PTE Academic Syllabus & Exam Pattern 2022
Updated on 23 September, 2022
Mrinal Mandal
Study Abroad Expert
Study Abroad Expert
Pearson Test of English (PTE) is a prevalent certification test for evaluating proficiency in the English language. It is widely accepted as a fair measurement of a candidate’s competence. That’s why the PTE syllabus includes various sections such as Speaking and Writing, Reading, and Listening. Clearing the PTE Academic exam serves as selection criteria for educational institutions of countries including the USA, the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
PTE is a 2-hour test that is taken on a computer. Candidates who take this test need to answer 20 types of questions that range from graphs, real-life lectures, charts, several types of accents to regular life situations. The PTE exam syllabus is divided into three sections, such as Speaking and Writing, Reading, and Listening. Below is the syllabus mentioned in detail.
Reading & Writing Fill in the Blanks: Several blank spaces are displayed in a passage and each space has a dropdown with options from which the candidate must choose the right response.
If you are planning to attempt the PTE so that you get yourself admitted to a reputable educational institution, then you can use the PTE study material to prepare for the test. Clearing the PTE will help you unlock many great avenues for you to study abroad.
The PTE exam pattern consists of three sections, which include Speaking and Writing, Reading, and Listening. To complete all the sections, it takes around 3 hours on average.
Each question that is placed in front of the candidate has three separate parts which must follow this flow:
Question: Read the text prompt or listen to the audio clip within the given time which varies according to how long the text or audio is. Actively engage and comprehend the information presented in written or audiovisual format.
Preparation time: Time is provided for you to think about how to best answer. Relax and work towards framing your response to the question within the given 10 to 15 second time.
Answer: Within the stipulated time you need to provide the answer in the form of an oral response that is recorded, written text that is saved, and selection made from presented options.
Here are all the three sections of the PTE exam pattern mentioned with time duration. To explain each segment in detail, refer to the description boxes provided for each segment and section of the PTE examination.
This is usually the longest of the three sections where the candidate’s speaking and writing skills are assessed. The candidates need to focus on giving prompt responses to the questions displayed. There are 6 small sections as listed below that are covered here which involve various tasks related to speaking and writing:
Tasks | Duration |
Personal Introduction | 55 seconds, which include 25 seconds for prompt and 30 seconds to record |
Read Aloud | 30-40 seconds to prepare for reading 60 words long text |
Repeat Sentence | 15 seconds, which include 3-9 second for prompt and 15 seconds to record |
Describe Image | 25 seconds to study the image and prepare for the response on the same |
Re-Tell Lecture | 90 seconds for the prompt length, 10 seconds for preparation, and 40 seconds to answer |
Answer Short Question | 20 seconds, which include 3-9 seconds for prompt and 10 seconds for the answer |
Summarize Written Text | 10 minutes for answering to text prompt of 300 words |
Essay | 20 minutes for answering to the text prompt of 2-3 sentences |
The section includes tasks that evaluate the reading ability of the candidate including comprehension, sentence construction, and other key skills. There are 5 segments under this section, which are listed below:
Tasks | Duration varies as per the length of the text prompt |
Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer | Read text of 300 words |
Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answer | Read text of 300 words |
Re-Order Paragraphs | Read text of 150 words |
Reading: Fill in the Blanks | Read text of 80 words |
Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks | Read text of 300 words |
This is arguably one of the challenging parts of the PTE Academic test where the ability to understand the speech of a native English speaker is evaluated. An audio file containing content is played and the student needs to comprehend and retain the information to answer the questions from the following sections:
Tasks | Duration |
Summarize Spoken Text | 60-90 seconds to comprehend 50-70 words, and 10 minutes 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 |
What does the Course include:
CHAT WITH US