PTE Academic

Overview

PTE Academic is a computer-based English proficiency test from Pearson that checks academic-level listening, reading, speaking and writing in a single two-hour session at a test centre. It is an integrated-skills test: several tasks combine two skills at once, such as reading a passage and filling gaps in it, or listening to a talk and writing about it. Responses are scored by an automated AI scoring engine that is trained and calibrated against ratings from human English-language experts, so results do not depend on an examiner's personal judgement or availability.

Who takes it

People take PTE Academic to apply to universities and colleges for study abroad, and for visa or immigration applications that ask for a recognised English test. It is widely used by applicants heading to Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, the United States and other English-speaking study destinations, and by skilled-migration and visa applicants in Australia and New Zealand. A separate version, PTE Academic UKVI, has the same content, format and scoring as PTE Academic but additionally carries a Secure English Language Testing (SELT) Unique Reference Number, which is what UK Home Office visa and settlement applications require. For Canadian permanent residency and citizenship, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada uses a different Pearson test, PTE Core, rather than PTE Academic.

Exam pattern

The test runs for about two hours in one sitting, in three timed parts, taken back to back on a single computer at the test centre.

Part 1 (Speaking and Writing) includes tasks such as Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image, Retell Lecture, Answer Short Question, Summarize Written Text and Write Essay, along with two tasks added from August 2025, Summarize Group Discussion and Respond to a Situation.

Part 2 (Reading) includes Multiple Choice (single and multiple answer), Re-order Paragraphs, and Fill in the Blanks tasks using a dropdown or drag-and-drop; one Fill in the Blanks type counts toward both reading and writing scores.

Part 3 (Listening) includes tasks such as Summarize Spoken Text, Multiple Choice, Fill in the Blanks, and Highlight Correct Summary, built around short audio or video clips that play once; note-taking is allowed throughout.

Marking and results

Scores are reported on a 10–90 scale, using Pearson's Global Scale of English. The Score Report gives an overall score plus four communicative-skill scores (listening, reading, speaking, writing), along with a more detailed skills breakdown. All responses are machine-scored by the AI scoring engine, which is trained on and benchmarked against ratings from human expert raters rather than scored by a live examiner on the day. Score Reports are typically ready within 48 hours of finishing the test (occasionally longer), and a test taker can send the report to any number of institutions free of charge through their myPTE account; it then takes about 48 hours more for an institution to view a shared report. A PTE Academic score is valid for two years from the test date.

Important dates

PTE Academic does not run on fixed national exam dates. Test centres (500+ worldwide) offer appointments year-round, and a test can usually be booked as little as 24 hours in advance, subject to seat availability at the chosen centre.

Fees

The test fee is set per country in local currency and is paid online by card when booking; it is not a single global price. Check the live fee for a chosen country or test centre through the booking tool at pearsonpte.com before registering.

How to apply

Registration is done online through a Pearson (myPTE) account: choose a destination and purpose, pick a test centre, date and time, create the account with accurate personal details, and pay the fee online to confirm. A valid passport (or other government-issued photo ID accepted in that country) is required, and the name entered at booking must match that ID exactly, since a mismatch can mean being turned away at the centre. Personal details can be corrected up to a few days before the test but not on the test day itself.

Preparation tips

Pearson's own Smart Prep portal gives free resources for every registered test taker, including a study plan, full-length and section-wise Guided Practice Tests, skill-by-skill video lessons and test-tip documents, accessible with or without a test booking. Paid official resources include Scored Practice Tests (the same format, timing and AI scoring engine as the real test, giving an indicative score), a Question Bank, an Official Guide and a self-study course. Since Part 1 (Speaking and Writing) is both the longest part and covers the widest range of task types, it is worth practising each of its nine task types individually rather than only taking full mock tests.