PTE Academic Test Taker Handbook and official guides

The free official PDFs

• PTE Academic & UKVI Test Taker Handbook: how to book, what ID you need, what happens on test day, breaks, retakes and rescores.
• PTE Academic Score Guide: the number of questions of each type, how each is scored and which skills it counts towards. It also has Pearson’s tables comparing PTE scores with IELTS and the CEFR.
• PTE Core and PTE Home have their own handbooks, if you’re taking one of those tests.

Rules worth knowing from the handbook

• Bring a valid, non-expired passport. Photocopies aren’t accepted, even if they’re certified.
• Arrive at least 30 minutes early. If you’re late, you can’t sit the test and you lose the fee.
• There are no scheduled breaks. You can ask for one, but the test clock doesn’t stop.
• You can’t go back to change earlier answers.
• Leaving before the end means you lose the fee and don’t get scores.

Official practice materials

A free myPTE account gives you guided practice tests, sectional tests, video lessons and a study plan. Pearson also sells Scored Practice Tests, AI Practice, the Official Guide to PTE Academic as an eBook in its bundles, and a Question Bank. Prices are on our cost page and where to learn page.

The test format pages

Pearson’s format pages show each question type with timings and tips, one page for each part of the test. They’re the quickest way to see what each task looks like.