Have you heard about the upcoming PTE Academic improvements?
Pearson is committed to improvement and innovation and from November 16th we’ve got some exciting PTE Academic updates. Our PTE Academic research team continuously analyses and monitors PTE Academic test questions and performance to make sure the test is running as efficiently as it can and they’re always on the lookout for how we can make the test better. Based on thorough analysis by the team, we’ve been able to reduce PTE Academic into a shorter two-hour test that provides the same accurate and reliable results. These changes will impact PTE Academic and PTE Academic UKVI.
Sound great, right? Less time testing, and more time to do what you want.
Let’s have a look at the news in a little more detail.
What is going to change:
The two-hour test has all the important features of PTE Academic; highly accurate, secure, fast results, widely accepted and recognized, but will be in a shorter, more convenient 2-hour timeframe. This means we had to make changes to the test timing. The number of questions presented will decrease for some question types so overall the number of questions presented to you will reduce from 70-82 to 52-64. Remember in PTE Academic you won’t get the minimum or a maximum number of questions but a number within the range.
The optional 10-minute break has also been removed so you can get the test done faster. Just remember to visit the restroom and grab a drink before your test!
There are no changes to the types of questions within PTE Academic. All 20 question types will still feature. However, the frequency of some will be reduced.
The great thing is as the question types are not changing, you don’t have to make any changes to the way you prepare. We have a range of preparation resources available at pearsonpte.com/preparation. Remember to familiarize yourself with each of the 20 question types presented within the test by watching our question type videos or by taking the free Introduction to PTE Academic online course. Our online Scored Practice tests are still the best way to prepare and simulate the test experience from home and practice tests will also be in the two-hour format from October 27th.
What about score reports?
We have redesigned our score reports to make scoring information clearer. You will still see your Overall and Communicative skill scores, but Enabling skill scores will no longer appear on score reports from November 16th, 2021. Where are the enabling skills going? From November 16th you will receive test feedback and support unique to your performance that only you can access from your MyPTE account. This information will help you to direct your future studies.
There are no changes to the way in which PTE Academic is scored or the accuracy of our scoring, and the test won’t be any easier or more difficult. Everything remains the same. Before launching the shorter test, the new test format and the performance of tens of thousands of test takers were analyzed to make sure scoring remained accurate and reliable.
PTE Academic is accepted by thousands of institutions worldwide. The changes to the timing of the test won’t impact the recognition of PTE Academic by accepting institutions such as governments for visa purposes. The two-hour test provides the same quality and rigorous testing standards as the three-hour test.
The two-hour PTE Academic exam gives you a range of opportunities to demonstrate your language ability and provides you with the same accurate, objective, and reliable test scores. Now you just have to think about how you’ll spend that extra time. Coffee? Or by watching some Netflix?