Test Format 

PTE Academic uses authentic material from a variety of academic contexts and topics, and tasks reflect the language you will use in real-life academic settings.

The entire test is taken in a single three-hour test session for a more convenient testing experience. PTE Academic is divided into three timed sections, in addition to a short un-timed introduction and an optional ten-minute break.
 

Part Content Time Allowed
Introduction Not timed
Part 1 Speaking and Writing 77 to 93 minutes 
Part 2 Reading 32 to 41 minutes 
Optional scheduled break 10 minutes
Part 3   Listening 45 to 57 minutes 

The minimum and maximum timings of the sections do not add up to the total test time. This is because different versions of the test are balanced for total length.

Launch the PTE Academic Test Tutorial for a multimedia tour of PTE Academic and in-depth look at each section of the test.

Download the PTE Academic Test Tutorial, as a pdf document, for an in-depth look at the 20 integrated and often innovative question types found in the test.