Every year thousands of candidates aspire to get admission to foreign universities. With better opportunities and a plethora of academic courses to choose from, there has been a steep rise in these numbers. To get admission to a recognised foreign university, it becomes vital for students to score well in language ability tests.
These tests evaluate a non-native English speaker’s proficiency in the English language, which is crucial to applying in universities and colleges in native English speaking countries.
PTE exam is one of the widely recognised language ability tests accepted globally by universities and colleges. The exam is recognised in New Zealand, the USA, UK, Australia, France, and Ireland. To find answers to several questions related to PTE exam pattern and PTE exam score format, and much more read further.
PTE Exam and Eligibility Criteria
Pearson Test of English (PTE) is a one of its kind exams. First launched in 2009, it has now become a globally accepted language eligibility test. It is an AI-based computer exam that gives accurate results without any room for human bias or mistakes.
PTE test score is generally available within five working days from the exam. The score may range anywhere between 10 to 90. A good score in all the module tasks of the test could increase the probability of getting admission to your desired college.
Also Read: PTE Score for Study in Australia: Minimum PTE Score Required for PR in Australia
PTE Exam Format
There are several details that a student must know about the PTE exam format for good enough preparation. Before we move on to the same, let us look into the requirements that a candidate must fulfil to apply for PTE.
#. The candidate must be 16 years old or above.
#. The candidate must have legal, legible, and original ID proof.
#. They can be of any nationality.
#. The candidate should be well-versed in English.
PTE Academic Exam Format
The PTE test acts as a criterion to judge the candidate’s language proficiency. It is important to understand the PTE exam test format before starting your preparation for the exam. The test consists of four modules – Listening, Writing, Speaking, and Reading. Every candidate must complete the test within three hours.
The PTE Academic test format is very different from the PTE general exam format.
A 10-minute optional break is available between the Listening and Reading modules. The details of the various modules, their timings and format are discussed below.
Also Read: How Long to Prepare for PTE Academic Test? Simple Tips to Stay Exam Ready
#1. Speaking and Writing Modules
As the title says, the candidates are given tasks of oral and written communication. Every candidate must complete these tasks to score well. These tasks are aimed at judging the person’s capability to communicate in English.
The tasks that fall under the speaking category are:
#. Personal Introduction
#. Read the sentences aloud
#. Describe an image
#. Re-describe a lecture
#. Answer short questions
Further, the writing section is used to assess the candidate’s writing skills. It tests grammar, coherence, spelling, and much more. These qualities are judged based on the candidate’s responses to various tasks.
The tasks that fall under the writing category are as under:
#. Essay writing
#. Summary writing
#. Short answer type questions
The essay writing task has to be completed within 20 minutes of the start of the task.
These tasks help assess a candidate’s verbal skills, conversational tone and fluency in the English language. Generally, the duration of these modules is 77 to 93 minutes. The candidate should have a good hold of language with an excellent vocabulary.
Also Read: How to Clear the PTE Academic Test? Format, Registration, Fees, Tips for Preparation
#2. Reading Module
The reading module assesses the understanding level of the candidate. For this module, the candidate is provided with passages of varying difficulty levels. The candidate is given questions to answer from these passages. It may include multiple-choice questions (MCQs), fill in the blanks, one-word answers, true, false or not given, and much more.
The module thoroughly checks a candidate’s focus and comprehension abilities. All the questions must be answered within 32 to 41 minutes. Reading the question and the passage thoroughly is necessary to ace this section.
#3. Listening Module
The listening module is the final module of the PTE exam. It includes a few recorded audio clips that the candidate has to listen to to answer the questions. These questions could be one word answers, fill in the blanks, true false or not given or any other type.
The candidates could take notes while listening to the recording. The time period for this module is 10 minutes for every candidate. Each clip lasts for about 1 to 2 minutes. This section tests native English language listening comprehension skills of students.
Registration Process
To register for the PTE exam, every candidate must follow these steps:
#1. Create an account on the official website of Pearson and Log in –
For the PTE Academic test, the candidate must select the PTE Academic option. The account generally gets activated within 48 hours.
#2. Choose the suitable, nearest exam centre and book a seat –
The candidate has to select a date and time to appear for the exam based on availability. A list of exam centres will be available to choose from on the portal.
#3. Pay the mandatory exam fees –
The candidate may use a debit card (Visa or Mastercard) or Credit Card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or JCB) to pay the exam fees. Additional fees may be applicable if a candidate fails to pay the necessary fees on time or reschedules the exam date.
Here are the Details
#. A slot booked 48 hours before the date of appearance, calls for an additional late fee of INR 695.
#. A reschedule request coming in at least 14 working days before the test date does involve any additional costs.
#. If the rescheduling request comes somewhere between 7-14 days before the test date, an additional 50% of the original fee will be charged.
#. If the candidate requests a reschedule seven days before the test, they will not get any refunds. They have to pay the full fee again.
#. For cancelling the PTE exam, the candidate gets a full refund for 14 days prior cancellation, a 50% refund for 7-14 days prior cancellation and a zero refund for seven days prior cancellation.
Also Read: How to Pay PTE Exam Fees? An Overview of Eligibility Criteria and Registration Fees
Result Date and PTE Exam Score Format
The PTE exam is aimed at assessing a student’s communication and comprehension skills. For this, every candidate is awarded a score ranging between 10 to 90 as per performance. To avoid any manual errors or bias, the test is assessed by AI technology. This provides quick and accurate results.
The result is generally available within five working days of the test. There are reports of people getting their PTE results as early as 48 hours after the exam day. Candidates are informed through email when their scorecard is ready. They can view their result by logging in to their Pearson PTE Academic account. The scorecard is available in pdf format for the candidate to download or take a print.
The result card contains three types of scores.
#. Overall PTE Score – This score shows the candidate’s overall performance considering all the tasks given in the modules.
#. Communicative Skills Score – The Communicative skills score is given by testing the candidate’s skills in all four modules through a quality assessment of responses.
#. Enabling Skills Score – The enabling skills score is given after assessing a candidate’s spelling, vocabulary, oral and written communication fluency, and comprehension.
If the candidate finds the score not satisfactory, they may take the exam again after at least five days of the previous test attempt. There’s a provision for the institutes to view the student’s scorecard through the Pearson official website. The scorecard may be sent to as many organisations as they wish.
Conclusion
To get admission to a foreign university, meeting the minimum required score in a language eligibility assessment test is mandatory. Pearson Test of English language (PTE) is one such language eligibility assessment test, like IELTS or TOEFL. The four modules in the PTE exam format ensure a complete assessment of a candidate’s English language ability. However, scoring a decent band score requires a lot of effort.
To ensure proper preparation for the PTE exam, it is necessary to have the right guidance. IELTS Ninja prepares students for language proficiency tests through one on one online sessions. To track the progress of each candidate, doubt solving sessions are conducted, which gives insights on the weak and strong areas of the candidate.
Also Read: How many PTE Scores are Required for Australia Student Visa? Minimum Scores
With flexible timings and experienced mentors, IELTS Ninja aims to provide complete assistance to the students in getting their desired scores. For more information on the courses, visit our website. Follow our blogs for more such related content.
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