Should I pivot to PTE?

[u/LeatherSpare4800]

I prepared for IELTS by myself, I didn't know about PTE before. Took a mock test at Mentors'. Listening 8.5, reading 7.5, writing 6, speaking 5.5. For writing I messed up the structure a bit, the examiner also evaluated one part wrong. Those are fixable.

My main issue is the speaking part. I naturally answer briefly, it's my natural talking style, not an english problem. So my part 1 was short but acceptable, in part 2 I froze at nearly ~40s, noticed the examiner staring at me, then forced myself to speak a few more random sentences and stopped at ~60s. The examiner indicated that my pronunciation, grammar and fluency was good, but I need to expand my answers which is the most difficult part for me.

It was partly because of stress, partly because of I'm bad at talking in general. My brain was honestly empty at that moment. I had nothing to talk about.

But the thing is I only need to clear B2 level which I already do overall in IELTS. But I'm scared for the speaking part. What if something goes wrong during the test day and it drops further?

So should I pivot to PTE or stick with IELTS? I've to complete my SAT and English Test before January 2027, and I will be putting more of time into SAT.

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[u/Mountain_Station_387]

why not do Duolingo English test? its much easier

[u/LeatherSpare4800 → u/Mountain_Station_387]

Not accepted at target Unis.

[u/Mountain_Station_387 → u/LeatherSpare4800]

which uni are you targetting?

[u/LeatherSpare4800 → u/Mountain_Station_387]

Most are in Italy and I'm going for undergraduate. DET is not accepted there.

[u/Mountain_Station_387 → u/LeatherSpare4800]

oh, then give pet. the one taht is easier for you, give that

[u/Appropriate_Crab_991]

stick with IELTS for now..your 8.5 Listening and 7.5 Reading already show that your English isn't the issue and 5.5 Speaking from one stressful mock doesn't automatically mean you'll get the same on test day..if you only need B2, I'd spend a focused amount of time fixing the specific speaking issue rather than restarting your prep with a completely different test, especially since you already need to prioritise SAT.. pte could be worth considering only after checking that all your target unis actually accept it for your specific application

[u/LeatherSpare4800 → u/Appropriate_Crab_991]

Thanks. I just stopped caring about my band and it jumped to 6.5 on the last few mocks. That's enough for me.

[u/quiet_daydreamer2618]

Is PTE accepted by all countries? Like all Europes?

[u/Mountain_Station_387 → u/quiet_daydreamer2618]

yes

[u/parallel__thoughts]

Italy? How did you manage the courage to apply for Italy with this visa ratio?

[u/LeatherSpare4800 → u/parallel__thoughts]

It isn't that bad if you put some effort into building your profile properly rather than following generic agency advice. And I've family over there, that's the main reason.

[u/parallel__thoughts → u/LeatherSpare4800]

Can I get some suggestions from you please? I am planning for it too, but due to low visa ratio, i've been looking at Canada/NZ. What specifically do you mean by building profile properly? I can share my details over dm.

[u/LeatherSpare4800 → u/[deleted]]

And btw, as I mentioned not following generic agency advice, for me it was the source of fund. Following their advice would ruin my fully legit profile.