We have test centers in over 115 countries. Choose a test to find your nearest test center and next available test slot.
For global study, visa applications to Australia and New Zealand, and professional registration.
For IRCC permanent residency (PR) and citizenship applications in Canada.
A four-skills test for work visas and below non-degree study in the UK.
Two-skills tests for joining family, visa extentions, or citizenship in the UK.
I want to access to...
myPTE account
Book a test or check your existing bookings and scores
or
Studying in the UK provides a great opportunity to immerse yourself in British culture and traditions. Not only can you meet new people, try new food and explore different cities, you can also experience a range of different festivals that you might not celebrate in your own country.
While there are many British traditions and festivals, here are some of the oldest and most widely celebrated festivals that you can get involved in while you’re studying in the UK:
So what is Halloween? Also known as All Saints’ Eve, Halloween is a celebration in many countries on 31st October, which honours religious Saints and the dead.
The tradition dates back to an ancient Celtic festival held on this day, where people would light bonfires and wear costumes to frighten away spirits. Later, in the 8th century, Pope Gregory III chose November 1st as a time to honour the saints.
While it remained a religious festival for many years, in the last century it has turned into a fun, yet spooky, holiday to celebrate. Children and young adults particularly enjoy Halloween and take part in a number of activities.
These include trick-or-treating where they knock on neighbours’ doors and ask for sweets, carving faces into pumpkins and watching horror movies. Let’s not forget dressing up in scary costumes, like a vampire, witch or zombie, and attending a fancy dress party!
There are lots of different ways to take part in this festival as a university student. In the UK, most universities normally organize Halloween parties on October 31st. And if you don’t like dressing up, it’s also a common tradition for cinemas to show horror films as an alternative Halloween celebration.
Also known as Guy Fawkes’ Night, Bonfire Night is a British festival that takes place on November 5th each year. So why do people celebrate bonfire night? It is a day that commemorates the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
Guy Fawkes was a Catholic who didn’t agree with the King’s persecution of Catholics at the time. So, he developed a plan to blow up Westminster Palace in London while King James I and the members of parliament were inside. However, the plot was unsuccessful and he was sentenced to death.
When the people of London realized that the king had escaped assassination, they lit bonfires to celebrate. After this, King James I declared that November the 5th would be a public day of thanksgiving for the plot's failure. Nowadays, people celebrate this night with bonfires, fireworks, sparklers and toffee apples.
If you’d like to experience Bonfire Night, you’ll be able to attend organized outdoor gatherings with bonfires and fireworks displays around cities and in public spaces. Make sure to wrap up warm, as it gets cold during November evenings in the UK!
Christmas is an annual religious festival celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25th. However, both religious and non-religious people across the country celebrate this holiday. Although Christmas Day on December 25th is the main event, British people also celebrate Christmas Eve on December 24th and Boxing Day on December 26th.
There are a number of British Christmas traditions associated with this holiday. For instance, people eat turkey, hang up decorations and stockings, pull crackers, eat mince pies, give each other presents and even watch the Queen give a televised speech on Christmas Day.
If this is something that you’d like to experience you’ll have plenty of options in the UK. Many pubs and restaurants allow you to book a traditional Christmas meal. Moreover, many cities have a Christmas market in December where you can try mulled wine and buy gifts. It’s truly a magical time of year!
Shortly after Christmas, people in the UK and other countries around the world celebrate New Year's Eve on December 31st. It is the last day of the year before New Year’s Day, which marks the start of a new calendar year.
A festival that has been celebrated for centuries, British people recognise it as a night where they can welcome in a new year. At midnight on New Year’s Eve, it is tradition to set off fireworks and firecrackers, as well as celebrate with food and drink. Some families dance to Auld Lang Syne, a Scottish folk song which means ‘long long ago’ and is traditionally sung to farewell the old year.
Cities and towns around the country hold fireworks displays, parties and other events to celebrate this festival. If you’d like to join in you’ll be able to search for an event near you. Similarly, you can watch the BBC or another major television channel from your home - each year they broadcast live performances, interviews with celebrities and the countdown to midnight.
The end of winter and beginning of spring is celebrated in many countries across the world, and Britain is no different. In the UK, Easter heralds a week of celebrations for those who are both religious and non-religious.
Easter begins with Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week. This week includes Good Friday, a public holiday, Easter Sunday and ends with Easter Monday, also a public holiday. The date of Easter Sunday varies from year to year - in 2022 it will be on April 17th.
Nowadays, this festival offers an opportunity for families to get together and eat a traditional roast dinner. Some people decorate the dinner table with painted eggs, little yellow chicks, bunnies and spring flowers like daffodils, white lilies and tulips. It’s also tradition to buy family and friends chocolate eggs from supermarkets or chocolatiers.
If you’re interested in celebrating Easter in the UK, you’ll be able to book an Easter roast dinner at most pubs and restaurants, as well as buy chocolate eggs. There are also a number of Easter egg hunts that you can try. In London, for example, there’s an event where you have to search for chocolate eggs around the city. You can check your local area to see what they have organized.
The opportunity to study in another country is an invaluable experience. If you choose the UK as a study destination, not only will you improve your English, you’ll also learn about UK culture, celebrate British traditions, and make some memories that will last a lifetime!
If you’re interested in experiencing life as a student in the UK, PTE Academic may just be what you need. This test is recognized as an official language certificate that can be used for UK visas to access 99% of British universities.
During 2018 students, migrants, and professionals that sat PTE Academic received their scores in even less time than ever before. In fact, during 2018, 85.7% of PTE Academic test takers received their results within just 2 days.
Learning a language is much easier when you’re enjoying yourself – which is why watching movies can be a great way to immerse yourself in the language.
What better way is there to pick up new phrases and slang terms that you would not learn in the classroom, all with popcorn in hand?
It can be hard to know which movie to choose so here are our top ten to help you get started. These films are chosen for their language clarity and cultural insights, offering a fun way to improve English skills for beginners and advanced learners alike.
If you are not feeling confident, watch with subtitles and you will soon pick things up.
A fantastic choice for beginners, this film teaches English while taking you through the heart of American history. This movie is one of the best English movies for learners as Forrest speaks so slowly throughout the entire movie. It is also an iconic 90’s movie which will make you laugh and cry in equal measure.
Perfect for all ages, these films are a treasure trove of rich vocabulary set in a magical world. Many things make the Harry Potter series great for your linguistics skills! Aside from the rich vocabulary, due to the sheer number of films in the series you will get to build up your understanding of different characters, their personalities, accents and ways of communicating.
What a great idea for learning English – watching a film where the main character – a historic British figure – is learning to speak! King George VI struggles to communicate due to a speech impediment, which means pronunciation is a very big focus in this movie.
For lovers of classic literature, this film offers a window into historical British English. The movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice will also expose you to societal norms, colloquial expressions, formal language and phrases as this movie is set in the early 19th century England.
This is one of the best English movies to watch, especially for beginners. It is full of day-to-day phrases and a slower pace, so it is easier to follow along. It is also a Christmas classic for all the family.
Great for picking up informal turns of phrases, slang and expressions used by British people. It also showcases a variety of British (and Irish) accents, so you can expose yourself to a breadth of British ways of speaking.
A charming film for mastering conversational American English.
Immerse in everyday conversational English set in contemporary America.
Animated and perfect for beginners, this film is set in Medieval Scotland so you will get to experience the Scottish accent and culture as well as learning some everyday phrases and idioms.
This movie should be on your list if you are focusing on advanced language learning. The language and the plot are both really complex. You will be exposed to advanced vocabulary and narratives which are really thought-provoking.
These films offer an immersive, engaging, and often emotionally resonant context for language learning. Whether you're just starting or looking to refine your skills, each movie is a step forward in your language-learning adventure.
Ready to prepare for your English language test? Explore Smart Prep, which combines all our practice materials in one place, so it's easier for you to stay on track with your PTE preparation.
Smart Prep is a clear path to test day, guiding you through the official paid and free resources available for your test
It can be accessed whether you’ve booked a test or not – just create, or sign in to your myPTE account
Preparation materials include guided practice tests, introductory videos, video courses and test tips.
Smart Prep brings all our free and paid preparation into one convenient place, so you can mix and match to fit your unique needs. Perfect if you have booked your test and are not sure where to start with your preparation journey.
Here are four top tips to help you get started:
All you need to do is set up your free myPTE account, and you will have access to all our free and official prep resources — so everything you need to be ready ace your test is at your fingertips.
As close as you can get to the test without taking the real thing. Our unique Scored Practice Tests are just like a mock test and are marked in the same way as your PTE test. So you can see how you score and then focus on the areas you need to improve.
With five to choose from, we recommend you use them throughout your prep journey to check your progress.
Practice makes perfect and our PTE Academic Question Bank is packed full of questions with model answers, plus samples for speaking and writing. So you have plenty of opportunity to practice before the real thing.
Finally, don’t forget to download our free PTE Academic Handbook and Score Guide.
The handbook covers everything you need to know about taking PTE Academic - from how to prepare and test day policies, to how to retake your test if necessary.
And, the PTE Score Guide helps you understand things like what you’re graded on, how automated scores work, and how our scores compare with those of other English language tests.
PTE is more than an English language test. It’s your ticket to studying abroad.
