How many hours is the PTE exam?

The PTE exam is a computer-based test that measures the English proficiency of the test taker. It is made up of three sections: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. The total length of the exam is 2 hours. 

If you are taking the PTE exam, it is important to know how long each section is so that you can manage your time appropriately. In this blog post, we will take a look at the length or hours of the PTE exam.

PTE Test Format

PTE Academic is a computer-based test that assesses the test taker’s skills in speaking and writing, reading, and listening. It is taken in a secure and friendly test center environment. PTE Academic is widely accepted by countries, universities, and colleges as evidence of your English proficiency. 

The test is divided into three sections:

• Part 1- Speaking & Writing: You will be asked to speak and write responses to various questions and prompts.
• Part 2- Reading: You will be asked to read a variety of texts and answer questions about them.
• Part 3- Listening: You will be asked to listen to a variety of audio clips and answer questions about them.

Some of the key highlights of the PTE test are as follows

• You will be given a PC and a headset to use during the test. 
• The test is two hours long 
• It is an English language test
• It is completed in one session

PTE Test Length Breakdown

The test includes different question types such as multiple choice, essay writing, and more. It is advised to solve a few mock tests ahead of your test, as each part has different types of questions. This will help you prepare better for the test and improve your chances of getting a high score.

Here is a breakdown of the section lengths: 

Speaking & Writing: 54-67 minutes

The Speaking and Writing sections of the PTE exam test your ability to communicate in English. For example, In the Speaking section, you will be asked to talk about a topic for a few minutes, and in the Writing section, you will be asked to write an essay for a few minutes.

The speaking and writing section is the longest part of the PTE test, taking a total of 54-67 minutes. There are seven different question types, testing your skills in areas such as academic vocabulary and grammar. This section assesses your ability to use English in an academic setting, so it is important to be familiar with the types of language you might encounter in such an environment.

The seven different questions types are as follows,

1. Read Aloud
2. Repeat Sentences
3. Describe an Image
4. Re-tell a Lecture
5. Answer Short Question
6. Summarize a Written Text
7. Write an Essay

Reading: 29-30 minutes

This section of the test is 29–30 minutes long and it contains five different question types. It includes Fill in blanks, and multiple choice type questions to assess reading skills. PTE Academic is an integrated skills test, which means that all skills are assessed in one exam.

The five different questions types are as follows,

1. Select the most appropriate words from a list of words displayed as a drop-down
2. Answer Multiple Choice Questions with Multiple Answers after reading a text.
3. You have to Re-order Paragraphs correctly displayed as blocks of texts
4. Drag and Fill in the Blanks or gaps in the text provided
5. Answer Multiple Choice questions with a Single Answer after reading a text.

Listening: 30-43 minutes

This section of the test is between 30 and 43 minutes long. There are eight different question types, all based on audio or video clips. The clips will play automatically, and you’ll only hear each one once while taking notes.

The eight different questions types are as follows,

1. Summarize Spoken Text by writing
2. Answer Multiple Choice questions with multiple Answers after listening to an audio clip
3. Type the missing gap word after listening to recorded audio with multiple gaps.
4. You have to choose the Correct Summary after listening to an audio file
5. Unlike the second type of questions, here you have to answer Multiple Choice Questions with a Single Answer after listening to an audio file
6. Select the Missing Word from a list of words after listening to an audio
7. Highlight Incorrect Words on the transcript displayed on your screen from that of the recorded audio
8. Write in words after listening to an audio

Conclusion

PTE Academic is a two-hour computer-based test that measures your ability to communicate in English in an academic environment. The test is divided into three sections: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The minimum duration for the PTE test is 113 minutes or 1 hour and 53 minutes while the maximum duration is 140 minutes or 2 hours and 20 minutes.

The types of questions are designed to test a range of skills, including:

1. Reading
2. Speaking & Writing
3. Listening