PTE Exam Pattern 2025Section-Wise Test Format
PTE Exam has three sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking & Writing
The duration of PTE Academic is aprrox. 2 hours
Introduction to the PTE Exam Pattern
To excel in the PTE exam, candidates first need to understand the PTE exam pattern. However, the PTE exam is divided into three sections: listening, reading, speaking and writing. But why is it important to understand the PTE test format? Knowing about the exam pattern is essential because it helps you prepare effectively for the test. Additionally, it provides insights into the exam structure, the types of expected questions, and the time allocated for each section. Thus, in this write-up, we will discuss everything about the updated PTE exam pattern for 2025 in detail.
PTE Exam Pattern 2025 Highlights
To begin with, there are a few minor changes and test enhancements in the PTE exam pattern, but it has more or less remained the same and will not affect how you approach your PTE exam preparation. These changes include:
- Addition of two new question types in the speaking section: “Respond to a Situation” and “Summarise Group Discussion.”
- Introduction of human evaluators for scoring key tasks like Describe Image, Retell Lecture, Summarise Written Text, Write Essay, and the two new speaking tasks.
- Increase test time from 2 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Besides these additional changes, the original PTE test format has remained the same and includes:
| PTE Format | Details |
|---|---|
| PTE Exam Pattern |
|
| Exam Duration | ~2 hours |
| Medium of Test | Fully computer based |
| Mode | At an authorized test centre or via the Home Edition |
| Test Type | PTE Academic |
| No. of Questions | 22 different question types |
| PTE Exam Fees | INR 18,000 |
Section‑Wise Breakdown of PTE Exam
As you can see in the table above, the PTE exam has 22 different question types. These assess your English language proficiency in Speaking & Writing, Listening, and Reading. Below, you will find a detailed breakdown of each of these sections along with the types of questions you can expect, the time allocated, and the PTE marks distribution. Take a look:
Speaking & Writing
The first is the Speaking & Writing section, which is the longest part of the exam and lasts 54 - 67 minutes. As per the PTE updated exam pattern in 2025, you will get to see 2 new question types: Respond to a Situation and Summarize Group Discussion, and a combination of both AI and human scoring models.
This section is designed to assess your ability to communicate effectively in academic English by testing skills such as pronunciation, fluency, grammar, vocabulary, and written coherence.
| Task Type | Number of Questions | Duration Per Task | Skills Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Introduction | 1 |
| Speaking |
| Read Aloud | 5-7 |
| Reading & Speaking |
| Repeat Sentence | 10–12 |
| Listening & Speaking |
| Describe Image | 5–6 |
| Speaking |
| Re-tell Lecture | 2–3 |
| Listening & Speaking |
| Answer Short Question | 5–6 |
| Listening & Speaking |
| Summarize Group Discussion (New) | 2–3 |
| Listening & Speaking |
| Respond to a Situation (New) | 2–3 |
| Listening & Speaking |
| Summarize Written Text | 2 |
| Reading & Writing |
| Write Essay | 1 |
| Writing |
Reading
The PTE exam pattern of the reading section is divided into 5 segments and lasts for 29 to 30 minutes. The reading material that you will get in this section will be from authentic academic texts from subjects like the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. You can check out different PTE mock tests to understand the kind of topics you can get.
Furthermore, the PTE marks distribution for this section is around 32-36% of the overall score and includes questions such as:
| Task Type | Number of Questions | Duration per Task | Skills Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks | 5–6 |
| Reading & Writing |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | 1–2 |
| Reading |
| Re-order Paragraphs | 2–3 |
| Reading |
| Fill in the Blanks (Reading only) | 4–5 |
| Reading |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | 1–2 |
| Reading |
Listening
The next one is the Listening section, which lasts 30–43 minutes and tests your ability to understand spoken English in an academic setting. The PTE test format for this section includes 8 different types of questions, each of which will be based on audio or video clips that you will hear only once.
Do note that this task will assess a combination of your listening, writing, and reading and will require you to summarise spoken texts, identify missing words, highlight errors, and transcribe dictations, among other activities.
| Task Type | Number of Questions | Duration per Task | Skills Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summarize Spoken Text | 1–2 | 10 min per question | Listening & Writing |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | 1–2 |
| Listening |
| Fill in the Blanks | 2–3 |
| Listening & Writing |
| Highlight Correct Summary | 1–2 |
| Listening & Writing |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | 1–2 |
| Listening |
| Select Missing Word | 1–2 |
| Listening |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | 2–3 |
| Listening & Reading |
| Write from Dictation | 3–4 |
| Listening & Writing |
Conclusion
Summing up, the PTE exam pattern is designed to thoroughly evaluate your English skills with the help of a balanced mix of Speaking & Writing, Reading, and Listening tasks. And with the new 2025 updates like human-evaluated tasks, new question types, and improved test interface, you will get a more refined experience. These changes will not only increase the overall quality but will even help in ensuring a fairer assessment of your real-world communication skills.
Are you New to the PTE test preparation and don’t know where to start? Download our detailed PTE exam pattern PDF or join our PTE Coaching Online for expert guidance, proven strategies, and personalised support.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You need to follow a specific order for your PTE test, as the sections appear that way only. This means you will begin with Speaking & Writing, followed by Reading and then Listening. Thus, you must adhere to this when appearing for the test.
PTE speaking section is the first part of the test that includes 5 types of questions. This section “Speaking & Writing” is 54 to 67 minutes long. The question types are: Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image, Retell Lecture and Answer Short Question.
YES! At Gradding, you will get many PTE practice tests to help you understand the pattern and everything about the PTE exam. These tests are designed as per the standards of the actual exam to provide a similar environment to avoid anxiety on the day of the actual test.
You can change or modify your answer only till you click on the “save & next button”. Thus, it is recommended that you proofread your answer before you move to the next question.
Yes! The question types in the PTE test can be random. The pattern you might have followed in the practice PTE test can differ from the one in the actual test. Thus, you must be prepared for the same.
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