PTE Reading
PTE Reading test is aimed at evaluating a candidate’s ability to read and interpret academic English. Dividing the reading test into various tasks, it assesses a test taker’s ability to analyze and comprehend academic vocabulary, the information presented in an implicit or explicit manner in the form of words, phrases and/or abstract information.
The candidate must be able to identify the topic, supporting points, examples and the context in which the text is written. Total time allotted for the reading test is approximately 32-41 minutes.
Below listed are the different types of tasks asked in PTE Reading Test. Following each task, there are some tips that will help you ace this module.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS, CHOOSE SINGLE ANSWER
This item type requires you to carefully read, analyze and comprehend the text on an academic topic and choose a single correct response. The objective of this test is to evaluate your ability to grasp the main idea, analyze the discourse of the text and understand the writer’s purpose to make inferences.
Multiple Choice Questions, Choose Multiple Answers
For this question type, you will be given a number of responses. More than one response out of the given is correct. You need to choose the right ones after reading the passage.
Re-order Paragraphs
This item type requires you to restore the passage given in a random order in its original order. It assesses a test taker’s ability to understand the overall idea of the passage and to put them back in the right order that makes sense.
READING: FILL IN THE BLANKS
This item type consists of a passage with some missing words in between. You have to choose the right words from a list of words given to fill in the blanks. The number of words in the list is more than the number of gaps, so you will never be able to use all the provided words.
PTE Speaking
Here are some tips according to each type of questions to help you prepare for the speaking section of the PTE exam.
Read Aloud
- Rising your tone at the beginning and falling tone at the end of the sentence will make the sentences sound authentic.
- If you realize you made a mistake, continue speaking and don’t stop.
- From day 1 of preparation, practice with different tongue-twisters every day until the exam day.
Repeat Sentence
- Listen with closed eyes and memorize the sentence.
- There is no beep at the end, so just start speaking after the clip ends.
- If you can’t manage to remember the whole sentence, at least focus on the keywords and repeat those.
Describe Image
- Start with words like illustrate, elucidates, depicts, etc.
- Notice whether it’s bar-chart, line-graph or pie-chart. Line graphs have ‘timeline’, pie charts have ‘slices’ and bar charts compare.
- Make use of the following words – on the left-hand side, on the right side, next to, below/bottom, above, at the top, foreground, background etc.
- Try finishing in 30–35 seconds and don’t leave incomplete recorded sentences.
PTE Writing
tip #1: Keep it simple.
Long, convoluted sentences with lots of punctuation are your enemy. The more you try to extend your sentences, the more likely you will be to make grammar and punctuation mistakes! The Pearson test assessors are not looking for long, impressive sentences; they are looking for sentences that are clear and logical.
When I wrote the PTE exam, I adopted this simple writing style and I took absolutely no risks with my punctuation. My result was a score of 90 across all writing-related skills, including written discourse and grammar.
PTE Writing tip #2: Take the time to plan your points.
A lot of people run out of time writing their PTE essay because they change their minds about their arguments halfway through and must begin again. People often think that the best tactic is to just begin writing and get the ball rolling and that the ideas will follow. Unfortunately, this is rarely how it works and in general, creating a plan will save you from having to stop and restart.
PTE Writing tip #3: Use the “right” format.
When many of our PTE students hear the word “essay”, they automatically understand it to mean a text with 5 paragraphs that includes an introduction, three arguments, and a conclusion. They panic because they realize how unrealistic it is to write all of that content in just 20 minutes with a 300-word limit!
PTE Listening
Here are some tips according to each type of questions to help you prepare for the listening section of the PTE exam.
General Listening Tips –
- Listen actively, which means learn to listen to English songs differently. Focus on the lyrics which requires more attention.
- Watch movies and TV shows first with subtitles and then without subtitles.
- Listening to new content will increase your vocabulary which will improve your understanding of spoken English while listening.
Summarize spoken text
- Restrict your answer to 50-70 words.
- You can start by saying something “The speaker said”
- Use the provided notepad to write down the keywords.
- Close your eyes for better attention.
- Focus on the theme and most repeated words.
Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers
- Don’t make blind guesses as this question has negative marking
- It is recommended you read questions before the audio starts.
- Stay focused till the end as the answers could be in the end.
