You all know that PTE is a language proficiency exam. It has two types- PTE academic and PTE general. However, maximum aspirants appear for academic tests. This is because a good score on this test is required to get admission to top colleges in countries like the USA, the UK, Canada, and so on.
However, it is important for the aspirants to know the PTE exam pattern and the syllabus. This is because it will help them for better preparation.
So, in this article, let’s understand the test pattern and syllabus.
What Is the Syllabus for PTE Exam
PTE tests the English language skills of the test takers so a good command of the language is the only syllabus of this exam. However, test takers just need to improve their English grammar, vocabulary and fluency while speaking and reading.
Understand The PTE Exam Pattern
Now, as you know PTE is an English language proficiency test. So, it tests the English listening, reading, speaking & writing skills. However, test takers get a time of 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete the tasks in each section of the exam. So, they must know everything about these sections to prepare well.
Reading Section
The reading section of the PTE exam tests the reading skills of the aspirants. They will be given two to three paragraphs from newspaper articles, books, or magazines to read and understand well. This is because they have to answer five kinds of thirteen to eighteen questions in this section. However, they will get twenty-nine to thirty minutes for this section. So, they should practice to complete the tasks in this section accordingly.
However, the five kinds of questions in this section are
- Multiple-choice, Single Answer
- Multiple-choice, Multiple Answer
- Re-order Paragraph
- Reading: Fill in the Blanks
- Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks
Listening Section
The listening ability of test takers is checked in this section. They will be given two to three audio recordings or video clips from the conversation of two people or any documentary film. However, aspirants have to listen to them carefully. This is because they have to answer eight types of twelve to twenty questions in just a time of thirty to forty-three minutes.
However, the eight types of questions are-
1. Summarize Spoken Text
2. Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
3. Fill in the Blanks
4. Highlight Correct Summary
5. Multiple Choice, Single Answer
6. Select Missing Word
7. Highlight Incorrect Words
8. Write from Dictation
Writing and Speaking Test
It is the longest section in the PTE exam pattern because aspirants have to answer eight types of twenty-eight to thirty-six questions to score well in this section. However, they will get fifty-four to sixty-seven minutes to complete all the tasks. But, it is not easy. This is because of below given eight types of questions-
1. Personal Introduction
2. Read Aloud
3. Repeat Sentence
4. Describe Image
5. Re-tell Lecture
6. Answer Short Question
7. Summarize Written Text
8. Essay
Note- Aspirants have to use listening and speaking skills together to answer five to six questions. Similarly, they have to use their reading and writing skills together to answer one or two questions in this section of the PTE exam to score well.
Expert Tips to Master The PTE Syllabus for The Exam
Now, you know that the English language is the only syllabus to prepare for the exam. So, you must know and follow some tips. However, it will help you to boost your preparation and ace the exam.
Understand The Test Format
It is important to know the paper pattern before starting to prepare for any exam. This is because every exam has different types, sections and number of questions. However, knowing the exam pattern will help you make a proper study plan to prepare for each section of the exam.
Practice Time Management
All the aspirants get 54 – 67 minutes to complete the speaking and writing sections, 29 – 30 minutes for the reading section, and 30 – 43 minutes to complete the Listening section. So, the total time for the PTE exam is 2 hours and 15 minutes. However, all the aspirants must practice solving the exam according to the allotted time to score well on the exam.
Practice Through Mock Test
A mock test paper is a copy of a real exam paper. This is because experts use previous year’s questions and the experience of previous test takers to prepare these papers. However, solving it will help the aspirants to know the test format. Moreover, they will also be able to know how to solve different questions on the exam day.
Set A Target Score
Aspirants must turn the mock test into a game show. They should make a target and challenge them self while solving every mock test paper. However, it will help them to stay confident for every question on the exam day.
Use Resources
There are many resources available online like
movies and news for listening practice, read books and newspapers for reading practice to improve the grammar and vocabulary. Moreover, they should join PTE classes. This is because trainers help to understand the test format. However, it helps the aspirants to perform well on the exam.
Final Thoughts
Now, you can say that the PTE syllabus is a good skill in speaking, reading, writing, and listening to the English language. This is because this exam tests the proficiency of the test takers in these sections only. However, each section has a different number and kinds of questions. Thus, aspirants just need to be confident and follow some tips to improve their language skills. However, it will result in them with the desired score on the exam.