The next evolution of PTE Academic
Shorter test, less stress
From November 16, PTE Academic and PTE Academic UKVI tests will take just two hours to complete, instead of three hours. There are no changes to the overall format, question types or scoring scale; there will simply be fewer questions to answer (from 70-82, to 52–64). Also, No need for a break during the test. So you can prepare in the same way.
However, the test is still accepted by all the same universities and professional bodies – including 3,000+ academic institutions worldwide – and by the UK, Australia and New Zealand governments for visa and immigration purposes*.
*PTE Academic Online is valid for student visa only.
Why are we changing our test length?
To make PTE Academic the most convenient choice for test takers.
PTE Academic launched more than 10 years ago and is now one of the world's leading tests of English language skills, thanks to our innovative approach.
Our goal is to continue to be the innovators in English language testing, by constantly reviewing and improving our testing practices.
Through extensive testing, our research teams found that reducing the number of questions could improve the efficiency of PTE Academic with no impact on test scores or quality. This means PTE Academic will continue to provide a highly accurate and reliable indication of your English ability.
Preparing for PTE Academic
You can prepare for the two-hour test in the same way you would for the three-hour test.
All of the question types are the same, so you can use all of the resources available on our preparation pages.
If you choose to take a scored practice test, remember that you won't have to take as many questions as you see currently (but it's worth practicing them anyway!). New two-hour versions of our practice tests will be available from October 27.