The test is taken in one sitting at a test centre. All four skills are assessed, but the tasks are grouped into three parts rather than four separate modules. Many tasks are integrated — a single task can score more than one skill at once.
| Part | Approx. time | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 — Speaking & Writing | 54–67 min | Personal introduction, read aloud, repeat sentence, describe image, re-tell lecture, answer short question, summarize written text, essay |
| Part 2 — Reading | 29–30 min | Reorder paragraphs, fill in the blanks, multiple-choice (single and multiple) |
| Part 3 — Listening | 30–43 min | Summarize spoken text, fill in the blanks, highlight correct summary, multiple-choice, select missing word, highlight incorrect words, write from dictation |
The enhanced PTE Academic also introduced two newer speaking task types — Summarise Group Discussion and Respond to a Situation. Build familiarity with these early, as fewer practice resources cover them.