PTE Academic has no syllabus of topics. It is a test of how you use English, and its texts, recordings and images can come from any academic subject. What Pearson publishes instead is unusually detailed: three parts, 22 named question types, the number of each type you will meet, and exactly how each one is scored. That detail is the real syllabus, and it matters more for PTE than for most English tests — because a few question types carry points for two skills at once, and a few deduct points for wrong choices. It is what you prepare against, alongside the Myndaq PTE Academic course.
The shape of the test
- One sitting, on a computer, at a Pearson test centre. Pearson states that PTE Academic cannot be taken at home.
- About two hours. Pearson's Score Guide describes the test as a maximum of 2 hours 15 minutes.
- 65 to 75 questions in any one test, drawn from 22 question types.
- Three parts, each with an approximate time range:
- Part 1: Speaking and Writing — approx. 76–84 minutes, 9 question types
- Part 2: Reading — approx. 23–30 minutes, 5 question types
- Part 3: Listening — approx. 31–39 minutes, 8 question types
Pearson notes that the minimum and maximum section timings do not add up to the total, because each version of the test is balanced for overall length; no test taker gets all the maximums or all the minimums.
Part 1: Speaking and Writing — 9 question types
With the number of each you will meet, from Pearson's Score Guide:
- Read Aloud — 6–7, partial credit
- Repeat Sentence — 10–12, partial credit, scored for Listening and Speaking
- Describe Image — 5–6, partial credit
- Retell Lecture — 2–3, partial credit, scored for Listening and Speaking
- Answer Short Question — 5–6, correct/incorrect
- Summarize Group Discussion — 2–3, partial credit, scored for Listening and Speaking
- Respond to a Situation — 2–3, partial credit
- Summarize Written Text — 2, partial credit, scored for Reading and Writing
- Write Essay — 1, partial credit
Notice where the volume sits. Repeat Sentence alone is 10 to 12 items, more than any other type in the test, and it feeds two skill scores. Speaking tasks are scored on traits such as Content, Pronunciation and Oral Fluency; Pearson's rule is that if a response scores zero for Content, it gets no points at all — the other traits are not even rated.
Part 2: Reading — 5 question types
- Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown) — 5–6, one point per correctly completed blank
- Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers — 2–3, one point per correct option, minus one per incorrect option, minimum zero
- Reorder Paragraphs — 2–3, one point per correctly ordered adjacent pair
- Fill in the Blanks (Drag and Drop) — 4–5, one point per correctly completed blank
- Multiple Choice, Single Answer — 2–3, correct/incorrect
The two fill-in-the-blanks types are separate: one gives a dropdown for each gap, the other has you drag words into the gaps. Reorder Paragraphs rewards adjacent pairs, so a partly right order still scores.
Part 3: Listening — 8 question types
- Summarize Spoken Text — 1, partial credit, scored for Listening and Writing
- Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers — 2–3, minus one per incorrect option, minimum zero
- Fill in the Blanks (Type In) — 2–3, one point per word spelled correctly
- Highlight Correct Summary — 2–3, correct/incorrect, scored for Listening and Reading
- Multiple Choice, Single Answer — 2–3, correct/incorrect
- Select Missing Word — 1–2, correct/incorrect
- Highlight Incorrect Words — 2–3, one point per correct word, minus one per incorrect word, minimum zero, scored for Listening and Reading
- Write from Dictation — 3–4, one point per word spelled correctly, scored for Listening and Writing
Where negative marking applies
Only three question types deduct points: Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers (in both Reading and Listening) and Highlight Incorrect Words. In each, a wrong choice costs a point, and the item's score cannot go below zero. Everywhere else, guessing costs nothing. The practical rule is simple: on multiple-answer items select only the options you can support, and on every other type never leave an answer blank.
How the scores are produced
Machine scoring, with human review. Every question type is scored by AI. Pearson's human experts rate responses to every Speaking and Writing question to train the engine, score unusual responses the machine cannot score reliably, and review the Content of seven types before scores are finalised: Describe Image, Retell Lecture, Respond to a Situation, Summarize Group Discussion, Summarize Written Text, Write Essay and Summarize Spoken Text. Write Essay also gets an expert review of development, structure and coherence and of linguistic range.
Two kinds of points. Some items are right-or-wrong (one point or none); others give partial credit. Form rules matter: Pearson's own example is that an essay under 120 words scores nothing, and a response built on pre-prepared or memorised material is treated as irrelevant and scores zero for Content.
What you are given. An overall score from 10 to 90, and four communicative skills scores — Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing — each also 10 to 90. The overall score is not the average of the four. Integrated items count towards both skills they assess, which is why a weak skill can drag down a second one.
No pass mark. Each university or government sets the score it needs. Pearson's Score Guide gives typical minimums of 36–50 for foundation courses, 51–60 for undergraduate degrees and 57–67 for postgraduate degrees — check your institution's figure, not these. Results usually arrive within two business days, sometimes up to five, and a score is valid for two years from the test date.
Comparing with IELTS. Pearson's current alignment table, updated from research released in July 2025, places an overall PTE score of 63–70 alongside IELTS 7.0, 55–62 alongside 6.5 and 79–85 alongside 8.0. Pearson itself warns that any cross-test prediction carries measurement error. Our score converter covers the other tests.
What the published format does not tell you
- No topic list. Texts and recordings can be on any academic subject.
- Which version of the paper you get. Counts are ranges, and your test will sit somewhere inside each.
- Per-item point values. Pearson publishes the scoring method for each type, but not how many points each item is worth towards the 10–90 total.
For the full test-day rules, see the PTE Academic guide. For what the test costs and the cancellation tiers, see PTE Academic fees and booking. For worked items by type, see PTE Academic practice questions.
Quick answers
Is there a PTE Academic syllabus?
Not a topic syllabus. Pearson publishes the format instead: three parts, 22 question types, how many of each appear and how each is scored.
How many questions are in PTE Academic?
Between 65 and 75 in any given test, across 22 question types.
Is there negative marking in PTE?
Only on Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers (Reading and Listening) and Highlight Incorrect Words, where each wrong choice costs a point, down to zero for the item.
Can I take PTE Academic at home?
No. Pearson states it is taken on a computer at an authorised test centre.
Is the PTE overall score the average of the four skills?
No. Pearson says the overall score is based on performance across the whole test and is not an average of the communicative skills scores.
