PTE Exam Pattern & Structure 2023 – Latest PTE Exam Structure

People who want to migrate abroad for study or working purposes have to take the English language test. The most common exams to prove English language proficiency are:

• IELTS
• TOEFL
• PTE
• Duolingo

 In the last few years, PTE (Pearson Test of English) has gained huge popularity because the Canadian government started accepting files with PTE scores for study visa applications.

So the number of students taking the PTE exam is increasing daily. But before taking the PTE exam, you must know to have all the necessary information about the PTE exam. For example, what is PTE, PTE exam pattern, PTE fee, etc? 

Most of the students who take the PTE exam do not have proper clarification about the PTE exam pattern, and due to this, they do not get the desired band score.

So in this blog, we will explain everything about the pattern of the PTE exam. But before that, you must understand what the PTE exam is.

What is PTE Exam? 

The Pearson Test of English is an English proficiency test. This test is designed for getting admission to universities all around the world. This test is one of the easiest tests after IELTS and TOEFL.

There are two types of PTE exams

• PTE Academic Test 
• PTE General Test. 

This test measures the English language proficiency of test takers in reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Students are scored on a scale of 10 to 90. Where 90 is the maximum score a student can get.

PTE Academic: Key Highlights

PTE Exam Pattern Basic Overview

First, let’s have a basic overview of the PTE exam pattern, and after this, we will go into more detail and will get more in-depth information about it.

This overview will give you some basic information that will help you to understand the concepts of this exam.

So, here is the basic overview of the format of the PTE exam.

Like IELTS, TOEFL, and many other English Proficiency Tests, this test also has four sections:

• Speaking
• Writing
• Reading
• Listening

You have to get good scores in all of these sections to increase your chances of getting admission in abroad colleges.

PTE Exam Pattern in Detail

So, you have checked all types of questions and tasks that candidates have to attempt while their PTE exam.

Now, let’s get more information about it and see what these question types are exactly is:

Speaking Section

The speaking section or test is the first module of the PTE exam; in this module, candidates have to attempt these five types of questions or tasks:

Read Aloud

Candidates will see a textual passage on any topic in the read-aloud section.

Candidates have 40 seconds to read and prepare this passage.

After 40 seconds, they have to speak this passage in the microphone; they will have 40 seconds for this too.

You do not have to worry about time; you can efficiently complete this question in 20 to 30 seconds if you speak at a normal pace.

Don’t take more than 40 seconds; if you take more than 40 seconds, then it means you spoke at a slow pace, which will negatively impact your scores.

In this task, you mostly have 6 or 7 questions that you have to complete.

Repeat Sentence

In this test, candidates will hear a recording of a single sentence; this recording will be played only once, so you have to listen to this carefully.

After this, candidates have to record their response in the microphones according to that recording,

Candidates will have around 10 to 12 tasks to complete to finish repeat sentences.

Describe Image

In this task, candidates will see pictorial data like a chart, table, bar etc.

They will have 25 seconds to look at this image, and after this, they have to give a brief description of it in 40 seconds.

You have to complete 3 or 4 tasks in the “describe image” module.

Retell Lecture

In this module, candidates will hear a lecture whose duration will be around 1 minute, they will have 10 seconds to note down the information from the lecture.

After this, candidates will have 40 seconds to retell the information they got from the lecture.

Candidates have to complete 1 or 2 tasks in the retell lecture module.

Answer Short Questions

In this module, candidates will be asked 5 to 6 questions, and they have to answer these questions based on their common sense.

They have to answer these questions in one word or a single phrase.

This is the PTE exam pattern for the speaking section.

Writing Section

In this section, candidates have to attempt 2 questions:

Summarize Written Text

In this module, candidates have to read a textual passage, and after reading this passage, they have to write summaries of what they have read in this passage.

They will have 10 minutes to complete this “summarize written text” module.

There will be 1 or 2 questions in this module.

Write Essay

In this module, candidates will be given a topic, and they have to write an essay on that topic in 200 or 300 words.

They will have 20 minutes to complete the write-essay module.

There will be 1 or 2 tasks that candidates have to complete.

This is the PTE exam pattern for the writing section.

Reading Section

In this section, candidates have to attempt 5 questions:

Fill in the Blanks (Reading and Writing)

Candidates will be given a textual passage of 300 words or more.

There will be some blank spaces in this passage, each blank will have four options, and the candidate has to choose the correct option.

There will be 5 or 6 tasks in this fill in the blanks module.

Multiple Choice (Multiple)

In this module, candidates will see a textual passage of 200 to 300 words and a question related to that passage.

There will be 5 to 7 choices for that question, and the candidate has to select the correct answer between those choices.

There will be 1 or 2 questions in this module.

Re-order Paragraphs

In this module, candidates will see a textual passage; but this passage will have shuffled paragraphs.

The candidate has to arrange these shuffled paragraphs to correct the order.

There will be 2 or 3 questions in this module.

Fill in Blank (Reading)

In this module, candidates will see 4 or 5 textual passages; this passage will be around 80 words long.

There will be 3 to 5 blanks in the passage with 6 to 8 choices, and candidates must select the right choice between these.

Multiple Choice (Single)

This will be the last module of the Reading section, in this module, candidates will see a textual passage of around 100 words.

There will be a question related to the passage with some choices to select.

The candidates have to select the right answer between those choices, there will be 1 or 2 questions in this module.

This is the PTE exam pattern for the reading section.

Listening Section

In this section, candidates have to attempt 10 questions:

Summarize Spoken Text

In this module, candidates will hear a lecture or a dialogue whose duration will be around 60 seconds to 90 seconds.

After this, the candidates have to write a summary of this lecture in around 50 to 70 words; they have to write down points that they heard.

There will be 1 or 2 summarized spoken test questions in the PTE exam.

Multiple Choice (Multiple)

Candidates will hear 40 seconds to 90 seconds long lecture or dialogue. 

Then they have to answer two or three questions from the given 5 to 7 options.

Be careful while selecting an option because 1 point will be deducted from your points every time you give a wrong answer.

There will be 1 or 2 tasks in this module.

Fill in Blank

Candidates will hear audio and will see a passage in this module.

There will be some blanks between sentences of the passage; the candidates have to fill in those blanks according to the audio they heard.

There will be 2 or 3 tasks in this module.

Highlight Correct Summary

In this module, Candidates will hear a lecture or dialogue whose duration will be between 30 seconds to 90 seconds. 

They have to answer 1 or 2 questions by selecting an option from 3 to 5 options.

Multiple Choice (Single)

Candidates will hear a lecture or dialogue whose duration will be between 60 seconds to 90 seconds.

Then the candidate has to answer the question by choosing an option from the given option.

Candidates have to complete 1 or 2 tasks in this module.

Select Missing Word

Candidates will hear a lecture or dialogue whose duration will be between 20 seconds to 70 seconds.

There will be some beep sounds in the lecture; candidates have to answer what the words will be at those beep sounds.

There will be 3 to 5 options, and the candidate must choose the correct one.

Candidates have to complete 1 or 2 tasks in this module.

Highlight Incorrect Words

In this module, candidates will listen to an audio clip whose duration will be around 15 seconds to 50 seconds.

Candidates are also provided with a textual passage that will have the same content as the audio clip.

The candidates must highlight those words in the passage that they think are wrongly pronounced in the audio clip.

Write From Dictation

This module is considered one of the hardest modules of the PTE exam.

In this module, candidates will hear a sentence and then have to write it in the same way as they listened.

There will be 3 to 4 tasks in the write-from-dictation module.

Most of the students find difficulty in this module, so you should give extra attention to this so that you can get 85+ scores in the PTE.

This is the PTE exam pattern for the listening section.

How Many Times Can I Gave PTE Exam?

You can take the PTE Academic Exam as often as you want, but you must wait 5 days between each try. You can take the test as often as possible until you get your desired number.

It’s important to remember that you’ll have to pay for each try. At the moment, the cost of the PTE Academic Exam is about USD 250. So, if you want to take the test more than once, you must consider how much each try will cost.

Also, it’s important to know that your scores from earlier PTE Academic tests won’t be added to your final score. This means that every time you try, it’s like starting over, and your past scores won’t affect how likely you are to succeed the next time.

If you want to take the PTE Academic Exam more than once, you should take some time to study between each try. This will help you get a better score and a better chance of succeeding. You can prepare for the PTE Academic Exam with many tools, such as online practice tests, textbooks, and classes.

Types of PTE Exams and Their Uses!

The PTE Exam is two types, and they are PTE academic and PTE general:

PTE Academics: Students who wish to enroll in an English-speaking university or college should take the PTE Academic exam. The four primary English language abilities are evaluated—reading, writing, listening, and speaking. More than 3,000 universities and colleges in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other nations accept the PTE Academic exam.

PTE General: PTE General is intended for individuals who must prove their English language ability for several reasons, including employment, immigration, or citizenship. In addition to testing the four fundamental English language abilities, it tests various other abilities, including grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Many international corporations and governmental organizations recognize the PTE General exam.

A few extra PTE exams are available in addition to these two primary exam categories. These consist of:

PTE Young Learners is intended for kids between 7 and 12. It evaluates their mastery of the four essential skills in the English language.

People who want to apply for a work or family visa in the UK should use PTE Home. The PTE Home exam has three levels: A1, A2, and B1.

The PTE Academic exam is available online as PTE Academic Online. It is accessible in a few nations.

PTE Item Scoring Overview

You should also understand the PTE Item Scoring Overview after knowing about the PTE exam pattern.

There are mainly two types of scoring systems in the PTE exam. 

• Partial Credit
• Correct Or Incorrect

Partial Credit

There are some questions in the IELTS exam that are scored as correct, incorrect, or partially correct. In these types of questions if the answer is correct the maximum marks available will be credited, if the response is partially correct the partial marks will be given and no mark will be given if the answer is incorrect.

Correct Or Incorrect

In some questions there are no partial credits, in those types of questions either the answer is correct or not. You will get full marks if the answer is correct and no marks if the answer is wrong.

Reasons To Take The PTE exam

After the PTE exam pattern, here are 3 reasons you should take the PTE exam:

Computer-Based Test

The first reason to take PTE is that it is completely Computer-Based. You will not have to communicate with any human being while giving the PTE exam. For example, in the Speaking module, you must give all your speaking tasks using the headset. The computer will record all your answers. Also, in the Writing Module, you must type all your tasks. 

NOTE: This exam is very beneficial for those people who have good computer skills. 

Availability of Dates For PTE Test

You can check the available dates for the PTE Test at http://pearsonpte.com/book/ on the Pearson PTE website. It is very easy to book the date, and you don’t have to wait so long to book the PTE exam. There are a lot of test centers all around the world. So, you should choose one which is near to your location.

Quick Result Time

When you give your PTE exam, your result will mail to you within 5 days of the test date. This exam is very beneficial for those candidates who want to start their visa process early and have less time available with them.

PTE Exam Cancelation Or Rescheduling Fees

Along with the PTE exam pattern it is also important to know about the canceling or rescheduling fee for the PTE exam.

• If the candidate is not able to give the PTE exam on the scheduled date and they want to cancel or reschedule the exam, then they can get a full money refund if they cancel or reschedule their exam 14 calendar days before their test date. 
• If they cancel or reschedule their exam 7 calendar days before their exam date, they will get 50% of the fee. 
• If candidates cancel or reschedule their exam less than 7 days before the exam, then they will not get refund money. 

How To Reschedule Or Cancel The PTE Exam?

If you want to reschedule or cancel your PTE exam, then here are some steps:

• The first step is open the official website of PTE.
• After that, log in with your USER NAME and PASSWORD.
• And then click on the Reschedule or cancel option.

Don’t miss out on this limited-time offer! Take advantage of our flat 10% off discount and book your PTE exam today.

Achieve Your Desired PTE Score and Save Big! Book Now for a Flat 10% Off!

Book Now and Save 10%!

Conclusion

In this blog, I have provided all the necessary information regarding the PTE exam pattern. 

I have briefly discussed each module or test of this exam, so I do not think you will have any further doubt regarding this.

But if you still have any doubts or you want to know something more, then leave a comment in the comment section. You can also contact our experts for more detail or if you need any help regarding the PTE exam pattern or filling out the PTE exam.

So, that’s it for today’s blog; stay connected to the CourseMentor™ for more such blogs.

FAQs