PTE Academic Overview

The PTE Academic Overview gives you a snapshot of what to expect on test day. The total test time is approximately 2 hours, and the exam is split into three main parts.

1. Speaking & Writing (54–67 Minutes)

This is the longest section of the test and assesses your ability to produce spoken and written English in an academic environment.

1. Personal Introduction: An unscored 25-second introduction sent to universities.
2. Read Aloud: Reading a text off the screen with correct pronunciation.
3. Repeat Sentence: Listening to a sentence and repeating it exactly.
4. Describe Image: Explaining a graph, chart, or picture.
5. Re-tell Lecture: Summarizing a lecture in your own words.
6. Answer Short Question: One-word answers to general knowledge questions.
7. Summarize Written Text: Writing a one-sentence summary of a reading passage.
8. PTE Essay Writing: Writing a 200–300 word argumentative essay.

2. Reading (29–30 Minutes)

The reading section tests your ability to comprehend academic texts and understand vocabulary in context.

For more practice, see Reading Practice 1 or learn about Reading Question Types.

3. Listening (30–43 Minutes)

This section consists of questions based on audio or video clips which play automatically.

1. Summarize Spoken Text: Listening to a clip and writing a 50-70 word summary.
2. Multiple Choice (Multiple/Single): Selecting the correct answers based on the audio.
3. Listening Fill in the Blanks: Typing missing words from a transcript.
4. Highlight Correct Summary: Choosing the best summary of the audio.
5. Select Missing Word: Predicting how a sentence ends based on context.
6. Highlight Incorrect Words: Finding the differences between the audio and transcript.
7. Write from Dictation: Listening to a short sentence and typing it exactly.

4. Quick Links to Test Essentials

• Preparation: PTE Study Plan and Training Plan.
• Rules: Complete Test Format and Time Management Tips.
• Scores: Score Explained and Understanding Score Levels.