PTE Exam Syllabus: Candidates who want to excel in their PTE Exam should be aware of the latest PTE syllabus . The PTE Exam syllabus mentioned below is for candidates looking to appear for their next PTE Exam. Here is the syllabus of the PTE Academic exam covering the Speaking and Writing syllabus, Reading syllabus, and Listening Syllabus.
Conducted by Pearson PLC Group, the PTE Academic exam is a computer-based English language test accepted by educational institutions around the world. PTE full form is the Pearson Test of English and PTE-Academic is the English test undertaken by students and aspirants who desire to go abroad to study or immigrate to a major English-speaking country. Students are required to take the PTE exam to prove their English language competency.
PTE Exam Syllabus
As informed earlier, in this article we are going to mainly focus on the PTE syllabus.
PTE Syllabus
| PTE Section | PTE Exam Syllabus | Total Questions/Duration |
|---|---|---|
| PTE Speaking & Writing | Personal Introduction • Read Aloud • Repeat Sentence • Describe Image • Re-Tell Lecture • Answer Short Questions • Summarize Written Text • Essay | No. of Questions: 28 – 36Duration: 54 – 67 minutes |
| PTE Reading Section | Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer • Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers • Re-Order Paragraphs • Reading: Fill in the Blanks • Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks | No. of Questions: 13 – 18Duration: 29 – 30 minutes |
| PTE Listening Section | Summarize Spoken Text • Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer • Fill in the Blanks • Highlight Correct Summary • Multiple Choice, Single Answer • Select Missing Word • Highlight Incorrect Words • Write From Dictation | No. of Questions: 12 – 20Duration: 30 – 43 minutes |
PTE Syllabus – by section
The Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic) assesses the Speaking & Writing, Reading and Listening skills, skills of the candidates to ensure that they are capable of studying in the international environment, with a good grasp of the universal language of English. By scoring well in this test, students can assure the admission committee as well as the visa officers that they are capable of understanding the globally accepted official language while studying in a foreign land.
A good score on the test also ensures that candidates would be able to represent their ideas, deliver presentations, work to gain international exposure, and basically function on the international front in front of foreign audiences. This helps the applicants ensure that they are ready to study amidst students from all over the world and international faculty members in the universal official language.
PTE Exam Syllabus: Speaking & Writing Section 77 to 93 minutes 54 – 67 minutes
Syllabus of PTE Speaking and Writing Section: As the name implies, this section tests the candidate’s on the basis of their two major skills of communication, which are spoken and written skills. The Speaking & Writing of the PTE section is approximately 54 – 67 minutes long in the PTE exam and the section contains seven different question types. The Speaking & Writing section is the longest section of the PTE test. The candidate will be tested on their speaking and writing skills, using English they might hear in an academic environment.
This section comprises seven small sections that test you on your promptness over speaking and writing the written test that you would get to read for the first time ever. The complete section is given on a time duration of 54 to 67 minutes and the time allotted to each segment is as follows:
| Segments Pattern | Time Duration |
|---|---|
| Personal Introduction | 55 seconds: 25 seconds for prompt, 30 seconds to record |
| Read Aloud | 30-40 seconds to prepare for reading out the text of 60 words |
| Repeat Sentence | 15 seconds: 3-9 seconds for prompt, 15 seconds to record |
| Describe Image | 25 seconds are granted to study the image as well as prepare your response on the same |
| Re-Tell Lecture | 90 seconds for prompt length, 10 seconds to prepare and 40 seconds to answer |
| Answer Short Question | 20 seconds: 3-9 seconds for prompt, 10 seconds to answer |
| Summarize Written Text | 10 minutes to answer to text prompt of 300 words |
| Essay | 20 minutes to answer to text prompt of 2-3 sentences |
| Total questions | 28 – 36 |
| Time Allocation | 54 – 67 minutes |
PTE Exam Syllabus: Reading Section 32 – 41 minutes 29 – 30 minutes
Syllabus of PTE Reading Section: This section tests the candidates on the basis of their ability to understand the written instructions in the language. The section further divided into 5 segments is 29 to 30 minutes long. Check out the segment-wise pattern for the time distribution of this section:
| Segments Pattern | Time Duration varies on the length of the Text Prompt |
|---|---|
| Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer | Read 300 words of text |
| Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers | Read 300 words of text |
| Re-Order Paragraphs | Read 150 words of text |
| Reading: Fill in the Blanks | Read 80 words of text |
| Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks | Read 300 words of text |
PTE Exam Syllabus: Listening Section 45 to 57 minutes 30 – 43 minutes
Syllabus of PTE Listening Section: The listening section of the PTE Academic is stretched over 30 to 43 minutes of duration. This one is designed to determine the ability to understand spoken English by the candidate. Here, the student needs to ascertain that they carefully hear the audio file played and retain what they heard. This section is divided into 8 segments and the time given to each segment is as follows.
| Segments Pattern | Time Duration |
|---|---|
| Summarize Spoken Text | 60-90 seconds to retain 50-70 words, 10 minutes to write |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer | 40-90 seconds for prompt |
| Fill in the Blanks | 30-60 seconds |
| Highlight Correct Summary | 30-90 seconds |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | 30-60 seconds |
| Select Missing Word | 20-70 seconds |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | 15-50 seconds |
| Write From Dictation | 3-5 seconds |
PTE Exam Pattern
PTE Pattern: Candidates should note that the PTE syllabus and the PTE exam pattern go hand-in-hand. The PTE exam pattern constitutes the PTE syllabus. The PTE Exam Pattern is as follows
PTE Pattern
| PTE Format | Details |
|---|---|
| PTE Exam Pattern | An English language exam that has been developed to test the Speaking & Writing skills (54 – 67 minutes), Reading skills (29 – 30 minutes), and Listening skills (30 – 43 minutes) of candidates wanting to study abroad in an English-speaking country. |
| PTE Duration | 2 Hours and a Single test session |
| Medium | Computer-based with headset |
| Mode | Taken in a test centre / Home Edition |
| Test Type | Assesses real-life English |
| Test Layout | 20 question types |
The PTE test goes this way:
- Question: Time to Reading the Text Prompt: The time duration of each prompt you get varies depending on the length of the text. The length is measurable in words or sentences. You need to be active in this part.
- Prepare for Answer: Time granted to Relax and Think: You do not have to immediately answer the question. On average, you get 10 to 15 seconds to prepare for each segment. You should relax and think for a while about how to answer.
- Answer: Time for Action: This is the total time duration where you have to perform. The answers are recorded when you speak, saved as text when you write, and selected in options multiple-choice questions.
Refer to the segment-wise description boxes given along with each section explaining the PTE Exam Pattern and PTE Syllabus in detail:
- Speaking and Writing
- Reading
- Listening
Types of Questions Covered in the PTE Syllabus
The questions asked for the PTE Exam include the following
Reading:
- Fill in the blanks
- Multiple choice answers
- Re-order paragraphs
Listening:
- Summarize
- Multiple choice answers
- Fill in the blanks
- Write from dictation
- Highlight incorrect words
Speaking and Writing:
- Personal introduction
- Answer short questions
- Re-tell lecture
- Summarize
- Read Aloud
- Repeat sentence
- Describe Image
- Essay
PTE Registration
Candidates wanting to register for the PTE exam would be required to follow the steps mentioned below to successfully book their PTE exam slot. Candidates should note that for booking your PTE Academic online, you need a valid ID – a valid Indian passport. Candidates will also be required to show their valid ID on the day of the PTE exam or else they will not be allowed to enter the PTE Test centre.
PTE Test at Home
Launched by Pearson PLC Group – the conducting body of the PTE exam, PTE at Home testing is the PTE Academic Online Test that is being conducted from the safety of the homes of the PTE test takers. However, before you rush to book your PTE at Home testing, there are certain important factors that have to be kept in mind before you register for your online PTE at Home test.
PTE Exam Dates
The PTE exam is conducted throughout the year at designated PTE test centres across the country. The PTE exam dates might vary from centre to centre. Students must search for the seats available on the Pearson PTE Academic website. Simply select the test centres closest to you, and click next. The website would prompt you to the calendar with the available dates.
PTE Exam Preparation: Candidates looking to perform well in their PTE Academic Exam would be required to follow a solid PTE Preparation plan to achieve a good PTE score. Read on as we divulge in detail about PTE exam preparation, PTE preparation online, PTE preparation material, and PTE exam preparation at home among other important topics revolving around PTE preparation.
Similar to other exam prep, you can choose to study on your own or join a PTE coaching centre for your PTE preparation. The decision lies entirely to you, as you need to see whether you have enough time and resources to opt for both or select either. Newer methods of studying are gaining popularity, like PTE preparation online. It includes both self-studying and coaching class methods. You join a virtual classroom and you learn in the comfort of your home. To choose the best method on how to prepare for the PTE test you first need to look at your criteria and decide accordingly. Candidates can also check out PTE Sample Papers.
PTE Results and Score
PTE Results are usually available online within two working days from the test date. The PTE Academic results are issued online. And can be accessed from your PTE Academic student account.
What is the validity of the PTE test scores?
The scores of your PTE Academic exam are valid for a period of two years.
How many times can I appear for the PTE Academic Exam?
There is no limit by Pearson as to how many times a candidate can give the PTE Exam. Candidates can take the exam with a gap of 5 days. So, candidates can take the PTE Academic exam as many times as they want.
Check out the international colleges accepting PTE Score:
- MS Colleges Accepting PTE Score
- MBA Colleges Accepting PTE Score
For those who get confused over which exam to take out of the 3 English language exams, check out the difference between them: IELTS vs TOEFL vs PTE.
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