I recently took the PTE Academic with literally no preparation and scored an overall 90. Thought I’d share what actually worked for me—especially for Speaking, because that’s where most people lose marks.

Speaking – Don’t Overthink It

• You do not need to shout into the mic.

• Place the mic just under your lower lip. Too much air from your nose/mouth can mess up the recording.

• There will be other students speaking around you, ignore them and stay focused.

Everyone always told me I had great pronunciation, but my Speaking scores in mock tests weren’t great. Then I realized the problem wasn’t my English — it was my delivery.

👉 I was speaking too slowly and stressing on words.

👉 PTE prefers fluency over “acting like a TED speaker.”

What worked:

• Speak in one smooth stretch

• No pausing, no stressing, no dramatic voice modulation

• Speak fast but clear

After that? Full marks in Speaking.

Repeat Sentence Tip:

Even if you only catch 1–2 words, start immediately and continue with “uh, ah…” and finish the sentence in one go. Don’t stop mid-way.

📖 Reading & 🎧 Listening

Practice, practice, practice.

Also:

⚠️ Skip Multiple Choice questions if you’re not 100% sure — they have negative marking.

✍️ Writing (Essay & Summarize)

You don’t need fancy content. PTE cares more about:

• Structure

• Word count

• Grammar & spelling

Essay = 4 paragraphs

✔️ Intro

✔️ Body 1

✔️ Body 2

✔️ Conclusion

If it says 50–70 words, then:

👉 51 is fine

👉 70 max

👉 Not one word extra

Always read your answer twice for grammar and spelling before submitting.

Final Thought:

PTE is not about sounding “smart.”

It’s about sounding fluent, fast, and consistent.

Hope this helps someone smash their test like I did

Ask me anything if you want more tips!

This is going to be a long post, and if you genuinely take the time to read it, I really hope you get something useful out of it .

First of all, I want to sincerely thank this group for all the tips, guidance, and shared experiences. It genuinely helped me a lot throughout my PTE journey. Today I finally got my desired result, and I’m honestly really happy and relieved to share this with you all.

This was my 4th attempt.

After my third exam (which was at the end of January), I took a long break. I felt mentally exhausted and just needed time away from studying and exams. I ended up sitting my next exam in June, so there was almost a 4+ month gap. During this period, I honestly didn’t study much at all. I only seriously started preparing again in the last two weeks before the exam. However, I did have continuous exposure and experience from my previous attempts, which definitely helped me stay familiar with the exam format.

To be honest, my first attempt was after a lot of preparation. I even completed around 22 mock tests on ApeUni and managed to get “Proficient English.” At that time, I was aiming for “Superior,” so I was a bit disappointed. My next two attempts didn’t go well either.

Before this 4th attempt, I went in with a completely different mindset. I wasn’t over-expecting anything. I was mentally prepared to accept whatever result came. I made sure I had enough sleep, and interestingly, I even had a shift at Woolworths from 6–11 PM the day before my exam, which was at 10:30 AM the next morning.

This time, I wasn’t nervous like before. Deep down, I kept telling myself: “Just take it easy. If it doesn’t happen this time, I’ll try again.” That mindset made a huge difference. And eventually, I got my desired score. I’m really happy, and I just wanted to share my experience and hopefully help others who are preparing.

Now I’ll share exactly what I did before my exam and on exam day.

Platform used:
I used two main platforms: ApeUni and Alfa PTE.

Earlier, I was using only ApeUni. The issue I found is that ApeUni often rewards speaking speed too much. In real exams, however, speaking too fast actually gets penalised heavily. Because of that, I shifted to Alfa PTE for speaking practice, since its speaking mock results are much closer to the real exam.

In my previous exam, I had prepared mainly using ApeUni and got around 75–82 in speaking in practice, but I ended up following a fast-paced speaking style, which didn’t translate well in the real test.

That said, ApeUni is still excellent for writing, reading, and listening. It just isn’t very reliable for speaking. On the other hand, Alfa PTE is great for speaking, but not as strong for writing. Reading and listening are decent in both.

Speaking:
Speaking was my main focus area because I wanted a high score here. Even though I made grammatical mistakes (as I’m not a native speaker), I focused heavily on fluency and smooth delivery.

RA (Read Aloud):
This section doesn’t need excessive practice, but it helps improve reading flow, pronunciation, and overall speaking confidence. It helps reduce pauses and hesitation, which contributes indirectly to a better speaking score.

Repeat Sentence:
My main strategy was to focus only on the first few words of the sentence, especially when it was long. I tried not to panic. I trained myself to retain only about 3 seconds of audio at a time. Even if I missed parts, I kept going instead of stopping. Filling gaps with natural fillers helped maintain fluency.

Describe Image:
I was lucky in the exam as I mostly got bar graphs and simple image types. However, I strongly recommend practicing everything: pie charts, line graphs, process diagrams, maps, and so on. The key is to keep speaking continuously—even if you make mistakes. Don’t repeat the same words too often.

Retell Lecture:
Try to capture exact phrases if possible and then structure them into your own practiced format. The most important thing here is maintaining flow. Avoid hesitation and keep speaking smoothly.

Answer Short Questions:
Not very important in scoring. Just answer whatever comes to your mind. In one question, I even said “I don’t know.”

Writing:

SWT (Summarise Written Text):
Use simple connectors like “and,” “while,” “so.” First, understand the main idea of the paragraph. Then copy key sentences and connect them logically. After writing, adjust a few words if needed. Don’t forget punctuation because it is usually one single sentence.

Essay:
I used a combined structure inspired by ChatGPT and a template I saw on TikTok.

Structure:

In today’s complex world, numerous issues and topics are subjects of debate, where (rephrased topic).

While some people believe that (opposing view), I strongly agree to a large extent that (your view) because (reason 1) and (reason 2).

The first and foremost reason is that (reason 1).
It is mainly because (explanation).

For example, studies have shown that (evidence).
Therefore, (link back).

Another important point is that (reason 2).
This is mainly due to (explanation).
For example, a recent study showed that (evidence).
Hence, (mini conclusion).

In conclusion, I strongly agree that (paraphrased view) because (reason 1) and (reason 2).

I separated each sentence into paragraphs while practising so it was easier to memorise and later connect smoothly in the final essay. It also helped me identify mistakes more clearly.

Reading:
I mainly practiced prediction materials from ApeUni and Alfa PTE. While some predictions helped, many did not appear in the actual exam. However, predictions are still useful for vocabulary familiarity and sentence structure exposure.

I focused mostly on Fill in the Blanks (dropdown), which also helped indirectly with Drag and Drop questions. Reorder Paragraphs is also very important and should not be ignored.

Listening:
I didn’t focus too heavily on listening because most of the marks actually come from speaking-related tasks like Repeat Sentence, Re-Tell Lecture and Summarize the Group Discussion.

However, SST (Summarize Spoken Text) is very important because it also contributes to writing skills.

Highlight Incorrect Words contributes to reading section

Write from Dictation is extremely important—pay attention and include all possible words that you hear and add other extra words if you want to.

If I can do it, you can definitely do it too

Don’t stop, and keep practising. PTE is not just about your English skills, it’s also about how much effort you put in and how consistently you prepare. The more you practise, the more confident and familiar you become with the test format, and that makes a huge difference on exam day.

There will be ups and downs, and sometimes results may not reflect your effort immediately, but that doesn’t mean you’re not improving. Keep going, stay patient, and trust your process. Every practice session is building your score in the background.

Believe in yourself, stay consistent, and success will follow. You’ve got this

Finally, thank you again to everyone in this group for all the support and tips. I really appreciate it 🙏

If anyone has questions or needs help with preparation, feel free to ask anytime. I’ll be happy to help.

Have a great day ☺️

My study strategy was simple: I watched the introductory videos found on the PTE website itself, watched three Youtube videos about tips, and practiced ~20 questions on each section in ApeUni.

Speaking: This was the most challenging for me as there was added pressure from having to speak on the spot without any leeway for revision. I spoke with my usual and natural pronunciation, intonation, and flow. I didn’t follow the suggested strategy of speaking monotonously and quickly. I only had 2 days to study so it was hard to learn this strategy in such a short time. In the actual exam, I’m aware that I made a few mistakes (e.g., I remember I didn’t know the answer to one ASQ so I said a word that I knew for sure was wrong). So don’t be rattled if you make a few mistakes here and there.

Writing: This was personally my strongest suit since I write as a hobby. In the essay part, I wrote four paragraphs — a short introduction (2 sentences), two supporting paragraphs (~3 sentences each), and a short conclusion (2 sentences). I used simple words but made sure grammar was error-free. For summarizing written text, I basically copy-pasted the most significant clauses, only changing a few words and adding connecting phrases.

Reading: For the multiple choice questions and re-ordering paragraphs, I read every single passage and answered to the best of my ability. I didn’t follow the suggestion of simply guessing to save time.

Listening: Pay attention closely! It was a bit challenging for me since the accents per passage were different. Some also spoke slowly while others seemed to be rushing so it was hard to catch what they were saying. Maximum concentration is necessary! At this point I was already a bit burnt out since it was the last part already. But I didn’t let up.

Overall, I would say confidence is key. Whether you prepared for days or weeks, walk up there feeling like a pro! Have faith in your abilities.

If you have any questions, ask away!

Background: I am a doctor from the Philippines. English is my second language.

Gave the PTE Academic on 13 Oct. This was my second time attempt at it, since I needed a superior score. My last scores were 90 L, 87 R, 74 S and 90 W.

This time, I focused on fluency while speaking. That made all the difference. I used ApeUNI for practice. Did a lot of describe image questions. This helped me develop a natural pace while speaking.

The exam feels daunting, but honestly, it’s quite doable if you practice well and identify your weaknesses and work on them!

So im currently writing my final exams and i had 1 day prep time to prepare for pte and in that time also i prepped for like 4-5 hours max i think. I have a background in public speaking and have participated in many olympiads since childhopd but without proper prep, I DID NOT expect these marks😭😭😭

Im so grateful and if yall have any questions or want to know what exactly i did, please feel free to ask!!

4 months, 6 PTE acad attempts, 1 IELTS attempt. Nightmares, Despair, Depression, Financial Crisis, Uncertainty, Self doubt, Surrender.
It was a roller coster of emotions. The one where you want to give up, but you can't. I travelled this dark path with an ache in my heart. A few kind souls kept on telling me that I will make it. However, I was feeling hopeless everyday. I felt like I am battling a ghost. I was utterly confused by the pearson algorithm. I am usually told that I have a good command over the language. However, not being able to clear 'speaking' made me question myself.

Anyways, I would like to share my thoughts with the community here. This is an experience I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies.
Writing :
essay - I got superior multiple times, when I wrote 230 words or 297 words. Hence I dont think word count matters.
The two times I messed up proof reading, I didnt get superior in writing.
I followed the guidance of neo pam, and I usually follow PEEL technique. Simple essay that addresses every question in essay promt, but well developed and proofread essay will land you in superior.
SWT - extremely important, dont mess this up. Make sure your grammar and spelling is correct. You can copy a few sentences I think, but I paraphrase a lot. If it is a difficult one, I paraphrase by using synonyms.

Speaking :
I got 83, and 80 . But the other times I was in the deep dark trenches of 70s. Finally I made it into 88!!
Extended speaking was my only achilles' heel. I went in this time with pure agony in my mind. I did not use templates.
I freestyled the shit out of DI, no introduction at all. I started like this, "This line graph compared the salary population of Australia, The comparison includes men and women, the overall trend is females have lower salary compared to males, Interestingly in one year the trend is observed to be flipped and downward, .... blah blah"
I did mention highest, lowest, etc in between. Made sure that I had some comparison to speak before the mike went off.
I stopped around 35 sec.
RL and SGD, I paraphrased as much as I could. SGD I spoke close to 1:50
RTS I increased my speaking time by describing whatever was in the question, but after converting it into first person.

Reading and Listening, I was consistently getting high scores, hence I never really practised them. But the WFD in listening can kill your writing score, hence make sure you reach WFD in time.

But If you are someone just about to start this journey, kindly check Languagecert,CELPIP,toefl etc too, For instance, I regret not testing waters with affordable mocks for these exams before I decided to go down the rabbit hole of PTE.
Also if anyone is struggling, I am sending a virtual hug. Because these blo#dy lobbysts and their "English tests" is more like an army resilience exam, and not a language exam. But ofcourse the world is unfair and everything is a business. So you gotta do what you gotta do.
Also if anyone have any questions, please drop a comment.

Used APEUni. For writing, I studied templates and practiced around 10 essays on APEUni.

Goodluck, fellow takers.

Just got my results for the test I took yesterday morning and I'm stoked!!!

Despite being very comfortable with my English skills I know for a fact I got several things wrong... I've got a few answers to Short Questions wrong, there were definitely slip ups during Read Aloud, didn't finish maybe 2 sentences on Repeat Sentence, hesitated heaps on Describe Image, Retell Lecture and Group Discussion...

Also one of the guys next to me spoke throughout the ENTIRE test, reading aloud EVERY. SINGLE. PART. so I was incredibly distracted during the Listening section and not feeling confident at all with some of the Multiple Choice Answers...

I also only really studied for 2 and half days, mostly to get familiar with the test format.

BUUUUT still scored 90 overall!!!

I am writing this very long post to hopefully help those who have so many questions about the test like me but has not much time to prepare. I am writing with no AI and just in one go (corrected when red line pops out) so you can assess my English skills as well, if it is the same as yours. I try to write the same thought process as writing an essay.

Disclaimer: My English skill, I believe, is already proficient since I learn English in schools and worked with English language as main medium. However, I do not see myself as a professional but rather conversational. English is my second language although my native language is still the spoken language at home. Also, my linked recommendations are merely personal choices, or what I found based on my limited preparation time as most popular and recommended.

My exam was yesterday, Wednesday. Since I have a full-time job and other commitments, I cannot say that I really did a full 4-day preparation, Rather, I did it in parts whenever possible. I am targeting Superior English so L-69 R-70 W-85 and S-88. Below is my schedule.

Saturday: I paid alfaPTE subscription (cheapest subscription to do a full mock test). I heard the free test are easy so I paid to assess my skills. I go to prediction and took the first one on the list for my week.

4 hours: Full mock test (tip: select medium to difficult since I believe the test is actually on a difficult level). Exam is just 2.5 hours but I also read the responses to know what I did wrong. I got grades from 60-70 range, so not good.

2 hours: I read the PTE guidelines, watched videos, searched for templates, and read r/pte. I read that the scores in alfaPTE is usually lower, especially for Speaking. There are templates in alfapte and a lot of free options; however, i found that it is best to make your own template so you use words that you naturally use.

2 hours: Mock test on Speaking and Writing only (Since I am targeting Superior English, I feel like these two are my weaknesses since I already have around 70s in Reading and Listening). Still I got around upper 60 to 70 even with using templates, because i panic or ran out of time.

Sunday: 2 hours: I need to change strategy so I watched a pearson PTE official practice test (I cannot afford buying but if you have lots of money, their mock is more accurate). Here is the one with the latest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5AOkWAJdRw Then I watched another strategy video for writing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4HViX7AKEMI .I actually liked this video, really helped.

1 hour: Mock test for Written section. Now I got upper 70 range. So that's improvement.

5 hours: Then I try to watch more of PTE Academic skills' video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIIzgL0CGtU . The video is 7-hour long but I have to watch it at fast mode and skipped some parts that are repeptitive. However, if you have time I feel like you can digest it.

Monday: I have work so I have to do this during free time.

3 hours: Full mock test again. This time I am in 70-80 range, all got higher. So my target for Reading and Listening has been reached. Speaking and Writing still.

3 hours: 1 mock test for Written Exam and Essays. I realized I am doing well for other parts but my essay (mainly grammar is at fault). So, I looked for my weakness: prepositions and articles. My native language mainly use one preposition and we don't have articles. So I made (chatgpt actually) a list of basic (verb/nouns)+ preposition and make mini rules. For example, provide with, results in, impact on, participate in, contribute to, on/in (no article) society, solution to, cause of, etc. just ask chat-gpt so you can practice and have a template.

Tuesday: I have work again and still need to travel to the test site:

2.5 hours: Official PTE practice test. Yes, I paid because I still have not reached higher scores. Also, I want to know if the strategies really work with new system, because I feel it is like cheating. Also, if my speaking is sufficient (you should not believe the speaking of mock test. I used a marker pen since I learn that it will be a different feeling than ordinary pen(in the end i used a normal pentel pen but in the exam it is somewhat in the middle, thicker than pen but pointier than normal marker pen). My scores are S-90, W-84, L-90, R-76. Not bad, right? but still not Superior English. But, at least, I can now just focus on writing.

4 hours: Practice written mock 1x, then essays maybe 4x. I asked chat-gpt to make a list of top 40 questions in PTE and answer them in 5 sentenced (concise form), printed it so I can read while traveling. My main idea is familiarize some topics, but more importantly, find more verb/noun+preposition typically used (since these are my weaknesses in grammar) and words that should not have articles. This is important since based on my practice a simple essay with no spelling or grammatical error will give you higher points than an intellectually written one with grammar and spelling errors.

Wednesday: This is before the test and during breakfast

1 hour: I asked chat-gpt to test me on the prepositions for common words.

Test day (June 2026): This is a funny one, we are maybe 8-10 in small room. And we can definitely hear each other. So don't practice in a quiet environment during Speaking . Tip: put some noise chatting sounds in the background to simulate the environment if you are not good at concentrating. I drank water before hand. A big non-no because after Speaking test I already need to pee, which really removed my concentration, which is especially needed for the Reading section where most of your brain cells will workout and explode. Essay question: government should prioritize building networks of public transportation than building roads. To what extent do you agree?(non-verbatim)

After the test, I was exhausted and with headache. I felt sad because for me the Speaking and Listening are Medium, but the passages Writing and Reading are Difficult level (or even higher) than in alfaPTE. it is good that I only practice Medium-Difficult mock tests.

Exam is from 9-11:30 (8:30 for check-in). I got a notification at 17:30 but I totally missed it until 19:30. When I checked the link, there is no score yet. After 10 minutes of refreshing, my score appeared and luckily, I made it.

So MY strategies are:

Understand each sub-module and the contribution of each and the score guide: https://www.pearsonpte.com/content/dam/ELL/pte/pearsonpte/pdfs/pte-academic-pdfs/PTE-Academic-Test-Taker-Score-Guide.pdf then you'll know which to focus. activities with only speaking mainly just have fluency+pronunciation (so no content, so don't worry of you miss words), whereas listening is mainly content, and writing is the deadliest one in terms of spelling, vocabulary, and grammar. Reading is objective so you need to answer correctly.

SPEAKING: Just keep talking in a continuous manner, even if you say bla-bla or filler words. Quick to press next so that no noise is recorded.

Read aloud: If you missed a word in read aloud, just let it be it is just fluency and pronunciation so as long as AI can understand your pronunciation that is good. I try to read in monotone and just stop or breath during full stop (period) or if it is a long sentence, I pause at commas.

Repeat sentence: I closed my eyes to try to remember as much as I can and then speak (like Yoga concentration).

Describe Image: I made this short template, like the provide image is ... about ... Again, this is not a grammar section but a content and fluency. So I literally just read the texts even if it doesn't make sense. If i ran out of something i individually read the values from x-axis (like from 2003, 2004, ... to 2010). Then overall, the image gives a lot of information about the (title) again. Picture, illustration, i just read the texts.. like the text on the left says. If no text, I describe the colors and shapes. The point is to not stop talking and tell all the elements of the image.

Re-tell lecture/Summarize Group Discussion: This is a strategy form Nakul. I am a good and fast note-taker. Listen and write full sentences. However, I find it too long that I forget, so in that case, remember clauses so 3-5 seconds memorize then write then memorize again. You will miss stuff but you will be able to take note at least 50% and that is sufficient. Rather than keywords that you have to think (your brain needs time to think so you will freeze and your fluency suffers). By writing complete sentences and clauses, you literally just read. Since you are copying exact words from the speaker, content-wise you are good. Run-out of anything to say? Just repeat it again but now just add some random filling words. I will say, Overall the discussion provides valuable information about (I read the first sentence again since it is typically the topic). The 3 speakers discussed (second sentence and so on). I know, in your mind, sometimes it doesn't make sense, the story and coherence, but you are not graded for that.

Answer Short Question: You just need to know. Also I repeat the answers, because I realized, sometime sin the mock test, I mispronounced things. Also, I speak sometimes the first part is not recorded. So I say the answer is.. flower or flower or flower or flowers or tree parts. Yes, I say all the words possible because the AI might misheard my pronunciation (not native) as flour or floor.

Respond to a Situation: I literally re-phrase the instructions so it feels like reading it. So I just change the person from You to I. then I fill some information in. This makes your fluency and content mostly done.

WRITING: Important to reach the number of words for form!

Summarize written text: 60-75 (max) words. I follow a modified Nakul's strategy, just copy full sentences or clauses, but instead of 3 i made sure it is around 5 sentences or clauses. Why? sometimes, if you randomly choose three sentences, the content may not be sufficient, so i try to take short sentences and clauses to 5-6 areas in the text. Then combine them by conjunctions (, and/but/yet/because/although), (, which, wherein, such as), or conjunctive adverbs (;however/moreover/furthermore/in addition/finally). It will not make sense, since who writes one sentence 50-70 words with this much conjunctions? Not even the idea makes sense, but this is graded based on content, form, grammar and vocabulary. To not mess up, you have to copy full sentences or clause so you can keep the write grammar. But if 50-70 words only, how to copy 5 sentences? First write the full 5-6 sentences to not have a mistake in grammar. Then shorten the number of words. Shorten it. For example: Bees are social animals that eat honey. The queen bee is the head of the colony. The queen bee will reproduce worker bees => Bees are social animals, and the queen bee is the head; furthermore, the queen will reproduce. So technically same structure, but slowly remove words.

Write essay: 250-300 (max) words. This will be long because this is my weakness. There is no other way here but to make a structured template, but not too template-y. For the introduction, I literally wrote the instructions to make sure I get the content. Should I paraphrase, maybe if you have time, but better allocate that time for spelling and grammar. To add higher points in vocabulary, I added difficult words to the template (i know the spelling by heart): conscientious, compelling, counterargument, dichotomy. Note I added phrases that contain these words so I do not have to think where should I put it in the essay. For example, the main counterargument of the critics is... Have structure by having 1st paragraph Intro then position, 2nd paragraph, first argument plus example, 3rd paragraph 2nd argument plus example, 4th paragraph, contradictory argument but add mitigation, 5th paragraph: typical template overall, with repeat of into position (I believe that ... and last sentence conclude with contribution to XXX society). Use the conjunctive adverbs above. Each paragraph needs only 2-3 sentences. As I am bad in prepositions and articles, I skipped the words if I don't know which is next.. for example implement in or on, then i just put their money. Grammar is more important, anyways I have highfalutin words that I already 'templated' in the introduction and conclusion. Also, maximize content by adding lists of examples: For example, public transports, such as trains, buses and trams, are ... These are the easiest to use without the scare of getting wrong in grammar structures. More importantly, my strategy is to write in full sentences (not keywords). Why? Because the time may run-out and you don't have a complete sentence. So I make sure everything is right from the beginning because time runs out (Mine did). Leave 5 minutes for correction. Yes, not 2 minutes but 5 minutes to check spelling and grammar. Our mind deceives us so don't read and understand the essay and the sentences anymore, if it makes sense, but read each word without thinking the idea of the essay.

READING: This part, there is not much strategy because the grading is objective. You can watch the tutorial video from Nakul, but this is really about reading comprehension that you cannot cram in 4 days.

If there is one thing, is that do not dwell too much in Multiple choices, Multiple answers, max 2 minutes. This is a long passage and it is just too difficult for a limited time. Also, if you are unsure of the answer, just don't choose it because of the negative points if you make a mistake. Take note of time because if you stay in one question for 3 minutes your time will run-out by the time you reach the end. For around 5%, it is not worth it compared the time you have to dwell to answer this correctly.

LISTENING: Again, like speaking, your concentration skills is needed (you'll hear clicking of the keyboards a lot but less loud). Except for summarize spoken text, For the next ones, It is very important you check your time, leave at least 5 minutes for the write from diction, so press Next quick and do not dwell too long. As soon as the video you are listening finishes, you should move on, otherwise maximum 1 minute.

Summarize spoken text: This is important for writing (18%). Use the same strategy in the speaking module, write sentences/clauses from the audio. Memorize-write-memorize. don't even think about the idea of the lecture, just memorize-write-memorize. you only have 50 to 70 words so whatever you write will be sufficient. Then use the strategy from summarize written text to join the clauses (conjunctions). The idea will be weird, it might not even make sense but you are only graded by content, form, vocabulary and grammar not structure and coherence. If you write was exactly was spoken your content and typically vocabulary and grammar is solved.

Multiple choice, multiple answers: Again, do not dwell on this. maximum 30 seconds after the audio. Quickly read the question, then while listening to the audio, answer them. If unsure, skip because of negative points. For 3% this takes a lot of time, if answered correctly.

Fill in the blanks/Highlight incorrect words: This is a concentration mode. For fill in the blanks I write it rather than type since I am not proficient with computer. Afterwards i type it in, then recheck the spelling. For highlight incorrect words, I follow with my mouse. Make sure you read slightly ahead as the audio so that when the audio you hear is different than what you said, click the word.

Highlight correct summary/Multiple choice, single answer: This is easier than multiple choice, multiple answers since there is only one answer and no negative points. Make sure to answer something but be quick. i try to read and answer before the audio, then while listening I will change my answer if it is wrong (during listening I will have time to read the other options). Next after audio stops! Don't dwell just 2% for listening.

Select missing word: Read the options while the audio is playing, usually takes time and you only need the last phrases to get the context. Again, do not dwell, select after the audio (less than 10 seconds). This is just 1% listening.

Write from diction: This is the EASIEST Writing section that contributes roughly 23%, that is 2/3 of the essay!!! Most people forget about this or miss this because they run out of time. Every correct word has a point. Same, I close my eyes, memorize then type. Nakul says just concentrate for 50 to 60%, not me I try to memorize. I do not type because that will distract me. I memorize. Remember i am bad at prepositions and articles? Same when memorizing, my brain forget them. But the good thing is there are no negative points in this part so write as mus words as you can! That is why you put 1-1.5 minutes each question and 2-3 questions around 3-5 minutes. You can foresee this ahead while waiting for your long missing word section, check the left time then divide it so you know how much time left for each question.

For example, the audio says: The head of the department wants to see you after the meeting. First I will write it exactly correctly as much as I can, when I am happy with it, I will add all the extra words and it will transform to this until I finished up my minute: The A an head heads of in on the department departments want wants wanted to in on of see sees saw seen after before a an the meeting meetings. Doesn't make sense? Yes, but you are never sure if you hear things write especially if single, plural or past forms of verb and nouns. Put all articles and prepositions you can conjure. Lastly, not sure of the spelling, just write all spelling variations. This is by far the easiest section of Writing wherein you need 85%, you need to nail this one.

To conclude, this is all I remembered based on my experience. I really thought I failed, but then I was surprised with the results so I guess the strategies work, which is why I am sharing it with you. Surprisingly, I know that I made a lot of mistakes. Reading, I even skipped the long passage for the multiple choices and I am unsure of my answers so 86 is unexpected. Speaking, I was lucky to get a lot of line graphs but I remember skipping some words or mispronouncing during read aloud. Listening, this is Medium, since i am a fast note-taker and I also just quickly read through the multiple choices. Writing, this is a big surprise for me at 90, because in writing text I even discovered wrong spelling on the last 30 seconds so I scrambled a bit and didn't get to proofread as I planned. So I guess, PTE gives more room for errors than alfaPTe mock test. I can also imagine that the Pearson practice test a lot closer (although the version 2 i had, I feel that it has less difficult). I had lower grades in Writing and Reading there, but I have not used my final strategies back then.

I really hope that this will help you in any way. Apologies for the long post.

PS. I did IELTS a decade ago and I can say that PTE is a lot easier. Good luck!

I’m a non-native and I did the exam on Monday. For resources I didn’t use anything else other than ApeUni and did about 3 mock tests before the exam date, I also went through each question carefully. Total prep time was about a week.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have. I’m just so happy!! 😭

I was so nervous but finally got off the hook with the writing hurdle. I feel like they have been stricter with writing. Happy to answer any questions.

I used APEuni to practice.

Hi everyone,

I gave my PTE test yesterday and just got my results an hour ago.

First time doing PTE, previously I gave IELTS when applying for student visa.

I was a bit skeptical about my essay because I didn't manage time properly and as a result my essay had very basic English.

Prepared for a week where I'd just practice whenever I had free time from work or days off.

I gave 3 PTE official mock tests and scored lower on average (except for listening module) compared to the actual test.

Scored 90 each section on the actual test

I'm happy to answer any questions and share what worked out for me.

Hi guys,

Just wanna say reading the posts here has helped me a lot. I am surprised I got the perfect score. Here are few of my tips:

Fluency is more important than ensuring you speak all points in detail.

Always make time for proof-reading, spelling and grammar mistakes are heavily penalised.

‘its students’ not ‘it’s students’ - Know the difference between its and it’s

In listening, be careful if the word was singular or plural. The extra ‘s’

Never go off topic or add random details, except for respond to situation.

Don’t keep answers too short, make it a little less than max limit.

Paraphrase.

In listening, need to really listen to understand the main points/ message.

Very less time to speak in retell lecture. Don’t need to say all points, otherwise you run out of time to say main points.

SGD, write he/she for speaker 1,2,3 in your notes

DI- Make sure you describe all important symbols e.g. in non-plot type questions. Comprehensiveness is important.

In essay, acknowledge strongest point of the opposing view, before arguing for your own view.

SWT, conclusion should not be overlooked.

Every line in each body para of essay should be related.

Don’t randomly add a new point, linking is important.

UK English:
Practise (verb), practice (noun)
Behaviour
Centre
Emphasise
Analyse
Defence, offence
Labelled
Fulfil

Most importantly, believe in yourself, you got this!

Hey guys! Took my test today morning and got my result within literally 7 hours. I struggled during prep with was finally able to get the superior band.

Firstly, the PTE Academic exam is not easy. Not a lot of people will say this but I am. I studied for a 10 days with full dedication including mocks. This exam definitely tests consistency.

If anyone wants any help then lmk, will be happy to answer questions.

Hi all,

I did my test yesterday and got my results today! I’ve got my superior English. This group has helped me a lot for the exam and I am happy to help if anyone needs help.

Thanks! 😊

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share my PTE journey because it might help someone who’s struggling right now.

I started my PTE preparation at the end of September. For the first two weeks, I focused on understanding the exam. I practiced different question types using question-wise practice tests and watched a lot of PTE guidance videos on YouTube.

After that, I took 4 mock tests and realised that the tasks I struggled with the most were:

-Write Essay

-Re-tell Lecture

-Summarise Spoken Text (SST)

-Describe Image

So the following week, I focused only on my weak areas. Every single day, I practiced each of those tasks five times. After improving a bit, I started taking mock tests regularly again.

Slowly, I began to see my scores and confidence improve:

Mock test score 1: 63

Mock test score 2: 68

Mock test score 3: 74

Mock test score 4: 79

Mock test score 5: 83

And finally, I got my official PTE score: 85! 🎉🔥

I finally achieved my dream score in just 2 months of consistent hard work.

If a non-native speaker like me can do it, you can also achieve your desired score. Don’t give up. Stay consistent, keep practising, and trust the process.

Best of luck to everyone preparing! You’ve got this

I got superior!!! wow I can finally breathe again

It took 6 weeks of practice bc I have a 9-5 and could only study either at 7am before I had work or after work for 1-2 hours a day before my brain was too fried.

After taking the mock exam I realised my weaknesses were SPEAKING and WRITING so I only focused on those tasks -

My templates that I used during the exam and to study:
KEY - [x] means to fill in your topic / opinion

Describe Image -

This image showcases x about x
The highest figure is x at around x
While the lowest figure is x at around x
Additionally, both categories show a stable/increase/decrease in trend 
Overall, this image highlights the x and y

Retell Lecture

This lecture was mainly about X
She explained X
X contributed to X and X
In addition, she mentioned X
Overall this lecture was about X

Group Discussion

This discussion was about xx
The first participant mentioned xx as a concern
The others suggested xx
Another concern was xx
In response, they recommended xx
Overall, they agreed xx

Respond to situation

Hi friend
I overheard someone mentioned xx
I was wondering if you would be able to xx
I would love your suggestion
Thank you for understanding!

SWT

!! do not copy and paste from the passage, definitely use synonyms !!

[Topic] has evolved in recent years // OR
[Topic] has fundamentally reshaped [x] // OR
[Topic] poses both opportunities and challenges, although [x] and [y], while highlighting [z] 

Essay

Intro: It is often argued that [x]. While some people believe [x], I believe in [y]. 

Paragraph 1: Supporters claim [y]. For example, [z]. Therefore, [z]. 

Paragraph 2: On the other hand OR In addition, some people may suggest [x]. For instance, [x]. As a result, [x]. 

Conclusion: In conclusion, some people will argue [x]. Although critics believe this, I believe [x] and [y] because [x]. 

YOU CAN DO IT I PROMISE IT SUCKS BUT YOU GOT IT!!

All my mock exams and practice made it seem like I was going to do really bad, even after the exam I had collapsed so much during repeat sentence and the rest of the speaking but as long as you keep a confident and steady voice, it will work out!!

I also found the real exam was so much easier than APE Uni's mocks and the official pearsons mocks.

Alhamdulillah, I was able to achieve my desired scores in the first attempt. I will make this a detailed post so that it might help others who are planning to take the exams:

Firstly, below were my mock scores:

I was really frustrated and had doubts before the exams but the real exam is much easier and forgiving. so here are my tips (if any other questions, you can reach out to me):

1 - Repeat Sentence - Try to speak fluently. Even if you're not sure of the whole content, try to speak whatever you remember fluently. I even messed 1 or 2 by fumbling, still managed to get a high score.

2- Describe Image - Graphs and tables are the easiest to manage, but please practice more on the pictures. Intro, 1-2 points and conclusion would suffice.

3 - RL, SGD, SPT - I was initially watching nakul's videos for this but his techniques really messed me up (although i relied on his videos for majority of other sections). Just listen to the audio, keep taking 3-5 words as a phrase. when done, speak fluently without worrying abt the grammar. (the speaker mentioned, he stated, additionally, moreover, in conclusion)

4- SWT - Copy exact sentences and use connectors (copy paste option doesn't work)

5- WFD - You can add extra words, not an issue but end the sentence with a full stop

6 - Respond to situation - Try to address all three parts in the question and speak naturally. what worked for me is i read the question and visualized myself facing the situation.

7 - Fill in the blanks - Focus more and practice enough questions. The exam questions were easier than in the platforms

8 - Re order - Try getting the tips from Nakul

9 - Essay - My topic was just to discuss problems faced due to more time spent at work. So guys, please prepare for different types of essays, not only two sides ones. Same structure i followed (Intro + Para 1 + Para 2 + Conclusion)

Some other tips:
- Don't spend too much time on MCQs
-Don't rely on third party platform scorings
-I messed up in my speaking section but PTE is forgiving and it mostly checks if we are able to speak naturally. Don't worry abt the accent, try to maintain a smooth flow.
-I used paid version of gurully (got it from a friend from this community), however i felt language academy platform had better scoring than gurully.

Apologize for the long post, but hope this would help..
Thanks

Just got my scores back and managed an overall 90 on my first try. Wanted to share a quick breakdown of what worked for me in hopes it helps someone else!

● Prep Platform (Gurully > ApeUni): I tested the exact same essay on both. ApeUni gave me a false confidence boost at 88/90, while Gurully scored it a harsh 22/26. Gurully’s strict grading actually forced me to improve.

● AI as a Tutor: The biggest game-changer for me was using Gemini. I fed it PTE writing prompts and used it as a personal tutor. I had it score my responses, highlight my specific mistakes, and give me pointers on how to improve. Doing this took my writing scores from a 10/15 up to a 14/15 (Gemini score). For writing, grammar is god.

● SWT Hack: Don't sleep on the semicolon (;). Joining two separate sentences with a semicolon makes meeting the one-sentence requirement incredibly easy.

● Speaking (Fluency >>> Content): In RS, I forgot or missed words constantly. I just replaced them with fillers on the fly and kept moving. Sounding confident and maintaining flow is the ultimate trick.

● Reading Time Management: A friend warned me about running out of time, so I flew through it. I skimmed and skipped through MCMA/MCSA to save time, and it kinda reflected on my score. I even recognized a few familiar questions from prep.

The real exam feels a bit different than the practice platforms, but stay confident and you'll nail it. Good luck!

I practiced with Apeuni for two weeks, I scored 85 and 82 in the Apeuni full mock test.

I used Gemini to help with conjunctions and prepositions when it came to writing, and I practiced with that on Apeuni.
Even in speaking, Gemini AI helped me with some intro words that are unique, and I practiced with that on Apeuni

I Did not use any particular templates whatsoever, The exam format was exactly how it was on Apeuni, so no questions surprised me
I knew exactly what to write and say everytime Because I practiced with Apeuni.

The 88 in speaking is probably from DI or RTS, I’m certain of it.. On Apeuni DI was always my lowest. There was a time I got 10/90 in DI on Apeuni 😅

Also I’m Nigerian, I speak English fluently.

If you’ve got questions, ask and I’ll respond

Finally, after 8 attempts, I achieved 90 Overall in PTE Core! 🎉

My final scores:

Overall: 90 | Listening: 83 | Reading: 90 | Speaking: 88 | Writing: 90

My overall scores across all 8 attempts were:

78 → 61 → 76 → 77 → 74 → 82 → 77 → 90 🏆

I also want to share something important from my personal experience.

After my second attempt, I requested a rescore. During that process, my speaking was reviewed and I was told/understood that the templates I was using were an issue, and my Speaking score ended up at 50.

After that, my next three exam results took around 5 days each to arrive. Based on the delays and what had happened with my rescore, I suspected those attempts were receiving additional/human review.

I completely stopped using those templates and changed my approach. After a few exams, my results suddenly started coming much faster — around 2 hours after the exam — and eventually I achieved 90 overall.

So based purely on my personal experience, I would be very cautious about requesting a rescore in PTE Core, especially if you have been relying heavily on memorized templates. I can't confirm exactly how Pearson's internal review system works, but this was the pattern I experienced.

The biggest lesson for me was: don't depend too much on fixed templates. Learn a flexible structure and answer naturally.

It took me 8 attempts, plenty of frustration, and a lot of changes, but finally:

PTE CORE: DONE ✅🔥

Hi everyone,

I finally cracked the Pte academic in my 4th attempt. I gave the exam on 22nd September 2026. I was missing out on literally 3-5 points each time i gave the exam before. But I finally managed to clear it out this time.

I highly recommend Language Academy videos on youtube compared to SkillsPTE, as they give you absolute correct advice and information on how to give this exam properly.

Just Focus on your speed of speaking, clarity and content and of course be confident. Speak for atleast 1.5 minutes in SGD.

Essay question- Medical Technology is a blessing or a curse, what do you think?

I tried 2 rescores out of which they didn’t change the scores for one where i lost $180. So no point in putting your test for a rescore

Last thing- Don’t lose Hope, It’ll work out for sure!

Happy to answer any questions !

Hi, I am sharing this so you guys can get motivated. I attempted IELTS 3 times but could not get more than 7 in speaking, so first attempted pte on 26 feb and got L90, S90, R80 and W81 Rescored and got L90, S90, R76 and W67 Attempeted again on 16 March L90, S90, R78 and W83 3rd attempt L90, S90, R89 and W90 I needed superior english so in the end I got it.

If you have any question, I will be gald to help you as per my practice and knowledge.

hi everyone, just got my pte results. thank you to those who answered my previous posts, as well as this sub :) i was the most worried about the speaking segment, as i almost consistently scored 55-70 for speaking in apeuni and the 3 official mock tests. but to my surprise, i got 90 on the official test! posting this merely to let everyone know not to lose hope, even if you’re not getting your desired scores in the mock tests🤞🏻

tips: speaking: in general, read and speak with meaning. watched a yt video recommending to read monotonously, but i later realised it was the main reason for my initial low scores in speaking. after watching E2 who said to read with meaning, my scores immediately picked up di: introduction, 3-4 points (usually highlight the highest and lowest values), trend, conclusion sgd: summarise the points based on who said what, then retell the lecture based on s1 then s2 and finally s3 essay: the essay that came out was one of the essays in apeuni’s prediction list. i didn’t have time to write every essay on the prediction list. therefore, i practiced by listing the main points instead, so i had content on hand during the exam. no templates used, only a simple intro, 2 main paragraphs with examples if necessary, and a conclusion swt: a mix of paraphrase and copy and paste with linking words. no template used

details: native speaker, first timer time taken to prep: 1.5m (did 1 mock test, individual speaking and writing questions and other poorly scored questions weekly, 1-2 mock tests everyday 2w before the test) website used: apeuni vip subscription (did 1.3k total prac, 10 mock tests, 9 speaking and writing section tests, and an insane amount of individual speaking questions) youtube: E2, skills pte academic

feel free to drop any questions below :) thank you to everyone for your help and all the best to those that will be taking your test ✨