IELTS or PTE in India: which should you book?

Australia: IELTS and PTE Academic are both on Home Affairs' list, with the same points (see PTE vs IELTS for Australia PR). UK: IELTS for UKVI and PTE Academic UKVI are both SELTs (GOV.UK). New Zealand: INZ accepts IELTS 6.5 or PTE 58 for skilled residence (INZ). Canada PR and PGWP: IELTS General Training or PTE Core, not the Academic versions, or CELPIP-General, which costs INR 15,500 in India (IRCC, CELPIP).

Nursing is where they split. The NMC (UK), Nursing Council of New Zealand and NMBI (Ireland) accept IELTS Academic and OET but not PTE (NMC, NCNZ, NMBI). Universities set their own lists: most accept both, but some, such as McGill's graduate admissions, take IELTS and not PTE.

IDP lists 77 Indian cities, 18 of them in Punjab and 10 each in Gujarat and Kerala (IDP India). Pearson lists 57 centres in 37 cities: 15 in Punjab, 12 in Gujarat and 4 in Kerala. Towns such as Moga, Faridkot and Kollam have IELTS but no PTE centre, so check travel before choosing. Full lists: IELTS centres in India and PTE centres in India.

Choose PTE if you are heading to Australia, New Zealand (outside nursing) or a university that accepts it, and you want results in about two days, a full refund up to 14 days before and free score sending.

Choose IELTS if you are a nurse targeting the UK, Ireland or New Zealand, your town has an IDP centre but no PTE centre, you want a human examiner for speaking, or you want the cheaper One Skill Retake (INR 12,650) if one skill falls short. Neither is officially easier; see IELTS or PTE: which is easier?.