Know about The PTE Test Question Format: A Complete Guide

The Pearson Test of English assesses your speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills. PTE test ensures that they are capable of studying in the abroad environment, with a good grasp of the English language. It consists of 20 different PTE question pattern types. Which tests the speaking and writing skills (54-67 minutes), Reading skills (29-30 minutes), and listening skills (30-43 minutes) of a test taker who wants to study abroad. In this article, you will get to understand the format of the questions asked in the PTE. Read further to learn more about this.

PTE Exam Pattern: Sections and Question Type

The PTE test is a two-hour computer-based exam that you take at a designated test center. Moreover, it is divided into three sections: Speaking & Writing, Reading, and Listening.

In addition, it is comprised of the following components:

• Understanding the question prompt: This is the time spent in understanding the PTE question pattern which depends on the length of the text or the recording.
• Preparing the solution; This is the time spent in preparing the answer, which is on average 10 to 15 seconds for each segment.
• Answering the question: This is the time spent answering the question.

Read below to get an overview of the sections and some of the different questions asked in each one of them;

Speaking and Writing (54-67 minutes)

As the name implies, the PTE speaking and writing checks your spoken and written skills. There are approximately 8 different types of questions in this part and the duration and number of questions of each type vary. The total duration of this complete section is between 54 to 67 minutes, during which some test takers are expected to answer 28 to 36 questions.

These question types are as follows:

Personal Introduction

The Personal Introduction is the initial task with which the exam starts. In this task, you have to prepare their prompt in the initial 25 seconds and then record themselves in 30 seconds.

Read Aloud

In this, you have to read loudly and clearly the text that appears on your screen. You will have 30 seconds to prepare a text of approx 60 words before speaking into the microphone. There are 6-7 tasks for Read Aloud PTE.

Repeat Sentence

In this part of the PTE test, you have to listen to a sentence of length 3-9 seconds and then repeat it into the microphone within 15 seconds. There are about 10 to 12 tasks of this type that can be expected.

Describe Image

In this, the candidate is expected to describe an image that appears on your screen. The image can be a chart, graph, map, or diagram. You get 25 seconds before the microphone opens and have to record your response in 40 seconds. The number of tasks in the exam may vary between 6-7.

Write Essay

In this, you have to read a prompt of 2 to 3 sentences and are then expected to write an essay of 200 to 300 words. It includes all the questions asked in the prompt.

Reading (29-30 Minutes)

The PTE reading section tests your ability to understand written text followed by written guidelines in English. This is divided into 5 segments with approx 5 types of questions. Since a lot of students find this section difficult, seeking proper PTE training can help you a lot. The total duration of the reading section is between 29 to 30 minutes, during which you have to answer approx 13 to 18 questions in total. Some are as follows:

Fill in the Blanks (Reading and Writing)

In this, you have to read a text of up to 300 words with several gaps between. You are then expected to choose the right answer for each gap from the drop-down list that appears on the screen. The number of tasks that can expected in the exam may vary between 5 to 6.

Re-order Paragraph

This is the third part of the PTE reading section and it is not an integrated part, which means that the marks for this part are given. In this, a text of up to 150 words appears in several text boxes arranged in random order.

Listening (30-43 Minutes)

The listening PTE question pattern designed to check your ability to understand spoken English text. Also, comprehend its correct meaning. In this section, it is important for you to carefully listen to the audio file played and to comprehend and keep what you have heard. The total duration of the reading section is between 30 to 43 minutes, during which you have to answer approx 12 to 20 questions in total. Some are as follows:

Summarize Spoken Text

In this, you have to listen to audio of length 60 to 90 seconds, after which they expect to write a summary of 50 to 70 words in the text box that appears at the bottom of the screens. The number of tasks that can expect in the exam may vary between 2 to 3.

Highlight Correct Summary

In this, you have to listen to the audio for 30 to 90 seconds, after which they get 10 seconds to go through multiple summarises given about the paragraph. You are expected to select the section that best summarizes the recording. The number of tasks in the exam varies between 2 to 3.

Write form Dictation (Listening and Writing)

In this part of the PTE Test, you have to listen to a sentence of 3-5 seconds and type it as possible in the text box that appears at the bottom of the screen. You can not expect to paraphrase or change the order of the words, doing so may lower your PTE overall score.

Conclusion

Summing up, the PTE syllabus comprehensively checks your skills in English language skills. It includes speaking, writing, reading, and listening. Be familiar with the PTE available dates and syllabus so you can strategically prepare for each section. Ensure that you are well-equipped to ace the PTE exam and achieve your desired score.