Section-wise PTE Exam Pattern & Structure 

In today’s blog, we will discuss the PTE Exam pattern. 

PTE (Pearson Test Of English) is a computer-based test. It evaluates the English language skills of candidates. The PTE exam tests the candidate’s English language proficiency for those who want to go abroad for study and work visas. The PTE exam pattern consists of three sections. 

  1. Speaking and Writing (54-67 minutes)
  2. Reading (29-30 minutes)
  3. Listening (30-43 minutes)

To know the PTE exam pattern, keep reading this blog till the end. 

Types Of PTE Test 

Many organizations, institutions, and colleges around the world use the PTE test. PTE test has two types PTE Academic and PTE General. 

  1. PTE Academic: PTE academic test is taken by those students who want to work or study in English-speaking countries like the UK, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and others. 
  2. PTE General: PTE General Exam rewards students who complete brilliant English learning achievements.   

Also Read: How To Crack PTE Exam

PTE Exam Format

Format Details 
Eligibility Students should be at least 16 years old.
Testing availability Throughout the year
Format of PTE examThis exam consists of skills like Speaking and Writing (54-67 minutes), Reading (29-30 minutes) or Listening (30-43 minutes)
Registration Through the official Pearson PTE Academic website, registrations can be done.
Score Range Between 10 to 90 
Test Results Results are declared within 5 business days. 
Test Fees Rs. 15900
Total questions type 20 types of questions 

Section Wise PTE Exam Pattern 

The PTE exam has three sections: Speaking and writing, Reading, and listening. The PTE  exam pattern of the three PTE sections is given below.

PTE Exam Pattern: Speaking and Writing 

This section consists of 8 different types of questions and takes 54-67 minutes to complete the test. 

First, you need to introduce yourself. After reading the prompt for 25 seconds, you have 30 seconds to record your response.

Question typeSkill needed Question per task Score per task Time Required 
Read aloud Reading and Speaking 6-7 Maximum score – 13
Content – 3
Pronunciation – 5
Oral frequency – 5
30–40 seconds to get ready to read the 60-word text
Repeat Sentence Listening and Speaking 10-12 Maximum score – 13
Content – 3 
Pronunciation – 5 
Oral frequency – 5 
15 seconds, 3 to 9 seconds for the prompt, and 15 seconds for the recording
Describe the image Speaking 3-4 Maximum score – 15 
Content – 5 
Pronunciation – 5 
Oral Frequency 5 
You have 25 seconds to study the picture and get ready to respond to it.
Re-tell lecture 

Speaking and Listening 
1-2 
Maximum score – 15
Content – 5 
Pronunciation – 5
Oral frequency – 5 
90 seconds for the length of the prompt, 10 seconds to get ready, and 40 seconds to respond
Answer short questions Speaking and Listening 5-6Correct/incorrect
Correct answer – 1 score
Incorrect – 0 score  
20 seconds: 3 to 9 seconds for the prompt and 10 seconds for the response
Summarize written test Reading & writing 1-2 Maximum score – 7
Content – 2
Grammar – 2 
Vocabulary – 2 
Formal requirements – 1 
10 minutes to respond to a 300-word text message prompt
Essay Writing 1-2 Maximum score – 15 
Content – 3 
Formal requirements – 2 
structure – 2 
No spelling error – 2 
Vocabulary range – 2
Grammar – 2
General linguistic range – 2 
20 minutes to respond to a text prompt of two to three sentences

PTE Exam Pattern: Reading

In this section, There are 5 different types of questions available. You have 29 to 30 minutes to complete the reading section. Below, there is a table of reading section exam patterns.

Question Type Skill neededQuestion per task Score per task Duration 
Multiple choice(choose a single answer) Reading 1-2 Correct answer – 1 
Incorrect answer – 0
Read 300 words of text 
Multiple choices(choose various answers)Reading 1-2 Correct answer – 1
Incorrect answer-  -1 
Read 300 words of text 
Re-order paragraph Reading 2-3Correct answer – 1 If your paragraph is in the right order,Read 150 words of text 
Reading: fill in the blanks. Reading 4-5Correct answer – 1 Read 80 words of text 
Reading & writing: fill in the blanks Reading and Writing 5-6Correct answer – 1 Read 300 words of text 

PTE Exam Pattern: Listening

This section contains 8 different types of questions.

In this, you have only 45-57 minutes to complete.

Question Type Question per task Score per task Duration 
Summarize spoken test 1-2 Maximum score – 10
Content – 2  
Form – 2 
Spelling – 2 
Grammar – 2 
Vocabulary – 2 
60 to 90 seconds 
Fill in the blanks 2-3 Correct answers – 1 But you’ll spell it correctly.30 to 60 seconds 
Multiple choice: choose various1-2 Correct answers – 1 Incorrect answer –  -1 40 to 90 seconds
Highlight the correct summary 1-2 correct/incorrect 30 to 90 seconds
Multiple choice: choose a single answer 1-2correct/incorrect 30 to 60 seconds 
Highlight incorrect words 2-3 Correct answer – 1 Incorrect answer –  -1 15 to 50 seconds
Select the missing word 1-2 correct/incorrect 20 to 70 seconds
Write from the dictation. 3-4 Correct answer – 1 The spelling will be correct, and the words will be in the right order3 to 5 seconds

Also Read: How To Check PTE Result

PTE Exam Pattern In Detail 

Above, you see all the question types that candidates must do in the PTE exam. In this section, we will give you all the necessary details and what types of questions these are.

PTE Exam Pattern: Speaking Section

It is the first section of the PTE exam. In this, Students need to answer the 5 types of questions. 

Read Aloud 

In this task, you will be given a passage to read aloud. The passage will be displayed on the computer screen, and you will have only 30-40 seconds to read and prepare it. Once the recording begins, you must speak clearly and accurately to produce the text as closely as possible. 

Repeat Sentence

In this task, you will hear a sentence or short passage spoken aloud and then need to repeat it. You will only listen to the sentence once, so it is important to listen carefully and remember. You will then have limited time to speak the sentence aloud into the microphone.

Describe Image 

In this task, you will be shown an image, such as a graph, chart, table, or diagram, and you will need to describe it in detail.

You will have 25 seconds to study the image and prepare your response and then 40 seconds to speak into the microphone. During your answer, you will need to describe the key features and trends of the image.

Retell Lecture 

In this task, you will hear a lecture or speech on a topic, and then you will need to retell it in your own words.

You will have 10 seconds to prepare your response and then up to 40 seconds to speak into the microphone. You must summarize the lecture’s main points and convey its essential ideas during your answer.

Answer Short Questions

In this task, you will hear a short question, typically one or two words, and you must provide a brief and correct answer.

You will have a limited time, typically 3-9 seconds, to speak into the microphone and provide your answer.

PTE Exam Pattern: Writing Section

In this section, students have to answer only the two types of questions.  

Summarize Written Text

In this task, you will be given a passage of text and need to write a summary of it in one sentence. You will have 10 minutes to read the passage and write your summary, which should capture the passage’s main ideas and key points. 

Write Essay

In this task, you will be presented with a prompt or topic and need to write an essay of 200-300 words in response.

Depending on the specific prompt, you will have 20-40 minutes to complete the task. Your essay should be well-organized and written, with a strong thesis statement and supporting arguments or examples.

Also Read: PTE Overall Score Calculator

PTE Exam Pattern: Reading Section

In this section, candidates need to answer 5 different types of questions.

Fill in the Blanks (Reading and Writing)

In this task, you will be given a passage of text with several blank spaces, and you will need to choose the correct word or words to fill in each blank.

You will have limited time per blank to choose the correct word or words from a list of options.

Multiple Choice (Multiple answers)

In this task, you will be given a question and a passage or audio recording, and you will need to select all of the correct answers from a list of options. You will have a limited time to choose the right answers.

Re-order Paragraphs

In this task, you will be given a passage of text randomly divided into several paragraphs. You must re-order the paragraphs to create a readable and logical passage.

You will have a limited time, normally 2-3 minutes, to re-order the paragraphs.

Fill in Blank (Reading)

In this task, you will be given a passage of text with several blank spaces, and you will need to choose the right word or words to fill in each blank.

You will have limited time per blank to choose the right word or words from a list of options.

Multiple Choice (Single answer)

In this task, you will be shown a question and a passage or audio recording, and you will need to select the correct answer from a list of options. You will have limited time to choose the right answer.

PTE Exam Pattern: Listening Section

In this module, candidates need to answer 8 different types of questions. 

Summarize Spoken Text

In this task, you will be given an audio recording of a short lecture or talk, and you will need to write a summary of the main points in the recording.

You will have only 60-90 seconds to listen to the recording and write your summary.

Multiple Choice (Multiple Answers)

In this task, you will be given an audio recording of a conversation, lecture, or presentation. You must select all the correct answers from a list of options and have only 40-90 seconds to choose the right answers.

Fill in the Blank

In this task, you will be given an audio recording of a conversation or lecture with some blanks, and you will need to type the missing word or words in the blank spaces.

You will have only 30-60 seconds to type each missing word.

Highlight Correct Summary: 

This task will give you a conversation or lecture audio recording. You must select the summary representing the recording’s main ideas and key points. You will have only 30-90 seconds to choose the correct summary from a list of options.

Multiple Choice (Single answers)

In this task, you will be provided an audio recording of a conversation or lecture, followed by a question with a list of answer options. You must select the best answer to the question based on the details given in the recording. You will only have 30 to 60 seconds to choose the correct answer.

Select Missing Word

In this task, you will be received an audio recording of a conversation or lecture with a missing word or phrase, and you will need to select the correct missing word or phrase from a list of options.

You will only have limited time to choose the missing word or phrase.

Highlight Incorrect Words

In this task, you will be given an audio recording of a passage, and the transcript of the passage will be displayed on the screen. However, some words in the transcript will differ from those in the audio recording. Your task is to identify which words in the transcript differ from those in the audio recording by clicking on them.

Also Read: How To Apply for Student Visa In Canada

Write From Dictation

In this task, you will hear a sentence or a short passage spoken aloud only once and must type what you hear into a text box. You will have 3-5 seconds to prepare and note what you hear before the microphone turns on and you start recording your response. You will have 15 seconds to type your answer into the text box. So, it is the PTE exam pattern. 

Conclusion

In this blog, I have given all the important details related to the PTE exam pattern and also discussed the section-wise pattern in detail. Exam pattern is an important thing in preparing for the exam. Without this, you can not prepare well and can’t achieve good marks. I hope you learned many things and all your doubts about the PTE exam pattern are solved. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How many question types are there in the PTE exam?

There are more than 20 question types in the PTE exam, including multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blanks, highlight correct summary, and essay writing.

Q2. What is the cost of the PTE exam?

The Exam fee for PTE is Rs.15900.

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