PTE Practice Test — Understanding the PTE Syllabus

PTE practice test can help aspiring candidates to score well in the PTE Academic conducted by Pearson Inc. It consists of questions that cover the PTE syllabus which deals with speaking, writing, reading and listening skills of the English language. The candidates who wish to take this English assessment test must improve their time management skills and evaluate their potential by familiarising themselves with the PTE practice test. Solving the practice tests of Pearson Academic can help applicants work on their weak points and gain command over the entire PTE syllabus.

What are the topics covered in the PTE Academic exam? What significance does each section hold? What kind of question comes in the test? How many questions are asked and their marking style? The answers to all these questions have been covered in this article. Also, find below the details of the PTE syllabus and know how to prepare for the test through PTE practice test.

PTE Syllabus

Pearson Test of English Academic is a single 3-hour test which is completed on a computer. The candidates taking this test need to answer 20 different question types which range from real-life lectures, graphs, charts to a variety of accents and everyday life situations. The PTE Syllabus is divided into 3 parts — Speaking & writing, Reading and Listening. Given below is the table outlining the types of questions asked in different sections of the PTE exam.

Section-wise PTE Syllabus

Sections Time Allotted to Complete Types of Questions Speaking and Writing 77 to 93 minutes

• Personal introduction
• Read aloud
• Repeat sentence
• Describe image
• Re-tell lecture
• Answer short question
• Summarise written text
• Essay (20 minutes)

Reading 32 to 41 minutes

• Multiple-choice, choose single answer
• Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers
• Re-order paragraphs
• Reading: Fill in the blanks
• Reading & writing: Fill in the blanks

Listening 45 to 57 minutes

• Summarise 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

Given below are the brief descriptions of the types of questions that are covered in the PTE syllabus as they appear in the table given above. Understanding these questions is the first step towards PTE practice test.

• Personal Introduction: This is the first item to be covered in the PTE syllabus. The candidates get 25 seconds to read a prompt and prepare their response within that time frame. Then, they get 30 seconds to record their response to the prompt. The PI of a candidate is not scored rather it is sent to the institutions chosen by the applicants along with their overall scorecard.
• Read Aloud: While attempting this type of question, the candidates are given a passage of at least 60 words to read aloud. The applicants get a window of 30–40 seconds to prepare and should start speaking within 3 seconds of opening of the microphone.
• Repeat Sentence: In this type of question, the candidates get to listen to an audio clip of 3–9 seconds duration. After listening to the audio prompt, the candidates need to repeat what they heard into the microphone within 15 seconds.
• Describe Image: In this question, an image is displayed on the computer screen. The applicants get a time frame of 25 seconds to study the image and prepare their response. Then, they need to describe the image within 40 seconds when the microphone opens.
• Re-tell Lecture: A lecture of up to 90 seconds is played along with a related image and the candidates get 10 seconds to prepare when the audio clip stops. Now, the candidates retell the lecture in their own words within 40 seconds.
• Answer Short Question: A short question of 3–9 seconds is played along with a related image. The candidates need to answer the question within 10 seconds with one or a few words.
• Summarize Written Text: In this type of question, a passage of up to 300 words is given to the candidates and they need to summarize the whole text in a single sentence of up to 75 words. A time duration of 10 minutes is granted to write the response.
• Essay: The applicants are given a prompt of 2–3 sentences and they need to write an argumentative essay of 200–300 words on the given topic. A time frame of 20 minutes is given to write the essay.
• Multiple Choice, Single Answer: While attempting this question, the applicants are given a text of up to 300 words and a multiple-choice question based on the passage. They need to select one correct response from among multiple options.
• Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer: A paragraph of up to 300 words is displayed along with a multiple-choice question based on it. The applicants need to select more than one answer that is correct according to him/her from among the given options.
• Re-order Paragraphs: In this type of question, several text boxes appear on the screen in random order. The candidates need to put the boxes in the correct order.
• Fill in the Blanks: The candidates get a text of up to 80 words in which some words appear missing. Also, the missing words appear below the text in a box in random order. The test-takers need to drag correct words into the appropriate gaps to complete the sentences.
• Reading & Writing Fill in the Blanks: A passage appears on the screen with several blanks. A dropdown button is provided beside the blank that contains a list of options. The candidates need to choose the correct options to fill the gaps.
• Summarize Spoken Text: An audio clip of 60–90 seconds is played for the test-takers. They need to listen to the clip carefully and write a 50–70-word summary based on the audio clip within 10 minutes.
• Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer: The candidates need to listen to a 40–90 seconds long audio clip and answer the question based on it. They need to select more than one correct response.
• Fill in the blanks: In this question, a passage appears with some gaps. Then, an audio clip of 30–60 seconds plays and candidates must listen to the clip carefully and make notes. After listening to the recording, the test-takers need to fill the gaps correctly.
• Highlight Correct Summary: In this question, a recording of 30–90 seconds is played. The candidates need to listen to the audio clip carefully and then, select the best option that summarises the recording from among the given options.
• Multiple Choice, Single Answer: In this question, a recording of 30–60 seconds is played which the candidates need to listen carefully. Then, they need to choose more than one response that best answers the audio clip.
• Select Missing Word: An audio clip of 20–70 seconds is played, based on which few options are listed. At the end of the recording, the word or a group of words are replaced by a beep. The candidates need to select the correct option to replace the beep.
• Highlight Incorrect Words: In this question, the candidates are presented with the transcript of an audio clip of 15–50 seconds. However, the clip contains some errors. The test-takers need to read and listen to the recording and select those words that differ from what is being played in the audio clipping.
• Write from Dictation: An audio recording of 3–5 seconds is played. The test-takers need to write exactly what they listen.

For more details on the test format of Pearson Academic, read ‘PTE Exam — Test Overview, Test Pattern and Result’.

PTE Practice Test

Now that the PTE syllabus has been described briefly above, the candidates can prepare for PTE practice test. The PTE practice test is an essential part of the preparation process if a candidate wants to score well the English test. PTE practice test not only estimates a candidate’s fluency and command over the English language but also prepares them for the final test conducted by the Pearson Academic. In this regard, Pearson offers a range of preparatory options to the applicants. The candidates can download the practice materials from the Official Practice App or the website of Pearson Academic. Highlighted below are a few options that the test-takers can explore to prepare themselves for this English assessment test according to the PTE syllabus.

• PTE Academic Official Practice App: This mobile App offers a study planner, practice activities and various other information related to the test. Having this App on the cell phone helps candidates to practice for the test anywhere and at any time. Find below the key features of this App.

1. Availability of PTE practice test samples that helps candidates get acquainted with the sets of questions asked in the test
2. Keeps track of the candidate’s progress on the study planner and provides daily practice suggestions based on the candidate’s test date
3. Provides guidelines to make improvements in speaking, writing, listening and reading scores of the candidates
4. Test centre guideline and newsletters

• Offline PTE Practice Test: The candidates can download the PDF files, audio files, sample responses and prompts from the website of the Pearson Academic to get a better understanding of the test.
• Official Coursebooks: Applicants can also use a range of official coursebooks to prepare themselves for the test. Given below is the list of books that the candidates can include in the preparation process.

1. The Official Guide to PTE Academic consists of a CD-ROM (packed with over 200 practice tasks), analysis of sample answers, tips for test and more.
2. Practice Tests Plus: with CD-ROM offers authentic practice, comprehensive guidance and strategies to deal with the test.
3. Expert PTE Academic Coursebook B1 & B2 consists of lessons designed to prepare candidates for the Pearson Test of English Academic. The candidates can choose from level B1 or B2 as per their hold on the English language. It also gives access to digital practice through MyEnglishLabs.

Also, read ‘PTE Test Booking and Exam Dates — All You Need to Know’ to know about the registration process of PTE Academic.

Originally published at www.buddy4study.com on March 30, 2019.