THE PTE ACADEMIC

The #PTE Academic

The #PTE Academic is a #test of #English for #study abroad and #immigration.

You get the test results in 5 days (or even earlier).The test is administered in over 50 countries. This is a computer based test.

Your English Proficiency is reported on a scale from 10-90 points.

On each task of Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking, you are assessed on a scale of 10-90, both on Communicating skills and Enabling skills

Fee structure in 4 countries:

#India—INR 9,350/-

#USA--$ 200/-

#UK--£ 155/-

#Australia –AUD $330/-

#TEST FORMAT

Total Duration ---3 hours with an optional 10 mins. break after the reading test.

#SPEAKING&WRITING—1.15-1.30 hrs.

#SPEAKING

·      Personal Introduction

·      #Read aloud—read aloud from a given text using correct pronunciation, pauses, stress, intonation and expression. You will have to read for 30-40 seconds

·     # Repeat sentence---A recorded sentence will be played. Repeat the sentence exactly as you heard it, using the right stress and intonation.

·     # Describe image—describe an image on the screen .Describe all that you see and decipher and speak for 40 seconds.

·      Re-tell lecture—you will see an image and listen to a lecture. Repeat what you heard as correctly as possible.

·      Answer short question—You will hear a question and you have to respond immediately in 3 seconds.

#WRITING

·      Summarize written text (one sentence)—read a text and write a summary in 75 words

·      Essay (20mins) Write an essay, understanding the prompt given. A good scoring essay will have the correct grammar, spellings, and structure. Build your essay by expressing your opinion, and strongly arguing for or against the given topic.

#READING (30-40 mins)

·      Multiple choice questions –Read a passage and choose one correct answer from multiple choice answers

·      Multiple choice questions—Read a passage and choose more than one correct answer. Negative scores, if you choose a wrong answer.

·      Re-order paragraphs---Drag and put passages in order so that it reads logically.

·      Fill in the blanks –fill in the blanks in a sentence by choosing a right word from the choices given to you

·      Fill in the blanks—fill in the blanks in a paragraph by choosing the right words from choices given to you.

#LISTENING—(45-60 mins)

·      Summarize spoken text—Listen to a recording and write a good summary of what you heard. This task is for 10 minutes.

·      Multiple choices—Listen to a recording and choose one right answer from multiple choice answers.

·      Multiple choices—Listen to a recording and choose more than one right answer from multiple choice answers. Negative marking for each wrong answer.

·      Fill the blanks---Listen to a recording and fill in the blanks in the given text

·      Highlight the correct summary—Listen to a lecture. Out of multiple summary choices highlight the correct summary.

·      Select missing word---Listen to a recording and select one word out of the multiple answer choices

·      Highlight incorrect words—Listen to a recording. Highlight the wrong words (words in the text will be incorrect) as you listen

·      Write from dictation---listen to a recording and type the correct sentence.

For more information, please log on to http://pearsonpte.com/

#STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

A# Statement of Purpose is an #essay that you write, addressed to the admission committees of various #Universities, stating who you are, what your academic and professional goals are and what you hope to achieve through studying the courses you wish to take at the University.

A good #SOP can be written by anyone. Take on a conversational tone and tell your story: a little bit about what kind of person you are; your academic interests; your extra co-curricular interests; your hobbies; what your professional goals are; how the University you are applying to and the courses you are taking up, can contribute to your academic and professional growth.

The subject lines mentioned above may seem a lot to you. You may wonder how to write an essay that is not too formal.Well, you can write your essay, as a story---showing how you grew from strength to strength. You can put in a few anecdotes from your childhood, college days or from work to show how you faced a difficult situation and overcame it. Talk about your leadership and team building qualities. Have you played sports? Have you led a team or been part of a team where your contribution has led to the success of the team? If you have any talent such as singing, dancing or any unique skills, mention them. The admission committee is always looking at students with different skill sets so that the University environment is enriched by their contributions.

There is no need to mention your marks, subjects of study or work experience in great detail in the #SOP. You would have already given the details in your resume. What you need to mention in the #SOP is your specific area of interest and how this aligns with your goal. Show that you are focused in your goals right from your high school years. For example, if you are applying for a Master’s degree in Architecture, do mention what made you choose that area of study in senior school and which subjects appealed to you the most and why you went on to study architecture as a subject.

Mention your career goal. What do you wish to do with the degree you get? Do you have relevant work experience? Have you excelled in a particular subject? If you have worked in a job or even in a student internship program, show how you were complimented or commended for your good work ethics. How did you motivate others at work? What leadership qualities do you have? Can you work under pressure? Show how your contributions at work helped your team or company get recognition in some way.

Build up your #SOP in such a way that it shows how all your interests and experiences match up to the area of study that you are seeking admission to. You must also show a good knowledge about the University you are applying to. Which are the majors that interest you? Please do mention the names of a few professors whose work you admire or have read about. Try and get some inputs through discussion forums in the University on the various activities you can participate in, while you are the University. Mention those also in your #SOP.

Finally, do proof-read and work on multiple drafts of your #SOP. Give it some thought. Do not write your SOP at the last moment. Most importantly, do not copy from the website or from a friend. The University will reject your application if they find out that you have copied. Your SOP should be as original and different as you are.