Practice for PTE Academic with this mock-test plan!

PTE Author
PTE Author
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We have all been there; it’s normal to be full of nerves before a test, with uncertainty of what to expect, and doubts about how you’re going to perform. 

However, whilst nerves and anticipation are an unavoidable part of the testing experience, there are ways to reduce this when preparing for your PTE test, so you can grow in confidence before test day and achieve your desired score.

At PTE, we are all about doing it worry-free!  

And to do it worry-free, you need to know what’s coming up and familiarise yourself with the PTE test.

Here are 4 ways you can start your PTE preparation and get the practice in, so you are confident for when test day comes. 

1. Familiarize yourself with the test and what’s expected:

A great way to prepare is to know all about what you can expect on test day. We have lots of resources available on our Preparation page. We'd recommend that you explore this section of our site and gather any top tips that you can from our range of free resources, also known as our A-Z of PTE. This includes a run-through of each question type as well as a video of what to expect on test day, which you can also watch below on this page!

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2. How might you score if you took a PTE test today?

It's the question that every test taker wants to know the answer to… "What score am I going to achieve and what level are my English skills?". The truth is, your true score will only be available to you on your test day, after completing the real PTE test. It will accurately reflect your English skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. So, you will want to make sure that you put in the work to refine your skills as much as possible to be awarded the highest marks.

However, just like other tests that you may have taken during your academic studies, you can do practice rounds, or mock tests, before the big day, with PTE too. These come in the form of our 5 PTE Academic Scored Practice Tests.

These are just like the real thing: the same test format, the same time limit, the same question types and an indicative score of your performance at the end, with a breakdown of your skills assessment. The best thing about Pearson’s Scored Practice Tests is that they are the only mock tests which go through the exact same AI scoring engines as the actual test, so they are as close to the real test as you can get.

You can discover the likely indicative score that you would achieve if you were to take the PTE test today. From this, you can evaluate areas of strength and areas that need development, so you can refine your preparation and increase your practice in specific English language skills areas.

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3. Practice, apply and measure

Now you have taken a mock test and have a plan of action, commit your spare time to improving on skills where you are less confident.

Then, halfway through your PTE Academic preparation journey, try taking another Scored Practice Test (remember there are 5 in total which you can buy as part of our money-saving packages).

This will help you to see the progress that you have made and refine your skills even more!

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4. Finally, get PTE ready, just before test day

Your PTE test day is just around the corner. So, it’s time to get that last minute practice in before the real thing.

By taking a Scored Practice Test just before test day, you can be sure that you are well acquainted with the test format and the details, including keeping an eye on time limits, the microphone opening and any other key details.

This way, you will be fully ready when you enter the test centre.

Also, at this point, make sure to re-watch the video on this page on what to expect on PTE test day, so you can pack all the essentials and be ready to go!

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So, as you prepare to get the practice in before your PTE test, remember:

  • nerves are normal - embrace them and turn them into positive energy.

  • practice makes perfect – make full use of the official PTE preparation resources available to you and save money with our money-saving packages.

  • be prepared – make sure on test day, you have everything you need to ensure a smooth, worry-free experience.

 Explore our preparation resources

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    Why fluent English speakers don’t always get a perfect score
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    Being an experienced English speaker does not guarantee you a high score

    It can come as a surprise to test takers, who consider themselves to be fluent in English, that they can score less well in an English test than they expect.

    Dr. Alistair Van Moere, a member of Pearson’s Technical Advisory Group, explains that it’s not unusual for people who have recently learned English to score higher than those that have spoken English for a long time. This happens on all high-stakes tests, not just on PTE Academic, as fluent speakers are often not prepared to do the test. PTE Academic contains question types that a fluent English speaker may not have done for a long time, for example, writing an essay.

    This is why all test takers, including fluent English speakers, should prepare before test day.

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    Choosing to study or migrate abroad is a big decision and may require you to demonstrate your skills in English.

    The Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) is widely trusted by universities, colleges, and governments around the world. Taking PTE Academic can create opportunities for you around the world.

    If you are taking the test for the first time, study each part of the test thoroughly to demonstrate your English skills as best you can.

    Even people that consider themselves to be fluent in English need to prepare as they can sometimes score fewer points than they should have as they have not prepared.

    We can help you achieve your best!

    What should I expect on test day?

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    Reading: Core English skills part 1
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    In PTE Academic Part 2: Reading, you will be required to read a text in each question to understand what it means in order to answer the question.

    To identify and develop your reading skills we’ve put together some information to help you.

    Grammar

    Grammar skills are important as they help you understand what you are reading. In Part 2: Reading you need to understand the meaning of the tense system, how articles work and how to use pronouns.

    Tense

    The tense system refers to the way in which you write about situations in the past, present or future. It’s important to be able to understand how time is expressed in reading texts in order to understand the meaning of the text.

    To learn more about the tense system view the Anglo-Link’s video on tenses.

    Articles

    In the reading section, you will also need to understand how articles work in English. Articles are words such as ‘the’, ‘a’ and ‘an’.

    Knowing how articles work will help you to understand the topic sentence in a paragraph and that will help locate an answer in a reading passage. This will help you with the Re-order Paragraphs question types in the test.

    Indefinite articles (a or an) usually come before the definite article (the) before the same noun.

    For example, An eminent scientist worked for years trying to find a new species of exotic bird. She led a team of three field researchers. One of the team members found the bird in a tropical forest. Two years later the same team found another new species in the forest.

    You can learn how to use the correctly in this Oxford Online English video.

    Pronouns

    It’s important to also know what pronouns are to better understand the text you are reading. Pronouns are used to replace nouns so we do not have to keep repeating the same noun.

    Knowing how to use pronouns will help in the test, particularly in the Re-order Paragraph questions, as they help you identify the correct position of sentences within a paragraph.

    For example, Dr Gomez felt he needed to spend more time with his students when they were new to his faculty. There was so much information that he wanted to give them that he needed to spend more than a whole day with them, which surprised even himself.

    To learn more and practice using pronouns, visit Ginger Software’s pronoun page.

    Vocabulary

    Having a wide vocabulary will help you succeed in the PTE Academic test as you will not need to slow down for as many words that you do not understand.

    To widen your vocabulary you should:

    • Choose reading texts across a wide range of topics. Tip: Do not choose difficult texts.

    • Try to read the text and find words you do not understand, then try to work out the meaning from the context first. If you are still not sure, look the words up in a

       

    Word families

    When it comes to learning vocabulary, make sure to learn the word family of a word.

    For example, progress (noun/verb), progressive (adjective), progression (noun). To learn the words, use it ten times, in different ways, such as writing, speaking and reading within a short time.

    In PTE Academic you will need to know and demonstrate how to read a word, pronounce it correctly and how to spell it. You will also need to know if it is an academic or informal word and how to use it in a sentence.

    Learn more about three aspects of academic vocabulary in the Griffith University’s Learn English- Academic Vocabulary video.

    Context

    Another important skill to improve vocabulary is inferring unknown vocabulary from context. You should be able to guess the meaning of new words or phrases based on the words around it (the context).

    For example, you can guess the meaning of profligate from this sentence: The young man who spent all his money on expensive cars and holidays was so profligate that he wasted his whole fortune.

    Sometimes you will be unable to work out the meaning of a word from the context and will need to look it up in a dictionary.

    Collocations

    Lastly, you will need to understand collocations. Collocations are words that often go together. You will need to have a good understanding of collocations in order to answer the Reading: Fill in the Blanks and Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks questions.

    The more you read and listen to English, the more collocations you will learn. The PTE Academic Collocation List will also help you to learn these.

    You’ll also need to learn reading methods and styles of writing in order to do well in this part of the test. Read some helpful tips on how to improve these skills.