# PTE exam pattern and format Three parts in about 2 hours, 65-75 questions, how many of each of the 22 tasks you get, timings and the 2025 changes. ## PTE at a glance | | PTE Academic | | --- | --- | | Full name | Pearson Test of English Academic | | Length | About 2 hours (up to 2 hours 15 minutes) | | Parts, in order | Speaking & Writing (76-84 min), Reading (23-30 min), Listening (31-39 min) | | Questions | 65-75 across 22 task types | | Where | On a computer at a Pearson test centre only | | Scores | Overall and four skills, each 10-90 | | Results | Usually within 2 business days, up to 5 | *Sources: Pearson PTE Academic page and 2026 Score Guide* The part timings don't add up exactly to the total, Pearson notes, because each part's length depends on the questions you get. ## Part 1: Speaking & Writing | Task | In a test | Timing | | --- | --- | --- | | Personal Introduction (not scored) | 1 | 25 s to prepare, 30 s to speak | | [Read Aloud](/pte/practice/read-aloud) | 6-7 | 30-40 s to prepare; text up to 60 words | | [Repeat Sentence](/pte/practice/repeat-sentence) | 10-12 | No preparation; 15 s to answer a 3-9 s sentence | | [Describe Image](/pte/practice/describe-image) | 5-6 | 25 s to prepare, 40 s to speak | | [Re-tell Lecture](/pte/practice/re-tell-lecture) | 2-3 | Lecture up to 90 s; 10 s to prepare, 40 s to speak | | [Answer Short Question](/pte/practice/answer-short-question) | 5-6 | No preparation; 10 s to answer | | [Summarize Group Discussion (new 2025)](/pte/practice/summarize-group-discussion) | 2-3 | Discussion up to 3 min; 10 s to prepare, 2 min to speak | | [Respond to a Situation (new 2025)](/pte/practice/respond-to-a-situation) | 2-3 | 10 s to prepare, 40 s to speak | | [Summarize Written Text](/pte/practice/summarize-written-text) | 2 | 10 min; one sentence of up to 75 words about a text of up to 300 words | | [Write Essay](/pte/practice/write-essay) | 1 | 20 min; 200-300 words | *Source: Pearson Speaking & Writing format page; items per test from the 2026 Score Guide* Speaking is recorded into a microphone; there's no examiner. Writing is typed. ## Part 2: Reading | Task | In a test | Timing | | --- | --- | --- | | [Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks](/pte/practice/reading-writing-fill-in-the-blanks) | 5-6 | Text up to 200 words; dropdown per blank | | [Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers](/pte/practice/reading-multiple-choice-multiple-answers) | 2-3 | Text up to 350 words | | [Re-order Paragraphs](/pte/practice/reorder-paragraphs) | 2-3 | Text up to 110 words | | [Reading: Fill in the Blanks](/pte/practice/reading-fill-in-the-blanks) | 4-5 | Text up to 80 words; drag and drop | | [Multiple Choice, Single Answer](/pte/practice/reading-multiple-choice-single-answer) | 2-3 | Text up to 110 words | *Source: Pearson Reading format page; items per test from the 2026 Score Guide* Reading is timed as a whole part, not per question. ## Part 3: Listening | Task | In a test | Timing | | --- | --- | --- | | [Summarize Spoken Text](/pte/practice/summarize-spoken-text) | 1 | 60-90 s audio; 10 min to write | | [Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers](/pte/practice/listening-multiple-choice-multiple-answers) | 2-3 | 80-120 s audio | | [Fill in the Blanks](/pte/practice/listening-fill-in-the-blanks) | 2-3 | 30-60 s audio; type the missing words | | [Highlight Correct Summary](/pte/practice/highlight-correct-summary) | 2-3 | 30-90 s audio | | [Multiple Choice, Single Answer](/pte/practice/listening-multiple-choice-single-answer) | 2-3 | 30-60 s audio | | [Select Missing Word](/pte/practice/select-missing-word) | 1-2 | 20-70 s audio | | [Highlight Incorrect Words](/pte/practice/highlight-incorrect-words) | 2-3 | 15-50 s audio | | [Write From Dictation](/pte/practice/write-from-dictation) | 3-4 | 3-5 s sentence | *Source: Pearson Listening format page; items per test from the 2026 Score Guide* You hear each recording once, and you can take notes. ## What changed in August 2025 - Two new speaking tasks, for tests taken after 7 August 2025: in [Summarize Group Discussion](/pte/practice/summarize-group-discussion) you hear three people discuss a topic and give a spoken summary of the main points; in [Respond to a Situation](/pte/practice/respond-to-a-situation) you read or hear a short everyday situation and answer as you would in real life. Both ask for longer, less scripted speaking than Read Aloud or Repeat Sentence, so they reward practice under the real timing. - Some existing tasks appear more often, but the test is still about 2 hours. - Human marking was added alongside AI: the content of 7 task types (Describe Image, Re-tell Lecture, Respond to a Situation, Summarize Group Discussion, Summarize Written Text, Write Essay, Summarize Spoken Text) is marked by both, and a second human decides if they disagree. Pronunciation and fluency are still marked by AI only. - The score report didn't change. PTE Core and PTE Home didn't change. - Australia's PTE score requirements changed on the same date; see the [score chart](/pte/score-chart). ## How PTE is scored Your report has an overall score and four skill scores, each 10-90. The overall isn't an average of the four. Many tasks are integrated: Write From Dictation, for example, counts towards Listening and Writing. Some tasks give partial credit, and a few take marks off for wrong answers. The [scoring guide](/pte/scoring-guide) shows every task, and [PTE results](/pte/results) covers the report. ## Which PTE test | Test | For | | --- | --- | | PTE Academic | Study anywhere, Australian and New Zealand visas, professional registration | | PTE Academic UKVI | UK visas that need a Secure English Language Test; the same test, with a reference number | | PTE Core | Canadian permanent residence and citizenship (IRCC) | | PTE Home (A1, A2, B1) | Some UK family, settlement and work visas; speaking and listening only | *Source: Pearson, which test is right for me* Torn between Core and Academic for Canada? [PTE Core vs PTE Academic](/blog/pte-core-vs-pte-academic) compares who accepts each. Fees for each test are on [PTE fees](/pte/fees); booking steps are in the [booking guide](/pte/booking-guide). Try the format before test day: the [free practice test](/pte/practice-test) has one question of every task type, in this order. ## PTE format questions ### What is the full form of PTE? Pearson Test of English. PTE Academic is its test for study and for Australian and New Zealand visas. ### How long is the PTE exam? About 2 hours, in three parts: Speaking & Writing (76-84 minutes), Reading (23-30 minutes) and Listening (31-39 minutes). Pearson's score guide gives 2 hours 15 minutes as the maximum. ### How many questions are in PTE Academic? Between 65 and 75, across 22 task types. ### What are the new PTE tasks? Summarize Group Discussion and Respond to a Situation, both in Speaking & Writing, for tests taken after 7 August 2025. ### Is PTE marked by AI or by humans? By AI, with human markers added in 2025 for the content of 7 task types, such as Write Essay and Describe Image. Pronunciation and fluency are marked by AI only. ### Is there a break in PTE? No scheduled break. You can take one, but the clock keeps running. ### Can I take PTE online at home? No. Every PTE test is taken on a computer at a Pearson test centre. **Sources** - [Pearson: PTE Academic](https://www.pearsonpte.com/pte-academic/) - [Pearson: PTE Academic Score Guide for test takers (PDF, 2026)](https://www.pearsonpte.com/content/dam/ELL/pte/pearsonpte/pdfs/pte-academic-pdfs/PTE-Academic-Test-Taker-Score-Guide.pdf) - [Pearson: Speaking & Writing format](https://www.pearsonpte.com/pte-academic/test-format/speaking-writing/) - [Pearson: Reading format](https://www.pearsonpte.com/pte-academic/test-format/reading/) - [Pearson: Listening format](https://www.pearsonpte.com/pte-academic/test-format/listening/) - [Pearson: PTE updates 2025](https://www.pearsonpte.com/pte-updates-2025/) - [Pearson: the new PTE Academic test format (July 2025)](https://www.pearsonpte.com/news/new-pte-academic-test-format-2025) - [Pearson: which test is right for me?](https://www.pearsonpte.com/which-test-is-right-for-me/)