PTE Academic

PTE Academic is a computer-based English test that assesses your academic-level speaking, writing, reading and listening skills.

Choose PTE Academic if you plan to study at a university globally and need to prove your English level, or if you are applying for a work or migration visa for Australia or New Zealand. Take our ‘UKVI’ route if you wish to work or study below degree level in the UK.

No human examiners

Each test is fully computer-based and taken in one of our global test centers. That means you don’t have to face a human examiner.

Just one test

Computer-based testing means you only need to attend a single two-hour test, instead of two separate sessions, to get the score you need.

Faster

Automated scoring means it’s quicker to book, quicker to get your scores, and easier to share your scores – for free – with as many institutions as you choose.

PTE Academic and PTE Academic UKVI include 20 question types to assess your speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. Scores are based on the complexity of the question. Your overall score is graded between 10–90.

PTE Academic Score: 43–58 / CEFR Equivalent: B1

Required for: Typically, this may be required for undergraduate level study.

PTE Academic Score: 76–84 CEFR Equivalent: C1

Required for: Australian Skilled Migration Visas

This is a very high level of English proficiency. This level of English is generally not required for undergraduate courses.

CEFR Equivalent: B2

Required for: Typically, this is the level required to be able to follow academic level instruction and to participate in academic education, including both coursework and student life, and may be set for undergraduate or post-graduate entry requirements. This is also the level required for professional registration and employment, and also for Australian skilled migration visas.

This part of the test is 54–67 minutes long and it contains seven different question types. It is the longest section of the test. You will be tested on your speaking and writing skills, using English you might hear in an academic environment.

1. Personal Introduction

2. Read Aloud

3. Repeat Sentence

4. Describe Image

5. Re-tell Lecture

6. Answer Short Question

7. Summarize Written Text

8. Essay

Part 2: Reading

This part of the test is 29–30 minutes long and it contains five different question types. Because PTE Academic is an integrated skills test, one item type (‘Reading and Writing: Fill in the blanks’) also assesses writing skills.

1. Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks

2. Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer

3. Re-order Paragraphs

4. Fill in the Blanks

5. Multiple Choice, Single Answer

Part 3: Listening

This part of the test is 30–43 minutes long and it contains eight different question types.

The questions are based on audio or video clips, which begin to play automatically. You hear each audio or video clip once. You are allowed to take notes to answer each one.

1. Summarize Spoken Text

2. Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

3. Fill in the Blanks

4. Highlight Correct Summary

5. Multiple Choice, Single Answer

6. Select Missing Word

7. Highlight Incorrect Words

8. Write from Dictation