Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic)
PTE Academic is the world’s leading computer-based test of English and, as such, it is accepted by thousands of universities around the world for study applications. These educational institutions include the prestigious Harvard Business School, Yale and INSEAD. PTE Academic is also approved by the governments of Australia and New Zealand for migration applications. It assesses each candidate’s practical English skills in an integrated way in an academic environment. PTE Academic tests are scored by computers, resulting in impartial outcomes. Test results are typically available within five business days.
PTE Academic assesses candidates’ four language skills of speaking, writing, reading and listening. The test will last approximately three hours. This includes an untimed introduction to the test and one optional break of up to 10 minutes. PTE Academic consists of three main parts. Each part contains a number of sections. Each section is individually timed. The table below shows the test structure.
Part of test | Section | Task type | Time allowed |
---|---|---|---|
Part 1: Speaking and Writing | Section 1 | Personal Introduction | 1 minute |
Section 2 | Read aloud | 30 – 35 minutes | |
Repeat sentence | |||
Describe image | |||
Re-tell lecture | |||
Answer short question | |||
Sections 3 – 4 | Summarise written text | 20 minutes | |
Section 5 | Summarise written text or Write essay | 10 or 20 minutes | |
Section 6 | Write essay | 20 minutes | |
Part 2: Reading | Multiple-choice, choose single answer | 32 – 41 minutes | |
Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers | |||
Re-order paragraphs | |||
Reading: Fill in the blanks | |||
Reading & Writing: fill in the blanks | |||
Part 3:Listening | Section 1 | Summarise spoken text | 20 or 30 minutes |
Section 2 | Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers | 23 – 28 minutes | |
Fill in the blanks | |||
Highlight correct summary | |||
Multiple-choice, choose single answer | |||
Select missing word | |||
Highlight incorrect words | |||
Write from dictation |
The following equivalence table is used by the Australian Department of Home Affairs (previously known as the Department of Immigration and Border Protection) and Australian universities and colleges in their judgments about candidates’ eligibility for study and migration applications.
Test Equivalences | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Test | Test Score Band | ||||||||||
IELTS | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 9.0 |
TOEFL iBT | 31 | 32 | 35 | 46 | 60 | 79 | 94 | 102 | 110 | 115 | 118 |
PTE Academic | 29 | 30 | 36 | 42 | 50 | 58 | 65 | 73 | 79 | 83 | 86 |