What is the Difference between PTE General and PTE Academic? PTE Test Preparation and Strategy

PLT (Pearson Language Tests) offers two English proficiency exams: PTE Academic and PTE General. They evaluate non-native English speakers’ writing, reading, speaking, and listening abilities. There are a lot of distinctions between the two tests. The biggest difference between them, however, is the reason for which people take these tests.

The Academic edition is for students who want to study abroad, while the generic version is for people who want to live in another country or relocate for a job. Read the article for knowing the difference between the two and for choosing your option.

PTE Academic vs PTE General

Let’s know about PTE academic and general, what are the differences and then jump into some information about these exams separately

What is the Difference Between PTE General and PTE Academic?

General and Academic are the two types of PTE examination. They share quite similarities but they have great differences too. There are some countries that accept general and some countries which accept academics, and some which accept both. So one needs to know what is the difference before choosing to appear for the exam. Given below are some pointers.

Also Read: What is the Difference between the PTE Academic and PTE General?

Purpose of the Examination

PTE Academic is taken by students who want to study in English-speaking nations such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Australia. People who desire to work in Australia or New Zealand or immigrate to Australia or New Zealand can also apply.

Applicants who want to test their English language competence, on the other hand, take the General exam. It aids students in identifying their flaws, keeping track of their development, and improving their talents over time.

General scores are accepted by governments and ministries in countries such as Latvia, Ukraine, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Greece, Italy, and Lithuania. It’s useful for higher education, travel, and job opportunities.

Structure of the Examination

The PTE Academic exam is completely automated. It is divided into four sections: writing, speaking, reading, and listening. It occurs throughout the course of a single day. No component of the test is evaluated by human raters.

Test takers must talk into a microphone for the speaking component. The recording is subsequently evaluated using unbiased computer algorithms.

General, on the other hand, is a set of six examinations at various levels: A1, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. A written test and a spoken test are included in each level.

Availability of Exam Slots

PTE Academic is administered on nearly 360 days each year, whereas General is administered three times a year, in May, June, and December.

Duration of the Test

The Academic lasts three hours, whereas the General can last anywhere from 90 minutes to three hours, depending on the level of the test.

Validity of the Score

The Academic score is valid for two years from the date of the result’s release. On the other hand, the General certificates do not have an expiration date.

PTE General Test

The written component of the General Exam Pattern is followed by a spoken interview. The exam assesses your speaking, writing, reading, and listening skills in English.

Examiners from the United Kingdom analyse both portions of the PTE General. Several colleges and ministries in various countries across the world accept the Pearson Test of English General test scores.

The International Certificate of PTE General places a greater emphasis on communication skills in English than on test-taking abilities. It is a prize that represents positive performance in English language learning and is mostly for English learners who speak other languages.

Also Read: Is PTE Accepted in Canada? Everything You Need to Know about PTE

PTE General Exam Pattern Overview

Both the PTE Academic and the PTE General exams require registration. The PTE General Exam pattern has two sections: a written exam and a verbal section.

The oral interview takes place two weeks before the written test. The written paper assesses writing, reading comprehension, and listening abilities.

The spoken test, on the other hand, assesses communication abilities in realistic and familiar scenarios. The written portion of the General exam is worth 75 points, while the interview is worth 25 points. In terms of the Common European Framework of Reference, the General test is divided into six levels.

Test Level and Duration

Test Level	Session 1-Time	Session 2-Time
Foundation A1	5 minutes	1 hr 15 mins
Level 1(A2)	5 minutes	1 hr 15 mins
Level 2(B1)	7 minutes	1 hr 15 mins
Level 3(B2)	7 minutes	2 hrs
Level 4(C1)	8 minutes	2 hrs 30 mins
Level 5(C2)	8 minutes	2 hrs 30 mins

PTE Academic Test

The exam has the following components

Question: How much time do you have to read the text?

Prompt: The length of each prompt you receive is determined by the length of the text. The length is expressed in terms of words or phrases. In this section, you must be active.

Time allotted to prepare an answer: Relax and Consider: You are not obligated to respond to the question right away. You get 10 to 15 seconds to prepare for each part on average. Relax and consider your response for a few moments.

Answer: Action Time: This is the overall amount of time you have to complete your task. When you talk, your responses are recorded, saved as text when you write and selected when you answer multiple-choice questions.

PTE 2O21 Exam Pattern

Let’s discuss the exam pattern so that you are ready for the upcoming exam.

PTE Academic: Speaking and Writing

Test Pattern	Duration
Personal Introduction	55 seconds: 30 seconds to record, 25 seconds for prompt
Read Aloud	30-40 seconds to prepare read out the text of 60 words
Repeat Sentence	15 seconds: 15 seconds to record, 3-9 seconds for prompt
Describe Image	25 seconds are granted to prepare your response as well as to study the image on the same
Re-Tell Lecture	10 seconds to prepare, 40 seconds to answer and 90 seconds for prompt length.
Answer Short Question	20 seconds: 10 seconds to answer, 3-9 seconds for prompt
Summarize Written Text	10 minutes for text prompt of 300 words
Essay	20 minutes to answer of 2-3 sentences to text prompt

PTE Academic: Reading

Test Pattern	Duration
Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer	Read 300 words of text
Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer	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 Academic: Listening

Test Pattern	Duration
Summarize Spoken Text	10 minutes to write and 60-90 seconds to retain 50-70 words
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 Academic Score

The academic score is based on a scale of 10 to 90 points and includes an overall score, communication skills, and enabling abilities. The overall examination score is based on the candidates’ speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills in English. PTE academic practises exams should be practised on a daily basis to ensure a high result.

Also Read: Which Countries Accept PTE? Find Out the Basics before You Start

PTE Exam Preparation

Preparation takes a lot of time, it’s necessary to prepare for the examination. Test takers are frequently perplexed as to where they should focus their PTE preparation efforts. No need to be concerned. For candidates who want to ace their PTE exam, we’ve created a customised top 10 exam preparation guide.

Short Tips

The following are the top ten PTE exam preparation resources:

#Prepare ahead of time.

#Take a lot of practise examinations to make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.

#Begin learning vocabulary.

#Concentrate on your topic.

#Don’t forget about the other topic.

#Use high-quality materials.

#Recognize the many types of questions

#Keep a record of all errors.

#Prepare to take the exam twice.

PTE Academic and PTE General: Exam Preparation Online

Exam preparation online: Candidates must demonstrate their English language competency by taking an English test, regardless of their desired university or course.

PTE Academic is a worldwide English language test that is accepted by hundreds of schools. There is a lot going on in the online world these days. For the benefit of test-takers, we will discuss the PTE preparation material that is available online.

Candidates are encouraged to visit the Pearson PLC Group’s PTE-A official website. For the convenience of exam takers, the official website offers a variety of free preparation materials.

PTE Academic and PTE General: Preparation Section Wise

Each subject can be mastered in a few days if you pay full attention and concentration, as the test checks your regular communication skills in the English language.

For better preparation, you can always use the online videos and tutorials available on the internet, as well as practise papers. Each part has its own significance in terms of language proficiency. As a result, each section must be prepared separately.

Listening

This section contains questions based on audio and video samples. You only get one chance to listen to each audio or video content. Here are some pointers for each type of question to help you prepare for the Academic listening part.

#Listening actively entails learning to listen to English songs in a new way. #Concentrate on the lyrics, which demand greater focus.

#Watch movies and television shows with subtitles first, then without.

#Listening to fresh information will expand your vocabulary, allowing you to better understand spoken English as you listen.

#Because this question includes negative marking, don’t make any educated assumptions.

Also Read: University of Winnipeg Courses and Programs: Check Out the Relevant Information

Reading

The key to passing the Academic reading portion is fluency in reading, attention, and comprehension. When taking the exam, you’ll use all of these talents at once, but you’ll have to study them one at a time while practising.

#To obtain the correct answer, understand the passage’s core message and concentrate on keywords.

#Concentrate on the frequency words (for example, always, sometimes, never many, all, often, never, only) and remove those possibilities to discover the correct answer.

#Because this question does not have a negative marking option, answer it and do not leave it blank.

Also Read: Unfamiliar with the New Vocabulary? Memorize Promptly with These Tips

Some More Tips

#Use the rule of elimination to your advantage. Reduce the number of alternatives you have as much as possible.

#Remember the material in the passage because the questions will not be answered in order and the solution will be found anywhere in the passage.

#Learn to paraphrase, which entails expressing the same idea with different words.

Writing

In this section, you must write in response to the questions, and your written responses will be graded. The Academic’s writing module is broken into two portions, and we will share advice for each of them.

#With good vocabulary and grammar, you can get a perfect score of 90 out of 90. #You should anticipate getting a score of roughly 73 if your vocabulary and grammar are average.

#Try to keep your responses to 35–45 words. Avoid using overly long sentences because the scoring algorithms may not be able to accurately evaluate them.

#Pay close attention to the punctuation marks.

#In a sentence, capitalise all the first words and nouns.

#If you’re asked for examples, provide them, but one should not provide examples for everything.

Also Read: What Sort of Vocabulary should be Used? Six Techniques to Improve Your Writing Vocabulary Easily

Speaking

#The sentences will sound more authentic if you use a rising tone at the beginning and a falling tone at the finish.

#If you realise you’ve made a mistake, don’t stop speaking.

#Every day until the exam day, begin practising with new tongue twisters from the first day of preparation.

#Close your eyes and listen to the sentence.

#Because there is no beep at the completion of the tape, simply begin speaking when it has finished.

#If you can’t remember the entire sentence, concentrate on the keywords and repeat them.

Also Read: Speaking Strategies and Techniques: Score Higher with These Techniques

Conclusion

Candidates should be aware that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to exam preparation. What may be appropriate for Person A may not be appropriate for Person B, and vice versa. As a result, this article offered a list of multiple PTE preparation approaches, and we expect readers to pick the one that best meets their needs and use it to improve their scores.

Still not sure, what is the right way of preparation, then hop on to IELTS Ninja so that you can get your desired score. Visit the course to learn more and don’t forget to check out the other articles, for preparation.

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