PTE Academic- Exam Format and Exam Pattern

When it comes to language proficiency tests, there are a few alternatives that are widely accepted and preferred by people. One such language proficiency test for the English language is the Pearson Test of English. The Pearson Test of English is conducted by Pearson, a leading education company and is one of the most recognized and popular English language proficiency tests among people who wish to migrate to a major English speaking country.

The most well-known and commonly taken variation of the Pearson Test of English is the PTE Academic test. The PTE Academic test is an examination that is primarily taken by students who wish to pursue higher education in a college or university where the primary mode of instruction is English. One of the reasons for the PTE Academic test for being such a sought-after language proficiency test is its worldwide acceptance and also the validity it holds in countries like Canada and Australia.

Additionally, the PTE Academic test scores can be correlated to test scores of other popular language proficiency tests like IELTS and TOEFL. This characteristic of the PTE enables candidates to understand where they stand when it comes to their communication skills in the English language.

This, along with an evaluation of language skills against the global standards of English, which is another favoured feature of PTE, provides candidates with substantial information regarding their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the English language.

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In the article below, we have elaborated on the PTE Academic exam to help potential candidates understand this test.

PTE Academic

The PTE or the PTE Academic is a widely popular language proficiency test accepted by over 3000 universities, colleges and global institutions. It is also approved by the governments of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America, Germany, Singapore and Ireland for study, immigration and work visas. The PTE Academic is primarily taken by students who wish to apply to colleges and universities in a foreign nation for higher education where English is the primary language.

Here are a few important points about PTE Academic:

Why Choose PTE Academic?

There are various features about the PTE Academic exam that makes it stand out from the rest of its contemporaries. Because of some of these features, many prefer taking the PTE Academic test for their language proficiency over other similar exams.

Numerous English language proficiency tests are available to candidates who wish to migrate to a major English speaking country. What makes the PTE Academic test such a viable option is the format of the exam and the method of evaluation followed by the examination conducting authorities. The entire examination is conducted in a two-hour long computer-based session and it is conducted regularly with last-minute availability across many countries. People also value the friendly atmosphere at the PTE test centres and the seating arrangements do not permit more than 15 test-takers in one room.

Furthermore, PTE Academic candidates are assessed based on the Global Scale of English, indicating that students who score decently in this exam can communicate and interact in English according to the global standards and not just British or American standards.

How is PTE Academic different from IELTS?

PTE Academic is known to be a simpler test to prepare for and much less stressful as compared to IELTS, which is also a very popular English language proficiency test. The most significant difference between the PTE exam and the IELTS exam is that the IELTS exam emphasises a candidate’s reading and writing skills compared to the PTE exam, which focuses primarily on the other communicative skills, especially listening skills. Also, the duration of the IELTS exam is 2 hours and 45 minutes which is significantly higher than the PTE exam, which lasts for approximately 2 hours with integrated skills testing.

PTE Academic Exam Format

The PTE Academic test focuses on the use of the English language in daily life rather than testing a candidate’s prowess of the language. The test takers are scored based on a highly developed algorithm created with hundreds of thousands of real-life test responses so that each candidate is marked accurately, consistently and judiciously.

For candidates to achieve a high score in the PTE Academic test, they have to be well-versed in English to participate in regular social interactions and situations. Thus, obtaining a decent score in the PTE exam is vital to an individual’s eligibility to become an immigrant or an international student.

PTE Academic Exam Pattern

The PTE Academic test evaluates a candidate on their English language proficiency by testing four communicative skills, namely Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. Since these are the skills that an individual needs almost on a day-to-day basis and are crucial for communication in any kind of social setting, a PTE Academic candidate must be confident in employing these skills. The types of questions range from multiple choice to essay writing.

Given below are the different parts of the PTE Academic test and the types of questions included in them:

Updates about PTE Academic

Since November 16, 2021, there have been certain changes in the format of the PTE Academic exam. The most significant changes include

• The reduction in the number of questions items from 70-82 to 52-64.
• The reduction in the duration of the PTE Academic exam to a two-hour long computer-based test from a long 3 hours.

It is a well-known fact that the PTE Academic test has a sophisticated approach to evaluating an individual’s competency in the English language. Thus, candidates need to be well prepared in order to achieve their desired results in this exam and fulfil their ambition of travelling abroad for higher education and other purposes.