What is the PTE exam pattern in 2026?

The part opens with a Personal Introduction: 25 seconds to prepare and 30 seconds to record. It does not count towards your score (Pearson). Question counts are from the Score Guide; prompt lengths and answer times are from Pearson's format page.

Reading items have no individual timer: Pearson lists the time to answer as "not applicable" for each one, so you manage one clock for the whole part (Pearson). Pearson notes that Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks also assesses writing skills.

Every clip plays automatically and only once, and you may take notes (Pearson). Summarize Spoken Text has its own 10-minute window; Pearson lists no separate answer time for the other items.

Pearson announced on 10 July 2025 that two new speaking tasks, Respond to a Situation and Summarize Group Discussion, would join PTE Academic from 7 August 2025. Its 2025 changes FAQ says the original 20 question types, their format and timings are unchanged, that some existing tasks now appear more often, and that the average test still lasts around two hours.

The update also brought double marking: content in seven question types is scored by the automated system and by a human expert. It applies only to PTE Academic and PTE Academic UKVI; Pearson says PTE Core and PTE Home were not affected. How scores are built is in how PTE Academic is scored, and score meanings are on our PTE score chart.

PTE Core, the test for Canadian permanent residency and citizenship, has its own pattern of 19 question types built on everyday rather than academic English (Pearson Core FAQ). It has Write Email instead of Write Essay, shorter summaries, and no Retell Lecture, Summarize Group Discussion or Highlight Correct Summary (Speaking and Writing, Reading, Listening). Pearson says the test takes no longer than two hours. Compare the two in PTE Academic vs PTE Core, or try our PTE Core practice test.