & Writing

Time in this part: 76–84 min. Begins with an unscored personal introduction, then the speaking tasks (recorded by microphone) and two writing tasks. Speak clearly and keep talking — fluency matters as much as accuracy.

Read Aloud

·~30–40s to prepare · then a short tone, mic opens, and you read

On screen: Instructions, the recording-status box, and a short paragraph you must read out loud.
Scored on: Content · Pronunciation · Fluency
One habit that moves the score: In the prep time, whisper the text aloud rather than reading it silently — it warms up your mouth and surfaces tricky words.
Watch out: Don't skip, change or add words — content is scored on reading it exactly.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Read Aloud

Repeat Sentence

·Sentence plays once · the mic opens immediately after (no beep)

On screen: Instructions and the recording-status box. You hear a sentence once, then repeat it.
Scored on: Content · Pronunciation · Fluency
One habit that moves the score: Listen for the rhythm and the stressed words — the louder/longer words carry the meaning and anchor your memory.
Watch out: Don't pause to think — hesitation costs fluency, and the longer you wait the more you forget.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Repeat Sentence

Describe Image

·25s to study · 40s to describe

On screen: Instructions, the recording-status box, and an image: a photo, chart, graph, map, table or process.
Scored on: Content · Pronunciation · Fluency
One habit that moves the score: Open with one sentence saying what the image is, then describe the main elements and how they relate.
Watch out: Don't try to describe everything perfectly — cover the important points and keep moving.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Describe Image

Retell Lecture

·Lecture up to ~90s · 10s to prepare · 40s to answer

On screen: An audio (or video) lecture plays, then the recording-status box. You re-tell the lecture in your own words.
Scored on: Content · Pronunciation · Fluency
One habit that moves the score: Take notes as you listen: the main idea plus 3–4 supporting points or examples.
Watch out: Don't just name the topic — graders reward the supporting detail, so include specifics from your notes.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Retell Lecture

Answer Short Question

·Question plays once · mic opens immediately · ~10s to answer

On screen: Instructions, an audio player, and a recording box. Sometimes an image relates to the question.
Scored on: Correct answer
One habit that moves the score: Answer in one word or a short phrase — a full sentence is not needed and you don't have time.
Watch out: Don't echo the words in the question — repeating 'emergency vehicle' instead of 'ambulance' is marked wrong.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Answer Short Question

Summarize Group Discussion

·Discussion up to ~3 min · 2 min to respond

On screen: An audio of several speakers discussing a topic, then the recording box. You summarise their points.
Scored on: Content · Pronunciation · Fluency
One habit that moves the score: Track who says what: jot a quick note per speaker so you can attribute views ('one speaker argued…, another disagreed…').
Watch out: Don't give your own opinion — this task asks you to summarise theirs.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Summarize Group Discussion

Respond to a Situation

·Situation text ≤60 words · 10s to prepare · 40s to respond

On screen: A short everyday situation is shown and read to you, then the recording box. You respond appropriately.
Scored on: Appropriateness · Pronunciation · Fluency
One habit that moves the score: Respond as you naturally would in real life — acknowledge the situation, then offer a clear, polite reply or solution.
Watch out: Don't ignore the specifics of the scenario — a generic reply scores low on appropriateness.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Respond to a Situation

Summarize Written Text

·10 minutes · single sentence, 5–75 words

On screen: A reading passage (up to ~300 words) and a response box. You write ONE sentence that captures it.
Scored on: Content · Form · Grammar · Vocabulary
One habit that moves the score: Find the main idea and the one or two key supports, then join them with linking words into a single complex sentence.
Watch out: A full stop in the middle breaks the 'one sentence' rule and zeros your Form score — proofread for it.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Summarize Written Text

Write Essay

·20 minutes · 200–300 words

On screen: A prompt stating a topic or two views, and a response box. You write an argumentative essay.
Scored on: Content · Form · Development · Grammar · Vocabulary
One habit that moves the score: Use a clear 4-paragraph shape: intro (state your position) → two body paragraphs (one idea each, with an example) → conclusion.
Watch out: Don't drift off-topic — address exactly what the prompt asks.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Write Essay

Part 2

Reading

Time in this part: 23–30 min. Five reading task types under a single section timer. Watch for negative marking on the multiple-answer question — don't over-select.

Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks

·Part of the 23–30 min Reading section

On screen: A passage with several gaps; each gap is a dropdown of word choices.
Scored on: 1 point per blank
One habit that moves the score: Read the whole sentence around the gap first — the word must fit both the meaning and the grammar.
Watch out: Don't pick a word that fits grammatically but breaks the meaning — both must be right.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks

Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

·Part of the Reading section · negative marking

On screen: A reading text (up to ~350 words) on the left; a question with several checkboxes on the right.
Scored on: Partial credit · −1 per wrong
One habit that moves the score: Skim the whole text first for the gist, then read each option hunting for the matching idea in the text.
Watch out: This task has negative marking, so don't tick everything to be safe — a wrong tick cancels a right one.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

Reorder Paragraphs

·Part of the Reading section · text ≤150 words

On screen: Several text boxes in a scrambled order; you drag them into a logical sequence.
Scored on: Adjacent pairs
One habit that moves the score: Find the topic sentence first — it introduces the subject and usually has no back-reference.
Watch out: A sentence starting with 'However' or 'This' almost never comes first — it depends on an earlier one.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Reorder Paragraphs

Reading: Fill in the Blanks

·Part of the Reading section · text ≤80 words

On screen: A short passage with gaps and a bank of words below; you drag words into the blanks. There are more words than gaps.
Scored on: 1 point per blank
One habit that moves the score: For each gap, try the candidate words and judge both grammar (right word class?) and meaning (does it make sense?).
Watch out: There are extra words on purpose — fitting grammatically isn't enough, the meaning must hold.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Reading: Fill in the Blanks

Multiple Choice, Single Answer

·Part of the Reading section · text ≤300 words

On screen: A shorter reading text on the left; a question with several options and ONE correct answer.
Scored on: 1 point
One habit that moves the score: Read the question before the text so you know whether you're after the main idea, a detail, or the purpose.
Watch out: Don't be fooled by an option that uses words from the text but says something the text doesn't.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Multiple Choice, Single Answer

Part 3

Listening

Time in this part: 31–39 min. Audio plays once and cannot be replayed. Take notes as you listen — Write from Dictation is the highest-value task here.

Summarize Spoken Text

·Audio 60–90s · 10 min · 50–70 words

On screen: An audio recording plays once, then a response box. You write a 50–70 word summary.
Scored on: Content · Form · Grammar · Vocabulary · Spelling
One habit that moves the score: Take structured notes while listening — main idea plus the key supporting points.
Watch out: Under 50 or over 70 words costs Form marks — check the word count before moving on.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Summarize Spoken Text

Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

·Audio 80–120s · negative marking

On screen: Instructions, a question with checkboxes, and an audio box. The recording plays once.
Scored on: Partial credit · −1 per wrong
One habit that moves the score: Take notes while you listen — you can't read the options and follow the audio at the same time.
Watch out: Negative marking applies — don't over-select.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

Listening: Fill in the Blanks

·Audio 30–60s · type-in blanks

On screen: A transcript of the audio with words missing; you type the missing words as you listen.
Scored on: 1 point per word · Spelling counts
One habit that moves the score: Read the transcript before the audio starts so you know where the gaps fall and what's coming.
Watch out: Don't fall behind: if you miss one gap, jump to the next rather than freezing on it.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Listening: Fill in the Blanks

Highlight Correct Summary

·Audio 30–90s · single answer

On screen: An audio plays once, then several summary paragraphs. You pick the one that best matches.
Scored on: 1 point
One habit that moves the score: Note the overall message and any caveats ('promising, but needs replication') — the right summary keeps both.
Watch out: A summary can be mostly right but wrong on one key word ('contradicted' vs 'confirmed') — read each fully.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Highlight Correct Summary

Multiple Choice, Single Answer

·Audio 30–90s · single answer

On screen: Instructions, a question with options, and an audio box. The recording plays once; one answer is correct.
Scored on: 1 point
One habit that moves the score: Read the question first so you know what to listen for — main idea, a detail, or the speaker's attitude.
Watch out: The option that reuses the most words from the audio isn't automatically correct.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Multiple Choice, Single Answer

Select Missing Word

·Audio 20–70s · single answer

On screen: An audio plays and ends with a beep in place of the final word(s); you choose what completes it.
Scored on: 1 point
One habit that moves the score: Follow the logic of the whole recording — the ending should be the natural, sensible continuation.
Watch out: Don't be tripped by an option linked to an earlier detail — it must complete the final thought.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Select Missing Word

Highlight Incorrect Words

·Audio 15–50s · negative marking (per word)

On screen: A transcript on screen while the audio plays; some words on screen differ from what's spoken. Click the differences.
Scored on: +1 correct · −1 per wrong
One habit that moves the score: Read along with your eyes exactly in time with the voice so you catch the moment they diverge.
Watch out: Negative marking is per word — a wrong click cancels a right one, so don't click on a hunch.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Highlight Incorrect Words

Write from Dictation

·Audio 3–5s · type the sentence

On screen: An audio plays once; you type the exact sentence you hear into a box. Cut/copy/paste buttons are available.
Scored on: 1 point per word · Spelling counts
One habit that moves the score: Understand the sentence as you hear it — when it makes sense it's far easier to hold in memory.
Watch out: It's the last task and time may be short — check it quickly before the test ends.

Deeper task-specific coaching: read the full tips for Write from Dictation

Now try it under real timing.

Reading about the format only gets you so far. The free intro mock puts you inside the same interface, the same clock, and gives you a scored breakdown at the end so you know where to work first.

Take the free mock →Deeper strategy