PTE Exam Pattern & Syllabus:
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PTE Exam Format
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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 |
PTE Exam Pattern
PTE Exam Pattern - By Sections
PTE Exam Pattern: Speaking and Writing (54 - 67 minutes)
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PTE Speaking and Writing Section Question Topics
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Duration per task
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| 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 |
| Retell 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 |
| Write Essay | 20 minutes to answer to text prompt of 2-3 sentences |
| Total Questions | 28 - 36 | Time Allocation: 54 - 67 minutes |
PTE Exam Pattern: Reading Section (29 - 30 minutes)
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PTE Reading Section Question Topics
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Duration per task
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| Fill in the blanks –reading & writing | Read 300 words of text |
| Multiple choice, multiple answers | Read 300 words of text |
| Re-order paragraph | Read 150 words of text |
| Fill in the blanks –reading | Read 80 words of text |
| Multiple choice, single answer | Read 300 words of text |
| Total Questions | 13 - 18 | Time Allocation: 29 - 30 minutes |
PTE Exam Pattern: Listening Section (30 - 43 minutes)
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PTE Listening Section Question Topics
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Duration per task
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| Summarize spoken text | 60-90 seconds to retain 50-70 words, 10 minutes to write |
| Multiple choice, multiple answers | 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 word | 15-50 seconds |
| Write from Dictation | 3-5 seconds |
| Total Questions | 12 - 20 | Time Allocation: 30 - 43 minutes |
PTE Academic Exam Syllabus
The PTE test consists of the following sections:
- PTE Speaking
- PTE Writing
- PTE Reading
- PTE Listening
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PTE Section
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PTE Exam Syllabus
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Total Questions/ Duration
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| 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 – 36 Duration: 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 – 18 Duration: 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 – 20 Duration: 30 – 43 minutes |
PTE Academic Exam Syllabus - By Sections:
PTE Exam Syllabus: Speaking & Writing Section (54 - 67 minutes)
This section has 8 sub-sections. The total duration to complete this section is 54 - 67 minutes.
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PTE Personal Introduction |
With 25 seconds of preparation time, you will have to read out a prompt and record your personal details within 30 seconds. These details are later sent to schools. |
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PTE Read aloud |
You will be given a transcript. You will have read the text on the transcript out loud. If you pause for more than 3 seconds, the recording will be stopped. |
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PTE Repeating sentences |
Audio will be played. You will have to repeat the audio within 15 seconds. |
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PTE Image Description |
You will be shown an image. After observing it for 25 seconds, you will have to describe it in your own words. |
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PTE Retell lecture |
Listen to the lecture and summarize it in your words. |
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PTE Respond to a short question |
Listen to the audio and respond to it with single or multiple words. |
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PTE Summarize in a single sentence |
Read the given passage and summarize the important points within 75 words in 10 minutes. |
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PTE Essay writing |
Write an essay in about 200 - 300 words in 20 minutes. |
PTE Exam Syllabus: Reading Section (29 - 30 minutes)
The PTE Reading Section has 5 sub-sections. The total duration to complete this section is 29 - 30 minutes.
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PTE Reading and Writing - Fill in the Blanks |
Fill in the blanks in the given passage with the right answers. |
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PTE Multiple Choice - Multiple answers |
Read the given passage and choose multiple right answers. |
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PTE Reordering paragraphs |
Reordering the given sentences in the correct order to form a coherent passage. |
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PTE Fill in the blanks |
Choose the right word from the dropdown boxes and fill in the blanks. |
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PTE Multiple Choice - Single answer |
Select a single right answer from the list of options. |
PTE Exam Syllabus: Listening Section (30 - 43 minutes)
The total duration to complete this section is 30 - 43 minutes.
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PTE Summarize spoken test |
Summarize the audio in about 50-70 words in 10 minutes. |
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PTE Multiple Choice - Multiple answers |
Carefully listen to the audio and choose multiple correct answers. |
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PTE Listening and Writing - Fill in the blanks |
Listen to the audio and fill in the blanks with the exact phrases in the given transcript. |
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PTE Highlight the perfect summary |
Listen to the audio and choose the right summary. |
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PTE Multiple Choice - Single answer |
Choose a single right answer from the multiple-choice. |
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PTE Find the missing words |
Listen to the audio, find the missing words and fill in the blanks. |
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PTE Highlight the incorrect words |
Listen to the audio and change the incorrect words. |
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PTE Write from dictation |
Listen to the audio and highlight the incorrect words. |
