PTE Preparation: Books, Resources & Strategies

by IvyPanda Updated on: Aug 11th, 2023

10 min

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PTE stands for Pearson Test of English Academic. It is a computer-based English language test aimed at non-native speakers who are planning to study abroad. It consists of 3 parts: reading, listening, speaking, & writing. This article prepared by our experts will explain all the nuances of the exam and suggest some nice strategies that will make your preparation process easier. We will also link websites and resources. If you are interested, keep on reading!

Table of contents

📝 PTE Test Format
💯 PTE Scores
📋 PTE Practice
✔️ PTE Strategies
📚 PTE Books & Sources

📝 PTE Preparation: Learn Everything about the Test Format

PTE Part #1: Speaking & Writing

The Speaking & Writing section of the exam takes from 77 to 93 minutes. Your speaking skills will be assessed based on your ability to use spoken English in an academic environment. Your written English will be assessed by your ability to use academic English, using correct grammar, structure, and spelling.

This section of the test consists of 8 parts. Each part tests a different set of skills and includes different types of questions.

First, you will be asked to introduce yourself. You will have 25 seconds to prepare yourself and read the prompt. You will have 30 seconds to record the answer. Your personal introduction is not evaluated, but it is sent together with the score report to the institution you have previously chosen.

Question Type	Communicative Skills	Enabling Skills	Scoring
Read aloud	Reading and speaking	Content, oral fluency, pronunciation	13 points – maximum score, 3 points – content, 5 points – oral fluency, 5 points – pronunciation.
Repeat sentence	Listening and speaking	Content, oral fluency, pronunciation	13 points – maximum score, 3 points – content, 5 points – oral fluency, 5 points – pronunciation.
Describe image	Speaking	Content, oral fluency, pronunciation	15 points – maximum score, 5 points – content, 5 points – oral fluency, 5 points – pronunciation.
Retell lecture	Listening and speaking	Content, oral fluency, pronunciation	15 points – maximum score, 5 points – content, 5 points – oral fluency, 5 points – pronunciation.
Answer short question	Listening and speaking	Vocabulary	Correct/Incorrect You will receive one point per correct answer. If there is an incorrect response or no response, then no points are given.
Summarize written text	Reading and writing	Grammar, vocabulary, content, form	7 points – maximum score, 2 points – content, 1 point – formal requirements, 2 points – grammar, 2 points – vocabulary.
Essay	Writing	Grammar, vocabulary, spelling, written discourse, content development, structure, and coherence; form, general linguistic range	15 points – maximum score, 3 points – content, 2 points – formal requirements, 2 points – development, structure, and coherence, 2 points – grammar, 2 points – general linguistic range, 2 points – vocabulary rang,2 points – no spelling errors.

PTE Part #2: Reading

This part of the exam takes from 32 to 41 minutes. It will test your reading skills. One single timed section has 15-20 questions that test a variety of skills. There are 5 types of questions in the reading section.

Question Type	Description	Communicative skills	Scoring
Multiple-choice, choose a single answer	For this question, you need to read the text and select one response for each question based on the content or tone of the text.	Reading	Correct answer – 1 point Incorrect answer – 0
Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers	You need to answer the question by choosing the most suitable responses from the list of options based on the content or tone of the text.	Reading	Correct answer – 1 point Incorrect answer – -1 It is not possible to score below 0 for this type of question.
Re-order paragraphs	To complete this question, you have to read the paragraph and rearrange sentences by putting them in the correct order.	Reading	Correct answer – 1 point. If the whole paragraph is in the right order, you get full marks.
Reading: Fill in the blanks	You need to select one correct answer from the 6-8 words given. Not all words in the box should be used.	Reading	Correct answer – 1 point
Reading and writing: Fill in the blanks	You need to select one of the five options in each drop-down list to fill in the blank spaces.	Reading and writing	Correct answer – 1 point

PTE Part #3: Listening

This section of the test takes 45-57 minutes and tests your listening skills. This section consists of 8 types of questions.

Question	Description	Communicative skills	Scoring
Summarize spoken text	First, you will hear the recording. After that, you will be given 10 minutes to write a summary of what you heard. Your summary should have not less than 50 words and not more than 70 words.	Listening and writing	10 points – maximum score, 2 points – content, 2 – form, 2 – grammar, 2 – vocabulary, 2 – spelling.
Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers	You will be given information and 7 seconds to read it. After that, a 40-90 second recording will be played. You should select all the correct options.	Listening	Correct answer – 1 point Incorrect answer – -1 It is not possible to score below 0 for this type of question.
Fill in the blanks	You will be given information and 7 seconds to read it. After that, a 30-60 second recording will be played. You should fill in all the blank spaces as you listen to the recording.	Listening and writing	Correct answer – 1 point Words should be spelled correctly.
Highlight correct summary	You should select only one correct response.	Listening and writing	Correct/Incorrect
Multiple-choice, choose single answer	You have to choose only one option that is best suited.	Listening	Correct/Incorrect
Select missing word	You need to predict the last word or words of the text in order to complete the task.	Listening	Correct/Incorrect
Highlight incorrect words	You need to select the words that are incorrect and do not match the recording.	Listening and writing	Correct answer – 1 point. Incorrect answer – -1 It is not possible to score below 0 for this type of question.
Write from dictation	You will be given a short recording. After listening to it, type the sentence in the response box.	Listening and writing	Correct answer – 1 point. The words should be placed in the right order and spelled correctly.

💯 PTE Preparation: Understand How Scores Are Calculated

PTE Academic Pearson is scored according to the Global Scale of English. Global Scale of English is a thermometer-style scale that gives you an accurate overview of your skills. The PTE Academic Score Report includes:

The overall score
Communicative skills scores
Enabling skills scores

The overall score shows your English language ability. It depends on the performance in each section during the test and can range from 10 to 90 points.

Scores for communicative skills: reading, listening, speaking, and writing, range from 10 to 90 for each section. They depend on all test items that assess these skills.

For enabling skills: grammar, spelling, oral fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary, and written discourse, scores depend on all test items. They range from 10 to 90 points for each skill. All the scores are displayed in a graph; it allows you to quickly view the overall performance as well as the strengths and the weaknesses.

More detailed information can be found in the PTE Academic Score Guide.

📋 PTE Preparation: Practice!

Practicing is essential if you want to get a high score during the exam. PTE offers a lot of opportunities for students to practice. A variety of mock tests are available on the official website. These tests may help you to prepare yourself for the actual exam. By doing the tests, you can easily decide on what sections should be practiced more. Another option is the PTE Official Academic App. It prioritizes the essential practice activities you need to focus on and makes the preparation process easier. The app contains a lot of resources and guidelines.

✔️ PTE Preparation: Use Effective Strategies

PTE Strategy #1: Focus on Your Time Management

When you are taking a test, time management is one of the key elements. You have to keep in mind that you have three hours in total to complete the whole exam. Before entering the exam, try practicing doing the test while keeping track of the time. It may help you to improve gradually and spend less time on each question.

PTE Strategy #2: Take Notes in the Listening part

The listening part is the last part of the examination. Even though you may feel exhausted by the end, you should pay special attention to this part of the test. While listening, try to take as many notes as possible. It is important to get more information to answer the questions correctly. If you forgot your pen or paper, it is not a problem. During the PTE academic exam, you can use the erasable notepad on the provided desktop.

PTE Strategy #3: Read in English Daily

One of the most efficient ways to improve your English is to read as much and as often as you can. Reading news is especially helpful. If you read a formal new website, you start to see how sentences work and how they are put together. When you read some more light-hearted magazines, you get the grasp of a less formal language. Resources that you use while preparing for the exam are essential. It’s not a bad idea to check out a free essays database that’s usually full of papers written in various styles. Getting into academic literature can help you a great deal. You can use such websites as:

PTE Strategy #4: Learn Synonyms

If you are taking the PTE test and want to score well, vocabulary should be at the top of your priority list. The more words you have stored, the easier it is to understand or write a text and express your thoughts. Studying synonyms can be helpful. While writing an essay, you can use more expressions and powerful words to showcase your vocabulary. It will help you score more points, as well as make the writing process more manageable.

PTE Strategy #5: Don’t Speak Too Fast

Speaking skills are also crucial if you want to get a high score on the exam. There is one thing you should keep in mind – speaking fast does not mean speaking correctly. During the test, it is better if you speak slowly. It will make your pronunciation clearer and give you more time to think. That way, you will be understood and will be able to express your thoughts better. You may also come up with more ideas or think of more interesting words to use.

📚 PTE Books & Sources: All You Need to Know

Books

In this section, you’ll find an excellent list with PTE books for preparation. Let’s go!

The Official Guide to PTE Academic

The Official Guide to PTE Academic is a book that gives a complete overview of the test structure. It has all the information both the test takers and the teachers need to get familiar with the test structure and the questions. The book also offers guidance on managing a computer-based test and some preparation strategies. You can find helpful resources to practice your skills in the book. The Official Guide to PTE Academic is an excellent tool for planning the test preparation. It will help you with evaluating reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills.

Expert PTE Academic B1 & B2 Level

Expert PTE Academic B1 & B2 Level is an excellent book that provides training at levels B1 and B2 for students who are preparing for the PTE test. The book features a coursebook, MyEnglishLab, and eText components. Expert PTE Academic B1 & B2 Level is suitable for teachers preparing their students for the exam. It is also the right choice for students aiming for top results. The book contains a step-by-step approach to speaking and writing, high-level tasks to prepare students for the exam, strategies for approaching the exam task type, and vocabulary sections based on the Academic Collocations and Word lists.

PTE General Skills Boosters

PTE General Skills Boosters provide preparation material for PTE General. It includes five complete practice tests, grammar development, vocabulary building activities, test tips, and a writing guide. The book helps students to understand the format of the test, as well as its features.

It allows them to practice answering authentic questions prepared by the test developers, study new words and phrases with the Glossary, and practice items for each of the language skills: listening, reading, speaking, and writing.

PTE General Skills Boosters contains improved test-taking strategies with test tips, the writing guide, and model answers for each exam task type. The book is also suitable for all kinds of students, as it comes in 5 additions according to the level.

Practice Tests Plus: PTE Academic

With Practice Tests Plus: PTE Academic, you can see if you are ready for PTE Academic. The book offers authentic practice, comprehensive guidance, and strategies for dealing with every task in the test. It is packed with tips and has a scoring guide. You can find practice exercises with hints and guidance on approaching different exam tasks. Practice Tests Plus: PTE Academic will help students familiarise themselves with the task types, question formats, and style of the test papers.

Focus Exam Practice

Focus Exam Practice comes with the Student’s book and offers students intensive exam practice and support. The addition that comes as a Practice Tests Plus combines realistic exam practice with guidance and strategies for dealing with each exam paper. It contains two complete practice tests, detailed overviews of each exam paper, guidance, strategies and tips, visual material for the Speaking tests, as well as speaking and writing files with model answers and useful language. Focus Exam Practice comes in 4 additions, according to the level of the student.

PTE Academic Testbuilder

PTE Academic Testbuilder was created with the sole purpose of helping students to prepare for their PTE exam. It doesn’t matter if you are studying alone or attending the courses; this book will help you get the highest score. KET Testbuilder, PET Testbuilder, First Certificate Testbuilder, CAE Testbuilder, and New Proficiency Testbuilder come in two editions: with and without keys. The editions that come with the keys also contain thorough explanations. Every edition includes four practice tests, various exercises, guidelines and tips for each exercise, and explanations.

Online Platforms

Official Pearson Mock Test

It is good to come prepared for the test. You can find many resources and books that will help you prepare for the exam and offer various practice tests. Pearson, however, has its own official mock test. You can find the test on the official website. It will help you to understand what sections of the test you need to work on and improve. You can prepare yourself for the test and be more confident during the actual examination.

PTE Academic Official Practice App

Pearson’s official app makes it possible to practice on the go. Preparing for an exam may be time-consuming and takes effort. The PTE Academic Official Practice App prioritizes the essential practice activities you need to focus on and makes the preparation process more manageable.

Through the PTE Academic Official Practice App, you can learn what to expect in the test and get detailed information on the test format and 20 question types. It allows you to complete interactive practice questions, tracks your progress on the study planner, sends daily practice suggestions based on your test date, and offers resources.

PTE is an exam that tests your speaking, writing, reading, and listening skills. If you want to get a high score, you need to take your practice seriously. It may seem hard, but if you use the right sources and follow the tips mentioned in this article, you will definitely succeed. If you want to achieve even better results, apply to our courses and get all the help you need. You will not regret it!

🔗 References