If you want to study in a foreign country where English is the main language at reputed universities for teaching purposes, then you must take language tests like PTE. PTE is a computer-based exam whose results can be extracted within two to three days. Let’s learn about the PTE exam, especially the PTE academic.
Table of Contents
What is PTE Academic Exam?
PTE Academic vs PTE General
7 step-by-step Guide For PTE Academic
- Check the PTE academic score requirement for your target university or course
- Know the format and scoring
- Check your level of English for PTE
- Choose your preparation resource
- Appear mock test
- Look out for special tips
- Make online PTE booking
FAQs About PTE Academic exam
- PTE Academic or IELTS, which one is more difficult?
- What is the passing score for PTE Academic?
- Are PTE exam mock tests worth it?
- What are books for PTE academic?
- Where can I do the PTE practice test for free?
- How to do PTE academic exam registration?
- What is the PTE exam fee in Australia?
- Which is the best place for PTE Exam in Australia?
What makes South English College the best college for PTE exam preparation?
What is PTE Academic Exam?
PTE(Pearson test of English) Academic is an entirely computer-based English test that serves as one crucial academic and professional tool to test your English language skills. It is pursued by students who want to study in foreign universities or countries.
PTE Academic vs PTE General
PTE Academic | PTE General |
1. PTE Academic is a PTE test for students who plan to study in universities or colleges overseas. | 1. PTE general is a generic version of tests for individuals interested in residency or moving out for work. |
2. The main purpose of the PTE Academic is to support work and immigration visa applications. | 2. The main purpose of PTE general is to help people in their international visits for personal purposes. |
3. PTE Academic results will be valid for 2 years. | 3. PTE General certificates can have longer validation. |
7 Step-by-Step Guide For PTE Academic
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Check the PTE academic score requirement for your target university or course
Now, different students aspire to study at their dream university. These universities require a specific number of PTE academic scores to accept international students. Thus, you can list the name of universities/colleges and the PTE score bar to get accepted.
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Know the format and scoring
You must prioritise understanding the structure of the PTE Academic exam and scores.The format of PTE Academic includes: Speaking and Writing, Reading, and Listening. You must understand the total number of questions in each part, the instructions to do each part-, and the-time length for each question.
In addition, you must look for the layout of each question on the screen. Most importantly, you must understand how the test is scored.
In the Score Report of PTE-A, you will get:
- Overall score
This is your primary PTE Academic score graded between 10 and 90.
- Communicative Skills
Here, your competency in speaking, writing, reading, and listening skills is included.
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Check your level of English for PTE
Now, you must also put in your effort and do your own homework to understand English language proficiency. Once you understand your current level of English, the challenging question is what score you will achieve, 79, 65, 50, or even less.
To check your proficiency, you must check for
- Skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking
- How good your grammar is?
- How good is your vocabulary?
- How fast your oral fluency is?
- How clear is your pronunciation?
- Your essay writing and spelling
To check for the above-mentioned aspects, you can either take the PTE exam, which is very expensive or pay a small amount and take PTE mock tests.
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Choose your preparation resource
It is never a bad move to make preparation. In fact, you must collect offline and online resources and prepare well for PTE academic exams. Experts in the field recommend exploring paid and free PTE Academic preparation tools and resources. Also, do not forget to avail the YouTube videos especially ran by English Speaking PTE preparation Companies/channels.
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Appear mock test
You can go for multiple mock tests online so that you can have extra hands-on experience on all aspects of the PTE academic exam. The gradual improvement of PTE-A scores on mock tests will certainly boost your confidence and familiarise you with the whole PTE exam format.
Besides confidence boost and PTE format familiarity, these PTE academic mock tests will help you have a strong grip on Time management, a decisive factor in the PTE Academic test. If you take a PTE mock test before the actual PTE Academic Test, you will have time management skills and will take your exam with ease.
You will also see your strengths and weaknesses in all parts of the PTE Academic exam; hence, you will try to strengthen your strengths while working on your weaknesses.
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Look out for special tips
The special PTE Exam tips certainly include the activities to be done before the test and during the exam. Before giving the exam, you must ensure you have the correct documentation and ID so that your attendance and entry are accepted in the test centre. Try to move an hour ahead to avoid traffic or any similar issues. The exam hours are extremely crucial, so during the test,
you must be fully focused and score right on time.
Some Tips to excel in PTE exams are:
- Always plan ahead what you want and how you will do it.
- Check for reliable and authentic resources from good websites like Pearson PTE .
- Read all test instructions carefully. You don’t have to think about finishing early.
- Practice more on the signs such as full stops, capital letters, and commas on writing tasks.
- Always stay on topic in writing or speaking.
- Make your English vocabulary strong.
- Try to work within a limit and check on your timely work.
- Always respond quickly and keep speaking during speaking.
- Spending time and energy on one topic is a bad move. So first do all the easy questions and then come to hard questions. Don’t give much attention to one single question.
- Use your remaining time to check your answers.
- Practice. Practice. and Practice
In PTE Academic Reading, mostly Fill in the blanks, Reorder Paragraphs, and Reading: MCQ, single answers are asked. So, you must look into the various ways to find answers and out them out well on the computer.
In the PTE Academic Writing, there are only two specific writing tasks: a) summarise a written text and b) write an essay. You need to write a summary of the given text in one sentence. 10 minutes will be given to you. You can use cut, copy, and paste button. Never forget to miss the major points in the summary. For an essay, you must write a 200 to 300-word argumentative essay. You must make sure to write a minimum of 200 words, more than 300 words.
The PTE Listening Test task includes: Summarising spoken text, Listening to multiple-choice, choosing multiple answers, Fill in the blanks, Highlight correct summary, highlighting incorrect words, writing from dictation, listening to multiple-choice, choosing the single answer, and Select missing words.
For PTE speaking, you have to answer a short question; for this question type, you be asked to listen to a question. When the audio finishes, the microphone opens, and the recording status box shows recording; there is no tone, so speak into the microphone and immediately answer the question with one or a few words.
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Make online PTE booking
After you have gained confidence in your preparation, it is time to get into action. The first step is to book your PTE exams. Here, you must pay the exam fee and the required documents. Once you book a slot, ensure to practice again and give PTE academic exams.
FAQs About PTE Academic exam
Let’s look into some major questions people ask about PTE Academic exam.
PTE Academic or IELTS, which one is more difficult?
Most of the candidates say that PTE Academic is tougher than IELTS. But scoring in PTE academics is much easier than in IELTS.
Another aspect is that PTE is strictly a computer-based test, the chances of human bias, which would be evident in the IELTS exam, are almost negligible.
What is the passing score for PTE Academic?
There is no such thing as a passing score for the PTE exam. The total range of PTE scoring is 10-90, and most of the time score of 50-63 is considered competent. It is believed that the score range of 65-75 or above for better and standard university options.
Are PTE exam mock tests worth it?
Yes, they are. Mock tests online are actually the power booster that helps you gain confidence and practice again and again. But don’t simply think, “If I score good in PTE mock test, I will make a great score in the actual PTE exam”. You must be focused and dedicated in the actual PTE academic exam rather than being overconfident to score better just because your previous mock tests had the best marks.
What are books for PTE academic?
There are many books for people PTE aspirants. But the major books for their PTE academics are given below:
- The Official Guide to PTE Academic
- The PTE Academic Official Preparation App
- PTE Academic Official Vocabulary
- Wiley’s PTE Advantage For The Academic Module (WIND)
- Expert PTE Academic Coursebook B1 & B2
- PTE Academic Practice Test Plus – Volume 1 and 2
- PTE Academic Official Vocabulary 2020-2022
Where can I do the PTE practice test for free?
For PTE practice, you can go for PTE mock test online. Always check the website’s security if you want to go for the online PTE academic mock test.
How to do PTE academic exam registration?
PTE Academic exam registration includes the following steps:
- Visit PTE Academic, the official Pearson website.
- You can then create an account
- Get your login credentials within 48 hours of completing the account.
- Get in contact with your nearest PTE centre.
- Book yourself a slot by searching for PTE dates in Australia. Select the time you find suitable.
What is the PTE exam fee in Australia?
In general, the PTE academic exam fee in Australia is around AUD$375, but you pay some more if you book late. The majority of Australian institutions don’t charge an application fee, but it’s always a good idea to check with yours. Some could want a little fee of around $100.
Which is the best place for PTE Exam in Australia?
There are various PTE preparation colleges in Australia that devote their professionals and resources to achieving maximum productivity and the best results for PTE results.
To get the best PTE classes in Australia, you can have a checklist of the various salient features. Thus, a great PTE preparation centre in Australia must have the following characteristics:
- They have advanced technical help like computer systems, testing labs, libraries, etc., for complete coaching.
- They have experienced teaching staff who are highly educated with a good command of the subject.
- They have friendly guidance to help students tackle their problems and provide them with confidence.
- They offer both offline and online help to guide the students for good PTE preparation.
What makes South English College the best college for PTE exam preparation?
Southern English College has served a large number of students to fulfil their dreams of achieving the best scores on the PTE test. We are also one of the best PTE preparation and coaching centre in Sydney. Our instructors are experienced and, in a straightforward manner, serve to non-English speaking people. In fact, we train the students accordingly so they can have a strong grip on all aspects of the English language.
We also provide one-to-one counselling and guidance on finding the best university. We help candidates to achieve excellent scores in PTE and IELTS too. Our online study materials are enough, and they can help students to provide all-around support in their PTE journey. We also provide our students with PTE academic exam format, Sample paper for PTE academic exam, and we even teach them the academic exam pattern.
For your PTE academic endeavour, you can contact us and embark on your PTE preparation journey.