Where can I take IELTS or PTE in Sydney?

Pearson's test centre finder lists seven PTE rooms in metropolitan Sydney: two Pearson Professional Centers (Sydney CBD and Parramatta), two rooms at the Navitas English Test Centre in the city, and university or exam-hall venues at Macquarie Park, Sydney Olympic Park and Kensington. Pearson's finder does not show which tests each centre runs on which day; choose PTE Academic, PTE Academic UKVI or PTE Core first and only centres with slots for that test appear.

IDP's fee article lists AUD 490 for IELTS Academic or General Training at most Australian centres and says there is no registration, card or late-booking fee, though some locations can charge more; every Sydney session we saw on 10 October 2026 was priced at AUD 490. Pearson's price finder with Australia selected showed AUD 499 for PTE Academic, PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Core. Neither page says how GST is treated, so check the total at checkout. For refunds and the full price list, see our IELTS fee in Australia and PTE fee in Australia guides.

Parramatta has both an IDP IELTS venue and a Pearson Professional Center, which makes it the easiest place in Western Sydney to switch tests if one is not going well. Kensington is similar: IDP's Kensington venue and Pearson's Lateral Plains – Kensington room are both run at Lateral Plains Events. For skilled visas, both tests earn the same points; our PTE vs IELTS for Australia PR guide has the Home Affairs score table, and IELTS for 189, 190 and 491 covers each visa. Check which PTE version your visa accepts before booking; our PTE Academic vs PTE Core guide explains the difference.

IDP also lists IELTS centres in Wollongong and Newcastle, and Canberra's nearest bookable IELTS dates on 10 October were in Sydney. See our Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane guides.

IELTS: pick Sydney on IDP's test-date finder, choose Academic or General Training, a venue and a session, then complete the online application and pay (IDP lists card, PayPal and Alipay). On test day bring your original, current passport, valid for at least 7 days after the test; copies are refused (IDP test-day page). Every Sydney IELTS session on computer we saw said "Results in 1 to 5 days".

IELTS changes: IDP lets you reschedule once for free, even up to test day. Cancel 14 or more days ahead for a full refund, 7–13 days ahead for 50%, and nothing after that. You cannot move a booking to a different test centre, because IDP says each centre is a separate organisation (IDP). If one skill let you down, One Skill Retake (AUD 310) must be taken within 60 days of a full IELTS on computer test. IDP says Home Affairs accepts it for all Australian visa subclasses. See our One Skill Retake guide.

PTE: book on pearsonpte.com, choose Sydney and a slot at least 24 hours ahead (Pearson). If you are testing outside your country of citizenship, a valid passport is the only ID Pearson accepts (ID policy). Pearson says results typically arrive in two days (PTE Academic). Rescheduling is free with more than 14 full days to go, up to six times; inside 14 days you must cancel (50% back from 14 to 7 days, nothing within 7) and rebook (policy). For a resit, you can book only after your previous scores arrive, and hold one booking at a time (retake policy).

Before you pay AUD 490 or AUD 499 again, take a free PTE mock test or a free IELTS mock test to see which skill is holding you back.