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Looking for online PTE coaching? Know the test first, then judge any course against it. PTE Academic is Pearson’s computer-based English test for university admission and for visas to Australia, New Zealand and, in its UKVI form, the United Kingdom. It is taken in a single sitting of about two hours at a Pearson test centre, every answer — spoken, written or clicked — is captured by the computer, and the marking is automated, with human review of some responses before a score is finalised. Results typically arrive within two business days.
What distinguishes it from IELTS and TOEFL is the design of its tasks. Most of the twenty question types score more than one skill at once — reading a text aloud is marked for reading and speaking, retelling a lecture for listening and speaking, summarising a spoken text for listening and writing — so the four communicative scores are built from overlapping evidence rather than four separate papers. The test was revised in 2025, when two speaking tasks, Summarize Group Discussion and Respond to a Situation, were added and the IELTS concordance was republished.
PTE Academic · checked 19 September 2026
The dates, vacancies and rules below are read on the conducting body’s own site and rewritten as each notice appears. The guide beneath carries the full pattern, syllabus, cut-offs and free mock tests.
Checked 19 September 2026
Pearson, at authorised PTE test centres; not available at home
Study at 4,000+ institutions; visas to Australia and New Zealand; UK visas via PTE Academic UKVI
Three parts in one sitting — Speaking & Writing 76–84 minutes, Reading 23–30, Listening 31–39
Overall and four communicative skills on a 10–90 scale, marked by Pearson’s automated system with human review
Overview
The test opens with an unscored personal introduction, then runs through nine speaking and writing tasks, five reading tasks and eight listening tasks without a separate speaking appointment. Speaking is recorded through a headset at a shared test-centre desk, which is a different experience from a face-to-face IELTS interview and one worth practising: the microphone opens after a tone, closes after a pause of a few seconds, and does not allow a second attempt.
Scores are reported as an overall score from 10 to 90 and as four communicative-skill scores for listening, reading, speaking and writing, with a Skills Profile that shows where marks were lost. Pearson’s concordance with IELTS Academic, revised in July 2025 after the test changed, puts 47 alongside IELTS 6.0, 55 alongside 6.5, 63 alongside 7.0 and 79 alongside 8.0 — figures institutions use to set their own thresholds, which remain theirs to decide.
PTE Academic is the test for university admission and for Australian and New Zealand visas. UK visa applications that require a four-skills Secure English Language Test need PTE Academic UKVI, which is the same test taken under UKVI conditions. PTE Core is a general-English test recognised by Canada’s IRCC for permanent residence and citizenship, not for study. Book the variant your institution or visa route names.
Online PTE coaching
PTE Academic is scored by Pearson’s automated system, which makes it the test most suited to online coaching — and the test where bad coaching does most harm, because the marking rewards habits that can be drilled and punishes ones that feel natural. A good online PTE course teaches the twenty question types as twenty routines, scores practice the way the machine does, and stops when the target score is met.
This guide and its six sub-pages carry every PTE question type, the scoring rules, the IELTS concordance and a preparation routine at no cost, with free diagnostic tests. Brolly Academy runs online training from Hyderabad for students anywhere in India; enquire there for live online PTE coaching, a demo session and batch dates.
Eligibility
| Condition | Rule |
|---|---|
| Age | Sixteen or older; candidates aged 16 and 17 must submit a parental consent form before the test. |
| Nationality and qualification | Anyone may book; no qualification is required. |
| Identity document | A valid passport, in any country. Testing inside your country of citizenship, an alternative government photo ID may be accepted where Pearson’s exceptions list allows it; outside it, only a passport. The ID selected at booking is the one presented, the booking name must match it exactly, and a candidate without it is refused entry and loses the fee. |
| Which PTE test | PTE Academic for study and for Australian and New Zealand visas; PTE Academic UKVI for UK visa routes needing a four-skills SELT; PTE Core for Canadian immigration; the PTE Home tests for UK family and settlement routes. |
| Attempts | No limit; a new booking can be made as soon as the previous score is released, each at the full fee. |
| Accommodations | Extra time, breaks and comfort aids on application with evidence before booking, through the myPTE account. |
Selection process
Each stage in order, and what it actually tests.
| Stage | Format | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 — Speaking and Writing | 76–84 minutes; nine question types | Read Aloud (texts up to 60 words), Repeat Sentence, Describe Image (40 seconds), Retell Lecture (up to 90 seconds of audio, 40 seconds to answer), Answer Short Question, Summarize Group Discussion (a three-person discussion of up to three minutes, two minutes to summarise), Respond to a Situation (40 seconds after 10 seconds’ preparation), Summarize Written Text (one sentence of 5 to 75 words in 10 minutes) and Write Essay (200 to 300 words in 20 minutes). |
| Part 2 — Reading | 23–30 minutes; five question types | Fill in the Blanks from a drop-down list (texts up to 300 words), Multiple Choice with multiple answers (up to 350 words), Re-order Paragraphs (up to 150 words), Fill in the Blanks by drag and drop (up to 80 words) and Multiple Choice with a single answer. Multiple-answer questions lose marks for wrong selections. |
| Part 3 — Listening | 31–39 minutes; eight question types | Summarize Spoken Text (60 to 90 seconds of audio, a 50 to 70 word summary in 10 minutes), Multiple Choice with multiple answers, Fill in the Blanks by typing, Highlight Correct Summary, Multiple Choice with a single answer, Select Missing Word, Highlight Incorrect Words and Write from Dictation. |
| Scoring and results | Automated with human review; 10–90; typically two business days | Every response is scored by Pearson’s automated system, with some open responses reviewed by a human expert before the score is finalised. The Score Report gives the overall and communicative-skill scores; the Skills Profile breaks performance down further. Scores are released to the myPTE account, usually within two business days and at most five, and are valid for two years. |
Procedure
Everything runs through a myPTE account: booking, rescheduling, results and score sending.
| Timing | Reschedule | Cancel |
|---|---|---|
| More than 14 full calendar days before the test | Free, up to six times per booking | Full refund |
| 14 to 7 full calendar days before | Not possible — cancel and rebook | 50 per cent refund |
| 7 days or fewer | Not possible | No refund |
| Illness or family emergency | Pearson may allow a free reschedule at its discretion on an emergency form with evidence, submitted up to 72 hours after the appointment | — |
Exam pattern
| Part | Time | Question types | Skills scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speaking and Writing | 76–84 minutes | Personal Introduction (unscored); Read Aloud; Repeat Sentence; Describe Image; Retell Lecture; Answer Short Question; Summarize Group Discussion; Respond to a Situation; Summarize Written Text; Write Essay | Speaking, and listening through the integrated tasks; reading and writing through the two written tasks |
| Reading | 23–30 minutes | Fill in the Blanks (drop-down); Multiple Choice, multiple answers; Re-order Paragraphs; Fill in the Blanks (drag and drop); Multiple Choice, single answer | Reading, with writing credited in the drop-down blanks |
| Listening | 31–39 minutes | Summarize Spoken Text; Multiple Choice, multiple answers; Fill in the Blanks; Highlight Correct Summary; Multiple Choice, single answer; Select Missing Word; Highlight Incorrect Words; Write from Dictation | Listening, with writing through the summary, blanks and dictation and reading through the summary and incorrect-words items |
| Purpose | Typical requirement |
|---|---|
| Australia subclass 500 | PTE Academic 47 as the standard minimum, 39 with ten weeks of ELICOS, 31 with twenty; universities commonly 58 overall with 50 in each skill |
| Australian skilled and other visas | Home Affairs bands — Competent English at 50 in each skill, Proficient at 65, Superior at 79 |
| UK Student visa | PTE Academic UKVI at CEFR B2 for degree level — 59 in each component — unless the university assesses English itself; universities commonly 59 to 67 overall |
| United States and Canadian universities | Commonly 58 to 65 overall for graduate admission, 50 to 58 for undergraduate; a few ask 68 or more |
| IELTS equivalence | 47 = 6.0, 55 = 6.5, 63 = 7.0, 71 = 7.5, 79 = 8.0 by Pearson’s concordance; institutions set their own PTE figure |
Study plan
Exam resources
Six resource pages, each kept in step with the latest official notification.
Questions
Three parts in one sitting of about two hours: Speaking and Writing at 76 to 84 minutes with nine question types, Reading at 23 to 30 minutes with five, and Listening at 31 to 39 minutes with eight. Every response is captured on a computer at a Pearson test centre and scored by Pearson’s automated system, with some responses reviewed by a human expert. Scores are reported overall and for each of the four skills on a 10 to 90 scale.
Two speaking tasks were added — Summarize Group Discussion, a two-minute spoken summary of a three-person discussion, and Respond to a Situation, a 40-second spoken reply to a described situation — and Pearson republished its IELTS concordance in July 2025 to reflect the updated test.
By Pearson’s July 2025 concordance, PTE 55 corresponds to IELTS 6.5 and PTE 63 to IELTS 7.0; 47 corresponds to 6.0 and 79 to 8.0. Institutions and visa authorities set their own PTE minimums, so check the requirement rather than converting.
Most results are released within two business days and all within five, to the myPTE account, with an email when they are ready. Scores are valid for two years from the test date and can be sent to as many institutions as needed at no charge.
No. PTE Academic is taken only at an authorised Pearson test centre on a computer. Pearson states it cannot be taken at home; the at-home option that once existed is no longer offered for this test.
Fees are set by country and shown at booking. In India the fee was ₹18,900 including GST from March 2026, the same for PTE Academic and PTE Academic UKVI. Cancellation is free 14 or more days before the test, refunds half the fee from 13 to 8 days before, and nothing inside 7 days.
Many candidates reach 65 with the official guide, scored practice tests and disciplined use of templates; 79 usually needs a trainer listening to recordings, because the fluency and pronunciation traits that separate 70 from 79 are hard to hear in one’s own speech. Choose coaching that reviews your recordings and uses Pearson’s scored practice tests rather than one that sells video hours.
All twenty question types with their prompt lengths, time limits and scoring rules, including Summarize Group Discussion and Respond to a Situation added in 2025; speaking templates and microphone discipline; the form rules for the summaries and essay; the negative-scoring items in reading and listening; and scored full-length practice interpreted against your target score.
Create a myPTE account with your name exactly as in your passport, answer the booking questions to select PTE Academic, choose a centre and a slot at least 24 hours ahead, and pay ₹18,900 by card or voucher. Confirmation is emailed and shown in the account, which is also where rescheduling, results and score sending happen.
Arrive at least 30 minutes early with the passport. The administrator checks the ID, takes a digital photograph and a digital signature, and seats you in a partitioned booth with a headset, notepad and pencil among 10 to 15 candidates. The test runs about two hours with no scheduled break, and results follow within 48 hours in most cases.
Rescheduling is free with more than 14 full calendar days to go, up to six times per booking; inside 14 days a booking cannot be rescheduled and must be cancelled and rebooked. Cancellation refunds the full fee with more than 14 days’ notice, half between 14 and 7 days, and nothing with 7 days or fewer. Illness or family emergency can be put to Pearson on an emergency form with evidence.
Only on the multiple-answer questions in reading and listening and on Highlight Incorrect Words, where each wrong selection loses a mark down to zero for that item. Everything else scores zero or positive — but a form breach, such as a two-sentence Summarize Written Text or a 190-word essay, scores zero for the item.
For an Australian Student visa the Department of Home Affairs lists PTE Academic 47, or 39 and 31 with packaged English courses; its Competent, Proficient and Superior bands for other visas are 50, 65 and 79 in each skill. For a UK Student visa at degree level the SELT requirement is B2, which PTE Academic UKVI meets with 59 in each component. Universities commonly ask 58 to 67 overall.
Read the syllabus, attempt a free mock, then fix the section that costs you the most marks.
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