About
What the PTE Academic is, how the test is put together, and how PTE Perfect 90 organises its preparation material.
What is PTE Academic?
The Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic is a computerized English proficiency test accepted by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and universities across Australia and New Zealand. Three things make it distinctive:
AI scoring
No human is involved in assessment. Responses are scored by an algorithm that mimics human marking — which means the scoring rules are consistent and learnable.
Unbiased results
With no human marker there is no chance of bias; the result reflects your English skills and nothing else.
Flexible & fast
Test dates are available in almost every country, 90% of results arrive within 24 hours, and the maximum wait is 5 business days.
Test format
The exam runs approximately 2 hours 15 minutes across three parts, always in this order:
| Part | Question types | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Speaking & Writing | Read Aloud · Repeat Sentences · Describe Image · Retell Lecture · Answer Short Questions · Summarize Group Discussion · Respond to a Situation · Summarize Written Text · Essay | 54–67 min |
| Reading | Drop-down blanks · MCQ multiple answers · Reorder Paragraphs · Drag-and-drop blanks · MCQ single answer | 29–30 min |
| Listening | Summarize Spoken Text · MCQ multiple answers · Fill in the Blanks · Highlight Correct Summary · MCQ single answer · Select Missing Words · Highlight Incorrect Words · Write From Dictation | 30–43 min |
Part 1 tests speaking and writing in an academic environment, where spelling and grammar accuracy count. Part 2 tests reading through reordering, multiple choice, and blanks. Part 3 is built on audio and video recordings with a range of response types.
How this site is organised
- Module pages (Speaking, Writing, Reading, Listening) cover every task in exam order with question counts, point weights, timings, templates, and strategy.
- Tips & Tricks collects the cross-module rules: priority tasks, negative-marking traps, time management, and daily habits.
- Score Guide holds the scoring data: Pearson's score distribution, the six enabling skills, and the PTE-to-IELTS concordance.
Work through the modules in order, check the Score Guide to set priorities, and come back to the templates until you can produce them without thinking.
Ready to begin?
Start where the exam starts — the Speaking module — and work forward in exam order.