PTE Academic · Guides · October 24, 2026 · 8 min read
PTE exam pattern 2026: all 22 tasks, number of questions, timing and marks
The PTE Academic exam takes about two hours on a computer and has three parts: Speaking & Writing (about 76–84 minutes), Reading (about 23–30 minutes) and Listening (about 31–39 minutes). Across them you meet 22 scored task types plus an unscored Personal Introduction. The exact number of questions of each type changes from test to test, so Pearson gives ranges rather than fixed counts. You get an overall score and four skill scores, each on a scale from 10 to 90.
This pattern has applied since 7 August 2025, when Pearson added two speaking tasks: Respond to a Situation and Summarize Group Discussion. Any syllabus that lists 20 task types, or does not mention these two, is out of date.
PTE exam pattern at a glance
| Part | Time | Task types | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Speaking & Writing | about 76–84 min | Personal Introduction + 9 scored types | speak into a microphone, write two summaries and an essay |
| 2. Reading | about 23–30 min | 5 types | choose, drag and reorder on screen |
| 3. Listening | about 31–39 min | 8 types | listen once, then type, click or highlight |
| Total | about 2 hours | 22 scored types |
The parts always come in this order, and there is no separate speaking interview: everything, including Speaking, happens at the same computer with a headset.
Part 1: Speaking & Writing
Spoken tasks follow the same routine. You see or hear the prompt, a short preparation time runs, a tone sounds and the microphone opens. If you stay silent for 3 seconds, the recording stops and you cannot go back. Spoken answers are scored on content, oral fluency and pronunciation; Answer Short Question is simply right or wrong.
| Task | Preparation / answer | Number in the test | Skills scored | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Introduction | 25 s / 30 s | 1 | not scored | — |
| Read Aloud (text up to 60 words) | 30–40 s / about 40 s | 6–7 | Speaking, Reading | Read Aloud |
| Repeat Sentence (audio 3–9 s) | none / 15 s | 10–12 | Speaking, Listening | Repeat Sentence |
| Describe Image | 25 s / 40 s | 5–6 | Speaking | Describe Image |
| Re-tell Lecture (audio up to 90 s) | 10 s / 40 s | 2–3 | Speaking, Listening | Re-tell Lecture |
| Answer Short Question | none / 10 s | 5–6 | Speaking, Listening | Answer Short Question |
| Summarize Group Discussion (3 speakers, up to 3 min) | 10 s / 2 min | 2–3 | Speaking, Listening | Summarize Group Discussion |
| Respond to a Situation (short text plus audio) | 10 s / 40 s | 2–3 | Speaking, Listening | Respond to a Situation |
| Summarize Written Text (text up to 300 words) | 10 min for one sentence of 5–75 words | 2 | Writing, Reading | Summarize Written Text |
| Write Essay | 20 min, 200–300 words | 1 | Writing | Write Essay |
A few details matter more than they look:
- The Personal Introduction is not scored. Use it to settle in and check that your voice is recorded at a comfortable volume.
- Repeat Sentence is the most frequent task in the whole test, and it feeds both Speaking and Listening. Many people underestimate it.
- Writing tasks have hard word limits. Summarize Written Text must be a single sentence of 5 to 75 words; Write Essay should be 200 to 300 words. An answer far outside the range loses its marks, so the limit is not a suggestion.
- Spoken answers are scored by an automated system, and since 2025 Pearson also has some answers reviewed by human experts. Memorized templates with no real content now lose content marks.
Part 2: Reading
Reading has one clock for the whole part rather than a timer per question, so you decide how long to spend on each item. In our trainer each Reading task shows a guide time to help you pace yourself.
| Task | Number in the test | How it is scored | Skills scored | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks (drop-down, text up to 200 words) | 5–6 | a point for each correct blank | Reading, Writing | Fill in the Blanks |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers (text up to 350 words) | 2–3 | +1 for each correct option, −1 for each wrong one, never below 0 | Reading | practice task |
| Reorder Paragraphs | 2–3 | a point for each correct adjacent pair | Reading | Reorder Paragraphs |
| Reading: Fill in the Blanks (drag and drop, text up to 80 words) | 4–5 | a point for each correct blank | Reading | Fill in the Blanks |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer (text up to 110 words) | 2–3 | correct or incorrect | Reading | practice task |
Two scoring rules shape your strategy here. In Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers a wrong option cancels a right one, so pick only the options you are sure of. In Reorder Paragraphs you score for every pair that sits next to each other correctly, so even a partly right order earns something.
Part 3: Listening
Every recording in Listening plays once, so read the question and options before the audio begins and note key words as you listen.
| Task (audio length) | Number in the test | How it is scored | Skills scored | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summarize Spoken Text (60–90 s), 10 min, 50–70 words | 1 | content, form, grammar, vocabulary, spelling | Listening, Writing | Summarize Spoken Text |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers (80–120 s) | 2–3 | +1 / −1 per option, never below 0 | Listening | Listening multiple choice |
| Fill in the Blanks, typed (30–60 s) | 2–3 | a point for each correct word | Listening, Writing | Fill in the Blanks |
| Highlight Correct Summary (30–90 s) | 2–3 | correct or incorrect | Listening, Reading | Listening multiple choice |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer (30–90 s) | 2–3 | correct or incorrect | Listening | Listening multiple choice |
| Select Missing Word (20–70 s) | 1–2 | correct or incorrect | Listening | Listening multiple choice |
| Highlight Incorrect Words (15–50 s) | 2–3 | +1 for each correct word, −1 for each wrong click, never below 0 | Listening, Reading | Highlight Incorrect Words |
| Write from Dictation (3–5 s) | 3–4 | a point for each correct word | Listening, Writing | Write from Dictation |
Write from Dictation comes last and carries a lot of weight for its length: every correctly spelled word counts, and it adds to both Listening and Writing. It is worth saving a little energy for the end of the test.
How the marks work
PTE does not publish a fixed number of marks per question, and the “marks” you see in some PDFs are guesses. What is reliable is the type of scoring each task uses:
| Scoring type | Tasks | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Traits (scored on several features) | all spoken tasks except Answer Short Question; Summarize Written Text, Write Essay, Summarize Spoken Text | content matters, but so do fluency and pronunciation (speaking) or form, grammar and vocabulary (writing) |
| Partial credit, no penalty | Fill in the Blanks (all three), Reorder Paragraphs, Write from Dictation | every correct blank, pair or word counts; always answer |
| Partial credit with negative marking | Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers (Reading and Listening), Highlight Incorrect Words | wrong choices subtract; answer only what you are confident about |
| Correct or incorrect | Answer Short Question, Multiple Choice, Single Answer (both), Highlight Correct Summary, Select Missing Word | one point or nothing; never leave it blank |
Many tasks are integrated: one answer counts towards two skills. Repeat Sentence adds to Speaking and Listening; Write from Dictation adds to Listening and Writing. That is why your Speaking score can move when you improve your listening, and why you cannot “skip” a skill. The scale and the skill scores are explained in the PTE score chart.
How many questions are in PTE?
Adding up the ranges gives roughly 65–85 scored items across the three parts, plus the Personal Introduction. Your test will sit somewhere inside those ranges; two candidates on the same day can get slightly different counts. Plan your practice by task type, not by an exact total.
Common questions
What is the latest PTE exam pattern for 2026? The one introduced on 7 August 2025: about two hours, three parts, 22 scored task types including Respond to a Situation and Summarize Group Discussion. Check pearsonpte.com before your test in case of later updates.
What is the PTE exam duration? About two hours in total. Speaking & Writing takes about 76–84 minutes, Reading about 23–30 minutes and Listening about 31–39 minutes.
Is there negative marking in PTE? Only in three task types: Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers in Reading and in Listening, and Highlight Incorrect Words. A wrong choice takes away a point, but the task score never goes below zero.
Where can I get the PTE syllabus 2026 PDF? Pearson publishes its own test taker materials on pearsonpte.com. The tables on this page give the same structure; use them as a checklist and practise each task type in exam timing.
Practise the whole pattern
The fastest way to learn the pattern is to sit it. In the Nomto trainer every one of the 22 task types runs in exam timing, spoken tasks have the tone and the microphone that closes after 3 seconds of silence, and Reading and Listening are marked by key with partial credit and negative marking as on the test. Spoken and written answers get trait feedback and an approximate estimate on the 10–90 scale. When you are ready, take a full or section mock test and get a report on all four skills. If you are still choosing between exams, read PTE vs IELTS and the guide on how to prepare for PTE.
PTE Academic™ is a trademark of Pearson. Nomto is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Pearson.