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30 days: that’s all you need to clear PTE Academic

HomeEducational30 days: that's all you need to clear PTE Academic

Are you planning to study abroad? If yes, then you should take the PTE Academic examination because it is globally accepted by universities and colleges. This exam tests your proficiency in the English language. All you need is 30 days of proper practice and hard work to clear the PTE exam. Before you start your preparation, you need to understand the exam format and the scoring process. Then the next step is to build the right skills that you need to tackle each task.

We have put together this guide that gives you several tips on how to clear the PTE exam.

Understand the PTE exam format

There are 4 modules on the PTE Academic. Each module consists of several sub-tasks that test different skills. There are a total of 20 sub-tasks that test specific skills or integrated skills. Integrated skills mean that your performance will affect the score of more than one more skill. So, you should understand how these tasks are scored and what criteria are used.

In this exam, you can only move ahead so you should think twice before hitting next. You will get no chance to review your answer once you move ahead. The exam has different difficulty levels that keep changing in real-time. You should prepare yourself to tackle this on the exam. In the listening tasks, you get to hear the audio once. So, you should pay attention while it plays and writes down all the important points. This will help you to answer the questions easily.

Know the scoring process of the exam

PTE Academic has an automated process to score your answers. This process is built using complex AI algorithms so the chances of error are slim. You can only expect your score to change if you had any technical issues with devices. The program is built in a way that it copies the way a human test-checker would check the answers. The scoring process does not focus on your accent for the correctness of your answers. So, if you do not have an accent then you do not need to worry.

You will get points for the content you use. So, you should use opening and closing statements that create an impact on the reader’s mind. You should write strong conclusions. The AI will check the structure of your response. It will see if grammar and vocabulary are correct. In the listening section, the AI checks your oral fluency while you speak your answer. So, you should make sure that your pronunciations are correct or you will lose points. You should only include words that you know how to pronounce. If you come across an unknown word then do not use it in your response.

Build the right skills

The next step is to build the skills to ace the PTE Academic.

Reading skills:

To build your reading skills, you should read a newspaper daily. Besides this, read books, articles, and blogs. This will help to improve your usage of grammar and increase your vocabulary. You will find several reading exercises like passages on the internet. You should take these exercises so that you can build strong reading skills.

Listening skills:

To build strong listening skills, you should listen to podcasts and watch YouTube videos. Try to understand the accent of the speaker.

Speaking skills:

You can build speaking skills by talking with your friends and family in English. So if you make a mistake they can correct it. This will help you to improve your oral fluency and sentence formation. While you speak, you should make sure you are speaking at a normal space. Do not be in a hurry to speak or the listener will fail to understand what you want to convey. You should pronounce the words correctly. In case, you do not know the pronunciation of a word then avoid using it in your response. Instead of that you can use its synonym.

You should not pause in places where you do not need to. You should pause when you see punctuation. If you come across a comma then take a small pause and if you see a full stop then take longer pause. But try not to pause for more than 3 seconds or your microphone gets locked. Everything you speak after that will not be recorded. You should avoid the use of fillers like err, umm, etc in your response. You will lose points for oral fluency if you use them. So, practice speaking your responses without using them. You should use proper intonation. Begin your sentence with a rise in your tone and end it with a drop in the tone.

Writing skills:

You should practice writing essays on different topics and summaries based on passages. While you write, you should focus on the formation of your sentences. Make use of correct grammar and a strong vocabulary. You should choose simple words over complex ones because complex words will not get you extra points. When you go for complex words you end up making a mistake. You should write responses in a proper structure.

PTE academic

Time Management

To get a good score, you need to write and speak your responses in time. So, time management plays an important role. You should practice working on time because you are going to be on a clock in the PTE exam. On the exam, either a particular task will have a specific time assigned or the entire section will have a certain time limit assigned to it. You cannot manage your time with proper practice. So you should take the PTE mock test as they follow the same structure and time allocation. You should keep an eye on the timer while you write or speak your responses. You should finish your response before the timer ends.

In the speaking section, you should know when the timer will begin because if you speak your response before the timer starts then it will fail to record it. So, start your response only after you hear the beep sound. You can also keep an eye on the microphone symbol that appears on the screen. When it enables, you can speak your response.

Prepare yourself for the exam environment

The PTE exam test centers can be a noisy place as there are other test-takers around you speaking at the same time. The surrounding noise can make you lose your attention and that can lead to poor performance. There are a few test-taker that have a habit of reading loudly. When you face this situation, you might increase your volume so that microphone captures your response. But this is not the right thing to do. You should speak at a medium volume. The microphone is made in such a way that it will pick your voice. All you will have to do is keep your focus on the exam.

You should practice overcoming the distraction. You should practice taking PTE mock tests in a crowded place like a park. This will help you to build focus and improve your concentration. You should train your mind to hear your voice. Try to stay focus because if you get distracted, you start to become anxious and that will spoil your performance. You can practice speaking while keeping your radio on. You should increase the volume to get the feel of the exam environment. At the start, you will get distracted but you will soon get over it.

Learn to use different techniques

Note-taking

You should note down all the important points while you read a passage or hear audio. Do not write full sentences but only the main words. This will help you to find the answer quickly. It will also help you to frame your response in a structured manner and cover all the points.

Shorthand writing

You should use this technique to recall what you had heard. In this technique, you write down the first letter of each word. This helps you to recall all the words of the sentence in the right order. In several tasks the order of the words or sentences is important. In such tasks this technique is helpful.

Visualization technique:

In the visualization technique, you make a picture of what you hear in your mind. Pictorial representation makes you remember things in a better way.

Paraphrasing

You should use paraphrasing while you write your responses. In this technique, you use synonyms to deliver the same meaning by making changes to the sentence structure. You should not use punctuation to join sentences but make use of conjunctions. You can make use of the FANBOYS connectors to join the sentences.

Proofread your response

You should manage your time in a way that you get a few seconds to proofread what you have written. While you write your response, you may not realize your mistakes but when you read, it might sound off. This will also help you to correct any grammar errors or typos. You should also check if you have used the right punctuation.

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Maitrayee Shree
Maitrayee Shree
Maitrayee Shree is the content writer at ptemocktest.com. She has written blogs for the website since its establishment. Through her work, she brings the latest modifications in the PTE Academic to the eyes of the test takers. Her passion for her work has shaped the future of many PTE aspirants. When not writing; she is indulged in music and spends time with her rabbit.

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