PTE ACADEMIC PREPARATION TIPS

As with any test – preparation is the key and here are four key steps to success. You need to have the right level of

academic English for your goal. There are lots of free materials on the internet that you can use.  More importantly,

Pearson publishes a huge range of print and digital English materials that will help you improve your level. In relation

to PTE Academic, we have lots of recommended resources to develop academic English and we’re always producing

more!

Secondly, anyone taking PTE Academic needs to know the test and develop strategies to answer the questions.

Again there are a number of materials that give information about the test format, timings, key test tips and practice

for the 20 different task types.

Thirdly, focus more time on weak areas. If tasks like essay writing are more challenging for you, practice writing more

essays!

Finally, practice, practice, practice. You need to repeatedly practice tasks in the test and analyze the sample answers

so you know what’s tested and what makes a good response. You also need to put yourself under timed conditions

and pretend you are doing a real test. It will prepare you mentally and emotionally for “Test Day”.

Key tips for test day

General

Make sure you’ve prepared so that you have the right level of English for your goal, know the test format and

timings and have practiced the test questions.

Arrive early at the test center. If you’re rushed, it will affect your performance.

Write with full sentences, capital letters and full stops. You can lose marks if you leave out punctuation and write

entirely in capital letters.

Don’t repeat lots of words that you hear or read. Try to paraphrase within your answers.

Be confident of your answer choices when you answer the multiple choice, multiple answers tasks (Reading and

Listening) and highlight incorrect words (Listening) because you can lose marks for any wrong answers that you

choose.

Speaking sections

(Read aloud, Repeat sentence, Describe image, Re-tell lecture, Answer short question)

Don’t worry too much about managing your time. In the speaking section, the computer will control the time you

spend on each task – all you have to do is click ‘Next’.

Speak at a good volume and at a normal pace. If you speak too quietly or quickly, this may affect your score.

If you make a mistake, carry on. You could waste time correcting yourself and getting stressed.

Writing sections

(Summarize written text, Write essay)

Manage your time. You have 10 minutes for Summarize written text and 20 minutes for Write essay.

Write within the word limits or you’ll lose marks. Your answer for Summarize written text should be one sentence

of 5-75 words and your essay should be 200-300 words.

Reading sections

(Multiple choice, choose single answer, Multiple choice, choose multiple answers, Re-order paragraphs, Reading: Fill

in the blanks, Reading & writing: Fill in the blanks)

Manage your time. You have 32-41 minutes to complete all the tasks in this section so make sure you are strict

about how long you spend on each task.

Give yourself plenty of time on the multiple choice questions. They may look easy but they are quite challenging.

Listening sections

(Summarize spoken text, Multiple choice, choose multiple answers, Fill in the blanks, Highlight correct summary,

Multiple choice, choose single answer, Select missing word, Highlight incorrect words, Write from dictation)

Be smart about using the erasable note board booklet. There is very little ‘checking’ time in the Listening part of

the test so either type notes onto the screen or know exactly how much time you have to transfer notes from your

note board booklet to the screen.

Manage your time.Don’t spend too long on the multiple choice questions, make your answer choice and move on

or you risk losing marks on other tasks. Remember the Listening part of the test has the most task types to get

through.