Getting started

Getting started: First month, focus on grammar and reading aloud practice
6.2.1 Grammar
You will need to have a solid base in English grammar which is essential for Writing, Reading and Listening sections in PTE Academic. Especially Essays in Writing require constructive writing style, you cannot skip this part. If you’re struggling with your Writing score, you should make room for grammar improvement.

There are a lot of grammar books out there, but I personally recommend the two books below which are commonly used for English language schools.

English Grammar in Use Book with Answers and Interactive eBook: Self-Study Reference and Practice Book for Intermediate Learners of English

Advanced Grammar in Use Book with Answers and Interactive eBook Klett Edition

By completing these books, you will not only have confidence in writing but also be comfortable in reading complex sentences. If you are not sure about your writing skills and struggling with your PTE Writing and other sections, I would highly recommend you to spend some time on here.

6.2.2 Reading aloud
Spend half an hour a day for at least a month.

The speaking section’s first question type is Read Aloud. This is so simple that you just read aloud what you see on the screen. The more you practice, the higher score you will get. Also, as I mentioned earlier, PTE Reading is generally difficult. By mastering Read Aloud it will be a big bonus for your Reading score as well.

You can practice Read Aloud using any materials. Personally, I was using Scientific American and Voice of America, but it will not really matter if you use any materials for this practice. Try to find a source that is updated regularly.

Also spend some time on checking how your speaking is detected. From the below link you can see if your voice is detectable or not.

Web Speech API Demonstration – Google
https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/demos/speech.html

6.2.3 Pearson Official Guide Book
You should go through the below book at least three times. By doing this, you will be able to deal with all potential questions you may get for the real test. Without doing this, you will need to rely on your luck which has less power over computer assessing exams such as PTE Academic.

Pearson Test of English Academic Practice Tests Plus and CD-ROM with Key Pack

6.2.4 Importance of each sections by desired score
Left is more important and right is less important.

PTE 50 (IELTS 6.0)
Speaking >>>>> Writing > Listening, Reading
Will need at least 45 points in Sample test

PTE 58 (IELTS 6.5)
Speaking > Writing >>> Listening, Reading
Will need at least 50 points in Sample test

PTE 65 (IELTS 7.0)
Speaking > Writing, Listening, Reading
Will need at least 55 points in Sample test

PTE 79 (IELTS 8.0)
Speaking, Listening >>> Writing, Reading
Will need at least 70 points in Sample test

It’s obvious that Speaking is important across all target scores, if you need to achieve over 65 points, you will also need to focus on the other sections as well. Of course, this is just one of many strategies.