How should you prepare for PTE?

Start with one full mock test

Before you plan anything, find out where you are. Take one full mock test, with all three parts in one sitting and the timers on.

You'll get an overall score and a score for each of the four skills. The skill scores matter most. Home Affairs checks each one on its own, and some universities do too, so your lowest skill decides whether you reach your target.

Pearson says the time you need depends on three things: your English level now, the score you need, and how well you know the test. One mock test shows you your level and how well you know the test, on day one.

Find the gap between your score and your target

Write your four mock scores next to the row for your target. These are the Home Affairs scores for PTE tests taken from 7 August 2025, so they're the ones for any test you book now. If you need PTE for a university, your course page gives its own score.

Here's an example. Say your mock gives you listening 62, reading 60, writing 64 and speaking 66, and you need Proficient English. Listening and reading meet the target. Speaking is 10 points short and writing is 5 points short, so speaking comes first.

Look hardest at speaking and writing. At every level, Home Affairs asks for more in those two than in listening and reading.

Practise the question types that carry the most marks

Some question types count for far more than others. Pearson's question weighting table gives each one's share of each skill score. The shares are averages, so your own test will differ a little, but they show where an hour of practice pays most.

In the example, speaking is the gap. Describe Image is worth about 31 per cent of your speaking score, and Summarize Group Discussion about 19 per cent. Together, that's about 50 per cent.

Listening works differently. Twelve question types feed it, so even the top three add up to about 50 per cent.

Eight question types count for two skills, so one answer can move two scores. Repeat Sentence and Summarize Group Discussion count for speaking and listening. Write from Dictation counts for writing and listening. If two of your skills are low, start with a question type that feeds both.

One practice cycle, step by step

Repeat this cycle until every skill reaches the score you need. It works the same way for any target.

1. Take one full mock test and note your four skill scores.
2. Pick the skill with the biggest gap to your target.
3. Practise its two or three heaviest question types every day, ten questions at a time. Read the feedback on each answer before the next set.
4. Keep a short set of the other question types each day, so the rest of the test doesn't slip.
5. After a week or two, test again with a full mock, or with timed sets of the same question types. If the gap has closed, move to the next skill.

How long do you need: 3 days, 15 days or a month?

Pearson says most people plan two to four weeks. Treat that as a guide. Nobody can promise a number of points in a number of days.

Be honest with yourself about the gap. If your mock is a few points short, a couple of weeks of focused practice is a fair plan. If it's ten or more points short in speaking or writing, give yourself a month or more, or think about a later test date.

What you can practise at home

Nearly all of it. Every question type is on a computer, so a laptop, a quiet room and a headset with a microphone are enough. Pearson asks for a wired headset for its own scored practice tests, so use one if you can.

Practise with the timers on from the first week. The test gives you a set time to prepare and a set time to answer, and the clock doesn't wait for you.

Home can't copy the test room. Other people will be speaking at the same time as you. Once a week, practise speaking with some noise around you, such as a radio on low in the next room.

What test day needs: microphone habits and timing

A good answer can still lose marks if the microphone misses part of it. These tips come from Pearson, and you can practise each one at home.

• Keep your headset on for the whole test. Other test takers will be speaking, but only your own microphone is scored.
• Put the microphone to the side of your face, about two fingers from your mouth.
• Speak at a normal pace and volume, as if you're on the phone. Don't shout or whisper.
• Start after the tone. The microphone closes if you're silent for three seconds, and you can record each answer once.
• If you don't know an answer, say what you can, or say "I don't know", and move on.
• Don't click Next until you've finished. You can't go back to a question.
• Know the clock. The speaking and writing part takes 76 to 84 minutes, reading 23 to 30 minutes and listening 31 to 39 minutes. Write Essay gives you 20 minutes, and each Summarize Spoken Text gives you 10 minutes.
• Don't learn answers by heart before the test. Pearson says every answer should be made on the day, for the question in front of you.

Take your first mock test

Our mock tests are based on real exams and timed like the real test. The report puts your four skill scores next to your target and names the three question types to fix first. The scores are our estimate, and only Pearson gives official scores, but the report shows you where to start.

Later mocks are part of Pro. If you're practising for free, retest with timed sets of the same question types instead.