Aatiqua Younus Oct 30, 2025

What is PTE Academic?

PTE Academic or Pearson Test of English is a fully computer-based exam that assesses your academic level of English speaking, reading, writing, and listening.

You can take this English proficiency test in just 2 hours in a small and friendly test center environment, for academic, work, and migration purposes to Australia or New Zealand.

Let’s explore more about PTE Academic.

Overview of PTE Academic

The PTE Academic is an English proficiency test for those who want to migrate to Australia or New Zealand for academic and work purposes. If you’re preparing for this test, you can check out PTE Training Course to enhance your skills. Through this fully computer-based exam, you can assess your academic level of speaking, reading, writing, and listening in English. You can attend this exam from any of the 475 exam centres worldwide.

Features of the PTE Academic Test

The PTE Academic test is globally accepted and the fastest-growing English test. Around 3,900 universities and colleges worldwide accept PTE Academic for work and migration visas, and for professional registration. This is the fastest and fairest way to test your English proficiency using English you might hear in an academic environment.

Fully computer-based test taken in a test centre
A single two-hour test
Unique combination of AI scoring and human expertise to reduce the risk of bias
Take the test from any 475 exam centres
Get the result in typically 2 days

PTE Test Format

The PTE exam format contains three major parts.

Part 1: Speaking & Writing
Part 2: Reading
Part 3: Listening

Given below are the details of each part.

PTE Academic: Speaking & Writing

In this first phase of the exam, your speaking and writing capabilities will be tested using English you might hear in an academic environment. This part consisted of nine different question types, such as:

Personal Introduction
Read Aloud
Repeat Sentence
Describe Image
Retell Lecture
Answer Short Question
Summarise Group Discussion
Respond to a Situation
Summarise Written Text
Write Essay

Question Type	Time to Answer	Skills Assessed	Test Tips
Personal Introduction	30 seconds
Read Aloud	Varies by the length of the text	Speaking	Use punctuation to help you decide where to pause Stress the words that carry important information
Repeat Sentence	15 seconds	Listening & Speaking	Listen to the phrasing of the sentence Copy the stress and intonation patterns of the sentence
Describe Image	40 seconds	Speaking	Focus on the main information in the image Organise your description of the image
Retell Lecture	40 seconds	Listening & Speaking	Make good use of the image to predict the topic of the lecture Make good use of the 40-second speaking time
Answer Short Question	10 seconds	Listening	Do not pause for too long when you answer the question Do not try to give a long answer
Summarise Group Discussion	2 minutes	Listening & Speaking	Make good use of the 2-minute speaking time
Respond to a Situation	40 seconds	Speaking	Make good use of the preparation time
Summarise Written Text	10 minutes	Reading & Writing	Make sure your response is in the correct form Practice using compound and complex sentences
Write Essay	20 minutes	Writing	Start by analysing the task Analyse the essay prompt so you know how to answer

The personal introduction is to familiarise yourself with the exam technology, and helps to prepare you for speaking and listening questions. This question does not contribute to your scoring.

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Join Edoxi’s PTE Academic Training and get test-ready!

PTE Academic: Reading

In this second phase of the PTE test, your reading capabilities will be tested using English you might hear in an academic environment. This part of the test contains five different question types. This includes the following:

Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown)
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
Reorder Paragraph
Fill in the Blanks (Drag and Drop)
Multiple Choice, Single Answer

Question Type	Time to Answer	Skills Assessed	Test Tips
Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown)	Not applicable	Reading	Select the most appropriate word from the drop-down list to restore the text Skim for the overall meaning to help you choose the correct word Read before and after the blank to help you identify the correct word.
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers	Not applicable	Reading	Make sure you know how the task is scored Note any repeated words in the options
Reorder Paragraph	Not applicable	Reading	Read all the text boxes quickly before you start reordering them Find the topic sentence first
Fill in the Blanks (Drag and Drop)	Not applicable	Reading	Think about words that you often see or hear together Use your knowledge of grammar to help you select the correct word
Multiple Choice, Single Answer	Not applicable	Reading	Note the keywords in the prompt before you read the text Evaluate the response options

PTE Academic: Listening

In this third phase of the exam, your listening capabilities will be tested using English you might hear in an academic environment. This part of the test contains eight different question types and includes the following:

Summarise Spoken Text
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
Fill in the Blanks (Type In)
Highlight Correct Summary
Multiple Choice, Single Answer
Select Missing Word
Highlight Incorrect Words
Write from Dictation

Question Type	Time to Answer	Skills Assessed	Test Tips
Summarise Spoken Text	Not applicable	Listening & Writing	Make sure you summarise the main point and include the supporting points Remember to check grammar, spelling, and punctuation
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers	Not applicable	Listening	Take notes of the main points and supporting details Select for meaning, not just to match the words you hear
Fill in the Blanks (Type In)	Not applicable	Listening	Skims the text before the recording begins As you listen, write the words you hear
Highlight Correct Summary	Not applicable	Listening & Reading	Take notes and match them to the correct summary
Multiple Choice, Single Answer	Not applicable	Listening	Focus on the kind of information you need Skim the question and answer options before you listen to understand the topic
Select Missing Word	Not applicable	Listening	Know what to do if you change your mind about the answer
Highlight Incorrect Words	Not applicable	Listening and Reading	Quickly read the transcription before you listen to focus on keywords Follow the text with the cursor as you listen
Write from Dictation	Not applicable	Listening and Writing	Type as many correct words as you can remember into the response box in the correct order.

How to Answer the PTE Test?

Prepare yourself for the test, adjust your microphone, and test your headset.
Each task has specific instructions; read and understand them quickly.
Use a clear and steady voice in correct pronunciation.
Do not pause for too long, or after 3 seconds of silence, the microphone stops recording, and the answer will be recorded as completed.
Manage time wisely and structure your answer.

How to Practice for the PTE Test?

The consistent practice with a smart strategy and the right sources can help you crack the PTE Academic test. Here are some tips to practice for your PTE test.

Score practice tests
Creating a myPTE account
Use free materials from Smart Prep

1. Scored practice tests are the most recommended and trusted way to practice for your PTE Academic test. Here are the features of scored practice tests.

A full mock test with 65 questions
All question types covered
Marked through the official PTE AI scoring engine against the enhanced scoring criteria

2. Creating a myPTE account is the next smart way to prepare for PTE Academic confidently. Here are the benefits of myPTE account.

You can use free resources for preparation with this account
You can get focused training in skills like speaking, reading, writing, and listening.
You can access the smart preparation even without a test booking.

3. Use free materials from Smart Prep, split by skill, to help you get test-ready:

Guided Practice Tests: practice by skill or all skills combined.
Study Plan: A step-by-step guide on how to prepare for PTE Academic.
Online courses: videos and practice tasks to help you get to know the test.
Test tip documents: get useful strategies for all the question types found in PTE Academic.
Test format videos: understand the test structure, format and question types.

Here you may check out the 8 Reasons to Take the PTE Exam in 2026.

How is the PTE Academic Scored?

The PTE Academic is evaluated by a unique combination of an AI scoring system and a human expert to reduce the risk of bias. The test will be marked by a sophisticated AI scoring system trained by experts and refined daily by millions of data points. This can easily mark multiple-choice questions, but a human expert will review complex questions before the automated score is finalised. This helps to ensure the accuracy and fairness of scoring.

Typically, you need a minimum score to pass the test. But the qualifying scores can vary with each institution. Here is the list of minimum scores required to attain each degree.

Degree	Minimum PTE Score Required
Foundation Course	36 - 50
Undergraduate Degree	51 - 60
Postgraduate Degree	57 - 67

Features of the PTE Academic Score

The PTE Academic score has numerous features that make it convenient to access, store, and share your score. Below are the features of the PTE Academic score.

You will get a personalised score report and skills profile
- Score Report: You will receive a score report with an overall score between 10-90. You will also receive individual scores for your communicative skills, which help you to identify your areas of strength and improvement. Your scores are graded against the Global Scale of English (GSE).
- Skills Profile: It is a detailed report of your performance across different language skills with personal recommendations on how to improve your English proficiency.
Once the scores are finalised, you can access them via your myPTE account.
You can securely share your score report from myPTEaccount to as many institutions as you want for free.

If you want to learn more about PTE. Here is Everything You Need to Know About the PTE Exam.

Conclusion

Pearson Test of English is the globally recognised and reliable English proficiency test that leads you to the dream path of career, higher studies, and migration. The features like quick results, AI-integrated scoring, easy score access, etc, are making the PTE Academic an ideal choice for learners worldwide.

Lead your path to global opportunities with PTE Academic. Start your PTE journey today!

Do You Aspire to Work in PTE?

Join Edoxi PTE Training to learn the best practices!

Aatiqua Younus

English Language Trainer

Aatiqua Younus is an accomplished English language trainer at Edoxi Training Institute, Dubai. With over 5 years of experience, Aatiqua specialises in preparing students for internationally recognized exams like IELTS, PTE, and OET.She holds TEFL and TESOL certifications and has extensive expertise in teaching EFL and ESL learners using innovative and student-focused methodologies.

Aatiqua’s training approach emphasizes tailored lesson plans, adaptive teaching strategies, and comprehensive exam preparation, including grammar proficiency, advanced writing techniques, pronunciation enhancement, and vocabulary building.Aatiqua Younus is adept at delivering customized lessons designed to align with the latest exam standards and incorporates mock tests to ensure learners' confidence. Her previous roles, including supervising remedial teaching at Ek Tara, highlight her leadership and ability to bridge learning gaps effectively.Fluent in English, Hindi, Urdu, and Bengali, she excels at connecting with learners from diverse linguistic backgrounds.

Her certifications, such as Microsoft Office Specialist (Word 2019) and PTE training credentials, further underscore her technical acumen and commitment to continuous professional growth.