Where can I take IELTS or PTE in Colombo?

Pearson's test centre list named three PTE centres in Sri Lanka on 10 October 2026: two in Colombo, both run by Knowledge Merchandising, and one in Kandy. Our PTE test centres in Sri Lanka guide notes that Pearson's seat search also showed venues in Kalubowila and Hokandara on 9 October.

Pearson's list does not say which tests each centre runs on which day. In myPTE, choose PTE Academic, PTE Academic UKVI or PTE Core first and then the city; only centres with open slots for that test appear.

Fees are national, so Colombo costs the same as anywhere else in Sri Lanka. IELTS figures are from IDP's Sri Lanka fees page, IDP's session lists and the British Council's dates and fees page (prices "from 9 Jun 2026"), read on 10 October 2026; PTE figures are from Pearson's price finder with Sri Lanka selected. IDP is cheaper for UKVI and Life Skills. Refund rules, which differ sharply between the two IELTS providers here, are in our IELTS fee in Sri Lanka guide.

IDP also tests in Battaramulla: its Battaramulla page showed 222 IELTS on computer sessions at IDP IELTS Sri Lanka - Battaramulla on 10 October 2026. The British Council has centres in Malabe (Future Labs) and Negombo (Nations Victory Campus). For the hill country, see Kandy.

IELTS with IDP: book a Colombo session online, upload a colour passport scan under 1.5 MB, and pay by Visa or Mastercard or in cash at an IDP office within two days (IDP Sri Lanka); IDP's session lists say computer results arrive in 1 to 5 days. IELTS with the British Council: you need a valid passport and a card, and offline payment is by online bank transfer only (booking page). You cannot switch between standard IELTS and IELTS for UKVI on a transfer, so choose carefully. The British Council's eTRF is ready 1 to 3 days after a computer test.

PTE: book in your myPTE account on pearsonpte.com. Pearson's ID policy asks for a valid passport for every PTE test (a physical passport, not a copy), and the name, date of birth, citizenship and gender you book with must match it exactly, or you lose the fee. Pearson says results usually arrive within two days.

Every attempt costs the full fee, so try a free IELTS mock test or a free PTE mock test first, and use the PTE to IELTS converter if your university states its requirement in the other test.