SKY Inc. - PTE

What is PTE ?

PTE-A, or Pearson Test of English Academic is a fully computerised English Language Proficiency test. The test is designed for non-native English speakers or people whose mother tongue is not English. Organized and conducted by Pearson, the test is accepted across a wide range of universities and institutions of higher education around the world and in almost all English speaking countries like the USA, UK, Canada and Australia.
There are many factors that distinguish PTE Academic from its close competitors – IELTS and TOEFL. And the first and foremost distinguishing aspect of the same is the scoring pattern and the results. As the tests are completely computerised, the results are declared much quicker, in two working days. This makes it aptly suited for students who are in a bit of a rush.
The computer based test focuses on day to day English rather than high level English language and tests a student on his/her ability to effectively understand the language as spoken daily. The multi- level grading system ensures a better understanding of the student’s proficiency in English language.
Pearson also conducts a PTE General as well as a PTE Young Learners Exam. This guide, however, is only concerned with PTE Academic, the tests applicable for students planning to study abroad.

ELIGIBILITY

All students are eligible to write the exam. As it is a generic test, there is no special subject eligibility. A student, however, must be at least 16 years of age to write the PTE. Also, in case the candidate is less than 18 years of age (i.e. 16 or 17 years) at the time of registration, he/she must provide parental consent. The form for the same is available on the website. Students can download the same, fill it, get it signed from their parents and send it across to the mentioned address.

Apart from that, Indian Students must have a Valid Passport. It is important to note, that irrespective of a student’s nationality, if the candidate is writing the exam in India, he/she must have a valid Passport, without which, the student would not be allowed to enter the test centre.

Awesome!

Candidates who have been waiting for Pearson to introduce the 'PTE at Home' version of the PTE Exam are in for a pleasant surprise. Since October 25, 2021, candidates wanting to take the ‘PTE at Home’ can book their PTE at Home test. Candidates would also be glad to know that the current PTE Exam has been shortened by one hour from November 16, 2021.

REGISTRATION PROCESS

Students can register for the exam by logging on to the official website for PTE Academic here. Start by creating a Pearson Account. Once you have registered yourself on the website, you would be sent login information

on the email id shared in about 24 hours. Once you receive the login information, you can go back to the site and check the test dates available in the centres near you, select the one that suits you best and book a test.

It is not important for a student to immediately book a test. A student can start by registering and book a test later. However, we advise that a student should book a test well in advance to ensure the availability of seats in the nearest test centres.

COST OF THE EXAM

The exam costs INR 14,700.

Also, in case the exam booked is less than 48 hours away, then an additional late fee equal to 25% of the above cost is also applicable. Hence, it is always advisable to book the test well in advance.

ACCEPTED BY

PTE Academic is accepted across a large number of higher education institutions around the world. Countries that largely accept the test as an English Language Proficiency Test for admission to their Universities include

• USA • Canada • Australia • UK

• Germany • Singapore • France • New Zealand

The test is also accepted for Australian and UK Student Visa.

EXAM PATTERN

The PTE exam pattern has been shortened by one hour starting November 2021. Candidates can check out the updated PTE syllabus below. The new PTE Exam is for a total duration of two hours and the PTE Pattern is divided into three sections

Speaking & Writing
Reading
Listening

Speaking and Writing — 54 - 67 minutes

As the name implies, this section tests the candidate’s based on their 2 major skills of communication, which are spoken and written skills. This section comprises six small sections that test you on your promptness over speaking and writing the written test that you would get to read for the first time. The complete section is given a time duration of 54 - 67 minutes and the time allotted to each segment is as follows:

Reading Section — 29 - 30 mins

PTE Reading Format: This section tests the candidates on the basis of their ability to understand the written instructions in the language. The section further divided into 5 segments is 29 to 30 minutes long. Check out the segment-wise pattern for time distribution of this section:

Listening — 30 - 43 minutes

PTE Listening Format: The listening section of the PTE Academic is stretched over 30 to 43 minutes of duration. This one is designed to determine the ability to understand spoken English by the candidate. Here, the student needs to ascertain that they carefully hear the audio file played and retain what they heard. This section is divided into 8 segments and the time given to each segment is as follows.

SCORING

PTE Academic is scored over a scale of 10 – 90 where 10 is lowest, with increments of 1 point. Graded across the scale, the score showcase the person’s ability to read, speak, understand verbal instructions and write the English language. The scores are presented over a graph, giving easy understanding of the candidate’s core skills in the language as well as improvement areas.

The score card is further divided into three parts, namely:

1. Overall Score

As suggestive, this is the total cumulative score of your performance. Taking the overall performance in the test into consideration, the score reflects the person’s proficiency in the English Language. Range of this score is 10 – 90.

2. Communicative Skills Score

This is the measure of the person’s overall ability to communicate in English through all mediums – written as well as oral. Based on the candidate’s performance across the different sections of listening, reading, speaking and writing, the candidate is scored on a range of 10 – 90.

3. Enabling Skills Score

It can be measured as the level of proficiency in terms of grammar, pronunciation, spellings, vocabulary as well as the candidate’s ability to effectively write in English. The score is a direct indication of the person’s academic understanding of the language as well as his/her ability to effectively present thoughts/ ideas in the language. This is scored over the range of 10 – 90 points as well.

IMPORTANT DATE

The exam is conducted throughout the year at the designated Test Centres across the country. These dates might vary from centre to centre. Students must search for the seats available on the Pearson PTE website. Simply select the test centres closest to you, and click next. The website would prompt you to the calendar with the available dates.

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