PTE Help Center: PTE Academic & UKVI FAQs

The fast and fair English test

PTE Academic is a computer-based language test that provides the most unbiased and secure proof of a candidate’s English skills for university, professional, and migration applications.

PTE Academic assesses listening, reading, speaking, and writing – all via a computer in a single two-hour test session. To complete the test, you will need to attend a secure Pearson Test Center. You will use a computer and a headset to listen to, read, and respond to questions.

PTE Academic is accepted by thousands of universities, colleges, and institutions around the world, and approved for all Australian, New Zealand, and UK visa and migration applications.

PTE uses genuine academic materials

PTE Academic uses genuine academic content to make it more authentic. This is taken from real-life situations that test takers would encounter in an academic environment. The reading texts in PTE Academic include academic study texts, plus texts related to all aspects of student life.

The test also includes genuine academic lectures rather than actors reading scripts or other simulated materials. Question writers for PTE Academic are required to use actual texts as stimulus material and no question without a source reference is accepted.

We are committed to ensuring that students are better prepared to use their English for academic study, wherever they are in the world.

Suitable for international use

PTE Academic delivers real-life measures of a test taker's language ability to institutions requiring an agreed standard of proficiency in international academic English.

We ensure an international character by selecting texts and settings encountered in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA. This ensures that all test takers are on an equal footing. Tests that use only one specific English variety put test takers not familiar with that variety at a clear disadvantage.

PTE Academic is the only academic English test to include non-native English accents. This reflects the diversity of English that students are likely to experience at any university where English is used, and where students will be taught by professors and teaching assistants who are second language speakers of English. This makes PTE Academic highly relevant to today’s modern international academic institutions.

All national variations of language are considered correct in the PTE Academic test, as long as test takers use the same spelling conventions consistently in their responses.

PTE Academic is accepted for student and migration applications across the world. In addition to its unbiased approach to testing, the test has many unique advantages.

Artificial intelligence

Did you know that artificial intelligence means that all test taker’s results are graded by an algorithm, not humans? Use of scoring technology means that it’s not simply a single human assessing your English language skills, but a very clever algorithm that mimics how expert human markers would score, based on many, many responses.

Unbiased scoring

When you take PTE Academic, what you say is computer-scored against thousands of previous responses. What this means is that you’re scored only on what you say, not your accent or anything else.

Flexible testing and fast results

Thanks to the use of market-leading technology, PTE Academic offers all test takers incredible flexibility. Test results are delivered in just 5 working days (and typically within 48 hours). PTE Academic offers global testing in more than 300 test centers in over 50 countries.

Send your score unlimited times for free

PTE Academic proudly gives all test takers the freedom to send your scores to as many organizations as you like, without an additional fee. This freedom gives you an even greater opportunity to achieve your dreams.

Unlimited acceptance for study and migration applications

PTE Academic is accepted for study applications by thousands of academic programs around the world. It is also approved for all Australian, New Zealand and UK student visa and migration applications.

What ID should I bring?

PTE tests are taken in highly secure test centers, so it’s very important that we verify the identity of all of our test takers.

When you arrive to take your test, you must provide an acceptable identification document (ID).

In most cases, this ID will usually be your passport. If you do not have a passport, you may be able to use an alternative depending on your chosen PTE test. Please read our Acceptable ID guidance for more information.

All responses in PTE Academic are machine scored using our unique automated scoring system. Some aspects are also checked by a human expert. Scores for some question types are based on correctness alone, while others are based on correctness, formal aspects and the quality of the response.

Formal aspects refer to the form of the response: for example, whether it is over or under the word limit for a particular item type. The quality of the response is represented in the enabling skills. For example, in the item type, ‘Retell lecture’, your response is scored on skills such as oral fluency and pronunciation.

There are two types of scoring: correct or incorrect, and partial credit:

Correct or incorrect: If your responses are correct, you will be awarded 1 score point. If they are incorrect, you are awarded no score points.

Partial credit: Other item types are scored as correct, partially correct, or incorrect. If your responses to these items are correct, you will get the maximum score points available for each item type. If your answers are partly correct, you will get some score points, but less than the maximum available for the item type. If all your responses are incorrect, you will get no score points.

For more information visit our PTE Academic scoring page.