Exam details, format, scores and more!
Pearson Test of English Academic, abbreviated as PTE A, is a computer-based test used to prove English language proficiency for admission to universities abroad. This test is held all the year round at over 200 Pearson testing centers across the world. In India, the test is held in almost all metro cities. Check out PTE Academic centres in India.
PTE Academic is taken by non-native speakers of English to prove their Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening skills in the language. PTE A scores are accepted by thousands of academic programs around the world and approved by the governments of Australia and New Zealand for student visa and migration applications. Test fee is INR 13,300 and includes the cost of sending score reports to an unlimited number of institutions.
PTE A Test Format
The test lasts for 3 hours and consists of three main parts: Speaking and Writing (together), Listening and Reading.
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Part 1: Speaking and Writing
This Speaking section in Part 1 is designed to check your Spoken English skills. You are expected to read a prompt and answer questions about yourself. The sections that follow will ask you to read aloud the given text, repeat a sentence, study an image and describe it, re-tell a lecture and answer short questions. All answers will be recorded. The Writing section requires you to summarize a given text in one sentence and to write an essay on a given topic.
Part 1 should take you between 77-93 minutes to complete.
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Part 2: Reading
This part assesses your Reading skills with the help of 15-20 questions that are of the following type: multiple choice, single answer; multiple choice, multiple answers; re-order paragraphs; fill in the blanks; and reading and writing fill in the blanks.
Part 2 should take you between 32-41 minutes to complete.
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Part 3: Listening
This part of the test assesses your understanding of recorded speech with the help of 8 tasks: summarize spoken test; multiple choice, multiple answer; fill in the blanks; highlight correct summary; multiple choice, single answer; select missing word; highlight incorrect words and write from dictation.
Part 3 should take you between 45-57 minutes to complete.
PTE A scores range from 10-90 points. There is no penalty for wrong answers so it makes sense to attempt all questions. You can take the exam as many times as you like. You must have your passport as an ID proof at the time of registration and during the exam. Know more about the PTE A.