PTE Exam Pattern 2024 - Explore Section-wise PTE Exam Format, Marking Scheme & Duration

50.5k+ Students Enrolled

Help me Prepare

Table of Contents

PTE Exam Pattern
PTE Pattern - Overall exam
PTE Pattern - section by section
PTE Reading: Timetable
PTE Listening: Timetable

PTE Exam Pattern

PTE Exam Pattern 2024: The Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic) evaluates applicants' Speaking & Writing, Reading, and Listening skills to ensure that they are ready to study in a global setting and have a good understanding of the universal language of English. The PTE exam structure comprises 20 different question types that assess applicants' Speaking & Writing Skills (54 - 67 minutes), Reading skills (29 - 30 minutes), and Listening skills (30 - 43 minutes).

Students who perform well on this test can prove to the admissions committee and visa authorities that they can communicate in the globally recognized official language while studying in a foreign country. A high PTE exam result also assures that candidates can convey their ideas, deliver presentations, aim for international exposure, and Perform on the worldwide front in front of foreign audiences.

This allows applicants to guarantee that they are prepared to study in the universal official language with students from all around the world and international faculty members. In this part, we shall discuss the most recent PTE exam format 2024 for applicants planning to take the test.

PTE Pattern - Overall exam

PTE Format	Details
PTE Exam Pattern	An English language exam has been created to assess candidates' Speaking & Writing Skills (54 - 67 minutes), Reading Skills (29 - 30 minutes), and Listening Skills (30 - 43 minutes) for studying abroad in an English-speaking nation.
PTE Duration	2 hours and a test session
Medium of Test	Computer-based with a headset provided by the exam centre
Mode	Taken at a test centre / Home Edition
Test Type	Assesses real-life English language skills
Test Layout	20 types of questions

PTE Pattern - section by section

Read the section-wise overview provided below:

PTE test time allotment details

Speaking and Writing — 54-67 minutes

As the term suggests, this portion assesses students on their two key communication skills: verbal and written.
This part consists of six separate sections that assess your quickness in speaking and writing the written test, you're going to read for the first time.
The total time permitted to the section is 54 - 67 minutes, with the following time allotted to each part:

PTE Speaking and Writing Section Question Topics	PTE Questions Per Task	Duration Per Task	Skills Assessed
Personal Introduction	1	55 seconds: 25 seconds for prompt + 30 seconds to record; You are only able to record your answer once.	-
Read Aloud	6 - 7	30-40 seconds for preparation and for reading out the text of up to 60 words	Reading and speaking
Repeat Sentence	10 - 12	15 seconds: 3-9 seconds to listen, 15 seconds to record what you heard	Listening and speaking
Describe Image	3 - 4	40 seconds are given to study the image as well as submit your response on the same	Speaking
Retell Lecture	1 - 2	90 seconds for prompt length, 10 seconds to prepare, and 40 seconds to answer	Listening and speaking
Answer Short Question	5 - 6	20 seconds: 3-9 seconds for prompt, 10 seconds to answer	Listening and speaking
Summarize Written Text	1 - 2	10 minutes to answer to text prompt of 300 words; Include the major aspects of the reading passage in a complete, single sentence of no more than 75 words.	Reading and writing
Write Essay	1 - 2	20 minutes to answer to text prompt of 2-3 sentences; Make sure to write a minimum of 200 words, but no more than 300 words.	Writing
Total Questions	28 - 36	Time Allocation: 54 - 67 minutes	-

PTE Reading: Timetable

Duration — 29 – 30 minutes

PTE Reading:Format

This section assesses applicants' ability to understand written instructions in the language.
The section, which will be divided into five parts, lasts 29 to 30 minutes.

Study the segment-wise structure for this section's time distribution:

PTE Reading Section Question Topics	PTE Questions per task	Duration per task	Skills assessed
Fill in the blanks	5 - 6	Read up to a 300-word text and fill in the blanks. Click on the ‘Next’ option- No time limit is applicable.	Reading and writing
Multiple choice, multiple answers	1 - 2	Read up to a 300-word text; you need to select all of the response options from the list of possible options. Click on the ‘Next’ option- No time limit is applicable.	Reading
Re-order paragraph	2 - 3	Read up to a 150-word text; arrange paragraphs by dragging them into the most appropriate order. Click on the ‘Next’ option- No time limit is applicable.	Reading
Fill in the blanks	4 - 5	Read 80 words of text, and fill in the blanks. Click on the ‘Next’ option- No time limit is applicable.	Reading
Multiple-choice, single answer	1 - 2	Read 300 words of text Click on the ‘Next’ option- No time limit is applicable.	Reading
Total Questions	13 - 18	Time Allocation - 29 - 30 minutes

PTE Listening: Timetable

Duration — 30 to 43 minutes

PTE Listening: Format

The PTE Academic listening section lasts 30 to 43 minutes. This one is designed to evaluate your ability to understand spoken English. The student must ensure that they carefully listen to the audio file and remember what they hear.

This portion is subdivided into eight segments, with the time allotted to each segment as follows:

PTE Listening Section Question Topics	PTE Questions per task	Duration per task	Skills assessed
Summarize Spoken Text	1 - 2	After listening to a 60-90 seconds long recording, write a 50–70-words summary. You have 10 minutes to listen and write your summary. The audio begins to play automatically. You are only able to listen to the audio recording once.	Listening and Writing
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers	1 - 2	40-90-seconds prompt; you need to select all of the response options from the list of possible options. Click on the ‘Next’ option- No time limit is applicable.	Listening
Fill in the Blanks	2 - 3	30–60 seconds for the prompt; Left-click on each gap and type in the missing word. Click on the ‘Next’ option- No time limit is applicable.	Listening and writing
Highlight Correct Summary	1 - 2	30-90-seconds prompt, there are several possible response options but only one is correct. Click on the ‘Next’ option- No time limit is applicable.	Listening and reading
Multiple Choice, Single Answer	1 - 2	30-60-seconds prompt. After listening to a recording, select the paragraph that best summarizes the recording. Click on the ‘Next’ option- No time limit is applicable.	Listening
Select Missing Word	1 - 2	20-70-seconds prompt. The last word or group of words in the recording has been replaced by a beep sound. Select the most appropriate option to complete the recording. Click on the ‘Next’ option- No time limit is applicable.	Listening
Highlight Incorrect Word	2 - 3	15-50 seconds prompt. The transcript contains some errors. While listening and reading, you need to select the words in the text that differ from those in the audio. Click on the ‘Next’ option- No time limit is applicable.	Listening and reading
Write from Dictation	3 - 4	3-5 -seconds prompt. you hear a short sentence. You have to type the sentence into the response box. Click on the ‘Next’ option- No time limit is applicable.	Listening and reading
Total Questions	12 - 20	Time Allocation: 30 - 43 minutes

The speed at which you complete the tasks where a time limit is not allotted will affect your scores.

Pearson places no restrictions on how many times a candidate can take the PTE Test 2024. Applicants can take the exam after a 5-day break. As a result, students may retake the PTE Academic exam as many times as they like. The PTE Academic exam format, as an English language test, focused on three primary aspects of language proficiency: reading, listening and speaking and writing. The entire PTE Academic exam pattern may be found above.

Got Queries?

Book a Free Counseling Session

Free PTE Study Material

Vocabulary

Writing Ideas

Popular English Language Proficiency Exams

Popular Colleges Accepting PTE Exam

Bond University Queensland
Central Queensland University - Rockhampton, North Campus Queensland
Charles Sturt University - Wagga Wagga Campus New South Wales
Deakin University - Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus Victoria
Engineering Institute of Technology - Perth campus Western Australia
Griffith University - Nathan Campus Queensland
La Trobe University - Bendigo Campus Victoria
LCI Melbourne - Art & Design School Victoria

Ara Institute of Canterbury - City Campus Southland
Aspire 2 International - Auckland Campus Auckland
Auckland University of Technology - City Campus Auckland
Eastern Institute of Technology - Hawke Bay Campus Hawke's Bay
Manukau Institute of Technology -Manukau Campus Auckland
Massey University - Auckland Campus Auckland
Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) - Nelson Campus Southland
New Zealand Institute of Business & Technology (NZIBT) Auckland
The University of Waikato - Hamilton Campus Hamilton

Kent State University Ohio
San Jose State University California
Wright State University Ohio
Clark University Massachusetts
Rowan University New Jersey
Arkansas State University Arkansas
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Wisconsin
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Illinois
University of Findlay Ohio

Popular university and colleges for Studying abroad

Global University Systems (GUS) - Concordia University Chicago

Illinois, USA • 37 Programmes

Tuition Fee : USD 31500-32800 / year

Sprott Shaw College - Victoria College Campus

British Columbia, Canada • 18 Programmes

Tuition Fee : CAD 10000-38000 / year

Global University Systems (GUS) - University of Europe for Applied Sciences - Dubai Campus

Berlin, Germany • 21 Programmes

Tuition Fee : EUR 0-0 / year

Menlo College

California, USA • 10 Programmes

Tuition Fee : USD 52000-52700 / year

Study Group - James Madison University

Virginia, USA • 311 Programmes

Tuition Fee : USD 24000-35000 / year

EDUCO - Duke University

North Carolina, USA • 7 Programmes

Tuition Fee : USD 0-0 / year

Anglia Ruskin University - Chelmsford Campus

England, UK • 87 Programmes

Tuition Fee : GBP 13000-17000 / year

Vancouver Premier College

British Columbia, Canada • 17 Programmes

Tuition Fee : CAD 11500-26000 / year

View All Universities

Top Places To Study Abroad

Test Prep Centres

Latest Test Prep Blogs and News!

PTE Score Chart 2025: PTE Exam Scoring System & Calculation

Most international institutions demand proof of strong English skills, making language proficiency tests a necessity to pursue higher education. While...

Updated on • 26-11-2024 • PTE

PTE Score Chart 2025: PTE Exam Scoring System & Calculation

IELTS Speaking Questions

The IELTS exam is a popular way for people who want to study overseas, but don't speak English as their first language or where it's not spoken often....

Updated on • 25-11-2024 • IELTS

IELTS Writing Task

IELTS Writing Task One of the most crucial aspects to scoring well on an exam is writing. The IELTS assesses both Academic and General Training in ...

Updated on • 21-11-2024 • IELTS

IELTS Line Graph Model Answer

IELTS Line Graph is one of the two tasks of IELTS writing section. In this task, you will get a visual representation to explain in 150 words. It show...

Updated on • 02-11-2024 • IELTS

Linking Words for IELTS Speaking - Word List & Tips

Linking words serve as the verbal "glue" that holds your ideas and phrases together. They aid in making connections between your sentences and are cru...