Your PTE Academic guide

PTE Academic Made Easy

Understand the test, focus your practice and know your target score.

~2-hour test
22 question types
Scores & visa requirements

Your PTE pathway

Where are you now, and how do you get there?

See your score gaps, practice priorities and next steps with PTE School.

What's your target?

Choose your required score — not a prediction of your next result.

Target: Proficient English · S: 76 / W: 69 / R: 59 / L: 58

Official sources:Superior English Proficient English Competent English Nursing · NMBA

Check required scores & official sources

What did you score in your last PTE Academic?

Type each score (10–90).

SpeakingWritingReadingListening

I haven't sat PTE yet (we'll start from a typical first-attempt level)

Question type	Question count	Overall score	Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing	Priority
Part 1Speaking & Writing 76–84 min 35–43 scored questions + 1 unscored introduction
Personal IntroductionSpeaking · Not scored	1	Not scored	—	—	—	—	—
Read Aloud	6–7	4%	—	—	9%	—	Medium
Repeat Sentence	10–12	7%	17%	—	16%	—	Top
Describe Image	5–6	15%	—	—	31%	—	Top
Retell Lecture	2–3	6%	13%	—	13%	—	Top
Answer Short Question	5–6	2%	4%	—	—	—	Low
Summarize Group Discussion	2–3	9%	20%	—	19%	—	Top
Respond to a Situation	2–3	6%	—	—	13%	—	Top
Summarize Written Text	2	7%	—	23%	—	28%	Top
Write Essay	1	7%	—	—	—	31%	Top
Part 2Reading 29–30 min 15–20 scored questions
Fill in the Blanks (Drop-down)	5–6	7%	—	25%	—	—	Top
MCQ: Multiple Answers	2–3	1%	—	5%	—	—	Low
Reorder Paragraph	2–3	3%	—	9%	—	—	Medium
Fill in the Blanks (Drag & Drop)	4–5	6%	—	20%	—	—	Top
MCQ: Single Answer	2–3	<1%	—	3%	—	—	Low
Part 3Listening 30–43 min 15–22 scored questions
Summarize Spoken Text	1	4%	10%	—	—	18%	Top
MCQ: Multiple Answers	2–3	1%	3%	—	—	—	Low
Fill in the Blanks (Type In)	2–3	3%	8%	—	—	—	Medium
Highlight Correct Summary	2–3	<1%	2%	3%	—	—	Low
MCQ: Single Answer	2–3	<1%	2%	—	—	—	Low
Select Missing Word	1–2	1%	1%	—	—	—	Low
Highlight Incorrect Words	2–3	4%	8%	13%	—	—	Top
Write from Dictation	3–4	5%	13%	—	—	23%	Top
Scored totals	60–78	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%

Source: Pearson — Scoring Information for Teachers and Partners, January 2026. "—" means the task does not contribute to that skill score. Personal Introduction comes first and is not scored; it is excluded from scored totals.

Scoring & Visas · 2026

What your PTE score actually means

PTE ↔ IELTS concordance, Australian visa English levels and special registration requirements.

Open the full PTE Scoring Guide →

PTE Academic ↔ IELTS Academic

Pearson concordance · Jan 2026 · University admission ranges highlighted

Per-skill ranges

University admission · what to aim for

Most universities

PTE 58–64 · IELTS 6.5

Top-tier / Go8

PTE 65–78 · IELTS 7.0–7.5

Medicine / Law

PTE 79+ · IELTS 8.0

IELTS	PTE Overall	Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing
4.5	24–30	26–32	29–35	14–23	17–28
5.0	31–38	33–39	36–41	24–38	29–40
5.5	39–46	40–46	42–47	39–53	41–50
6.0	47–54	47–52	48–53	54–65	51–59
6.5	55–62	53–57	54–58	66–75	60–68
7.0	63–70	58–63	59–64	76–82	69–76
7.5	71–78	64–68	65–69	83–87	77–84
8.0	79–85	69–74	70–74	88–89	85–89
8.5	86–89	75–80	75–80	90	90
9.0	90	81–90	81–90	—	—

Highlighted rows = the score bands most Australian universities ask for.

Australian visas & registration requirements

Federal English levels · Nursing & health · OMARA · Visa exceptions · Victoria

Skilled migration · why Proficient & Superior matter

Competent

0 points · Eligible only

Bare minimum to apply for skilled visas.

Proficient

+10 points

PTE S76 · W69 · R59 · L58.

Superior

+20 points

PTE S88 · W85 · R70 · L69.

Category	IELTS	Old PTE Each	New Overall	Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing
Functional Partner visas Partner & secondary applicants (overall score only)	4.5	30	24	—	—	—	—
Vocational 482 work visa General English category; see separate 482 test-date rules below	5	36	—	33	36	24	29
Competent Eligible · 0 points Subclass 189 / 190 / 491 (skilled migration)	6	50	—	47	48	54	51
Proficient +10 points +10 points · Subclass 189 / 190 / 491	7	65	—	58	59	76	69
Superior +20 points +20 points · Subclass 189 / 190 / 491	8	79	—	69	70	88	85

* General English categories for tests on or after 7 August 2025: Functional uses overall PTE only; other levels use the listed skill minimums. Subclass-specific dates and requirements can differ.

Official sources checked 25 October 2026

Professional registration is separate from visa eligibility. PTE Academic test-pathway minimums:

Purpose / test date	Overall	Speaking	Writing	Reading	Listening
Nursing & midwifery · NMBATests on or after 23 April 2026Test pathway for registration, not a visa score. Other education pathways may apply. Two-sitting rules are separate; see below.Official requirements	63	76	60	59	58
Other Ahpra boards · common standardTests on or after 23 April 2026Common standard for 13 National Boards, including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy and psychology; not every registration body. Check your profession’s standard.Official requirements	63	76	60	59	58
Ahpra / NMBA · earlier testsTests on or before 22 April 2026Old-score table under the April 2026 transition policy, not a rule for all historical tests. Earlier standards may differ. A mixed-date pair must meet the applicable rules for each sitting. Validity and other registration conditions still apply.Official requirements	66	66	56	66	66
Migration agent · OMARACurrent published test pathwayPTE Academic is listed as accepted. Results must be no more than 3 years old. Qualifying English-language school education is an alternative; a migration-law course entry score is not registration approval.Official requirements	63	66	60	54	53

— = no separate minimum listed in this table, not a score of zero. All listed minimums must be met; other eligibility rules still apply.

Ahpra / NMBA · combining two test sittings

For two tests taken on or after 23 April 2026: maximum two sittings within 12 months, overall 63 in each. Across the pair, meet Speaking 76, Writing 60, Reading 59 and Listening 58. Neither sitting may fall below Speaking 66, Writing 60, Reading 54 or Listening 53. Older and mixed-date tests have separate transition rules. This does not establish result validity or cover every registration pathway.

Read the full transition policy

Concordance ranges are indicative, not admission or registration approval. Confirm visa rules with Home Affairs and registration rules with the relevant regulator before applying.

Your next 2–4 weeks

Know what to practise next

Your scores. Your priorities.

01Your scores & target

Read your result

Your scorecard. Your Skills Profile.

Four scores show your result. Eight profiles help guide your next review.

Open View skills profile, tap any score to type a new one (10–90) and drag a profile bar (0–100%).

PTE Academic|Score Report

Scores Overview

Demo Student

Test Taker ID: PTE000000000

Registration ID: 000000000

Communicative Skills

Listening

Reading

Speaking

Writing

Test Centre Country: Australia

Test Centre ID: 00000

Test Centre: PTE School (demo)

Test Date: 01 Oct 2026

Valid Until: 01 Oct 2028

Skills Breakdown

Overall 63

Listening60

Reading65

Speaking72

Writing55

Candidate Information

Date of Birth: 01 Jan 2000

Country of Citizenship: Demo

Country of Residence: Australia

Gender: —

Your Skills Profile provides more information about your performance in the test.

Demo report with sample scores — not an official Pearson result. Scroll sideways on small screens.

About scores & profile percentages

Exam scores use 10–90; Overall is not their average. Percentages here show adjustable demo bar fill, not official Pearson percentage scores. Bars and scores are independent.

Where can marks be lost?

Check relevant content, intelligibility and oral fluency—not a borrowed accent or speaking faster.

Keep all four skills active—even after reaching a target.

Full Skills Profile guide How scoring works

Pearson sources · checked 25 Oct 2026: Skills Profile FAQ · Scoring information · Score guide

Part 1 · 76–84 min

Speaking & Writing

76–84 minutes · 9 question types. You will be tested on your speaking and writing skills, using English you might hear in an academic environment.

Personal Introduction

Not scored

Exam screen preview

What students see in the real test — fully interactive.

PPTE Academic - Candidate Name

Time Remaining 00:29:59 1 of 5

Read the prompt below. In 25 seconds, you must reply in your own words, as naturally and clearly as possible. You have 30 seconds to record your response. Your response will be sent together with your score report to the institutions selected by you.

Please introduce yourself. For example, you could talk about one or more of the following:

– Your interests
– Your plans for future study
– Why you want to study abroad
– Why you need to learn English
– Why you chose this test

The recording will start in 25 seconds.

How to answer this question

The Personal Introduction is an opportunity for you to get familiar with PTE test technology and to help you prepare for your speaking and listening questions. This question does not contribute to your score and is for familiarization purposes only.

You will have 25 seconds to read the prompt and prepare your response, and then 30 seconds to record your response. You are only able to record your answer once.

This question does not contribute to your score and is for familiarisation purposes only.

Open full lesson