PTE Academic is the English test you can use to show your English ability as part of all Australian visa applications. This PTE test is available in Sydney and other Australian cities as well and is accepted by all Australian universities, as well as by expert associations and state federal government departments.
PTE is a computer-based English language test that non-native English speakers need to pass if they want to study or live permanently in Australia. It checks Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. PTE concerns frequently check 2 skills, such as listening and reading, or reading and speaking together. The whole test is performed in a single 3-hour session at an official centre.I want to share my experience about taking several IELTS tests trying to get that damn 7.0 in every band, then lastly choosing to try my luck (ahem, my english abilities) at a different test. Hopefully I will handle to convince others to take the PTE-Academic instead of the IELTS. If you do not want to read any of the information and want to get to completion of this, just avoid to the results part.
For those that do not know what any of these exams are, they are standardised english tests that measure your capability to speak english. These examinations are usually needed by universities or governments for visa applications if you originate from a non-english speaking background. There are multiple tests and they all have a different format, however I will just talk about the PTE and the IELTS. The arise from these tests are valid for 2 or 3 years, therefore, as an immigrant you may have to take them more than when depending upon your visa situation. As one of my friends says, it is as if you suddenly forget how to speak english, and you go, SORRY!, my results ended I do not know how to ENGLISH any longer!, byeee!
IETLS Vs PTE
Simply put, the main difference in between IELTS and PTE is that IELTS is a paper based test, where you read and compose your responses in paper, and the PTE is all computer based. When it comes to IELTS the speaking part takes the kind of an interview, and in the PTE you just speak with the computer. ITELS has a maximum rating of 9.0 and PTE has an optimal score of 90. I find the PTE Academic as a more difficult examination than the IELTS, because of the complicated material and vocabulary utilized in the questions, as the listening and reading passages can be based on scholastic readings, making it hard for someone that doesn't have a good grasp of the language. Also, the speaking part contains a graphs and charts area where you have 25 seconds to study the image and 40 seconds to describe it, I found that pretty daunting at the start, however I got used to it with practice.
My background
I am from Venezuela and my first language is Spanish. I began discovering english when I was 12 or 13, and when I was 15 I had a really good deal with on the language and was quite fluent by then. In 2007 I took the TOEFL because it was needed by universities in Australia, and I did quite well, at least sufficient to enter university. So in 2008, at 18 I moved to Australia. Then in 2013 I took the IELTS due to the fact that I was preparing to extend my visa, but after doing an entire university course, I was positive in my ability to speak english and I only examined the test format the day previously. Once again, I had no problem in getting the result I needed, getting 7.0 or above in every band.
In January 2016 my previous outcomes were no longer legitimate, so I had to take the IELTS again, to be able to get enough points for a permanent residency visa application. This is where things got difficult. This time I was likewise confident that I would succeed in the test, so I studied the format of the exam and practiced questions for about 2 days. 2 weeks later on I get the results and was shocked that I had actually gotten a 6.5 in my writing band. This was bad, but not horrible given that I had an 8.5 in the rest of the bands, and an average of 8.0. From the outcomes, I just believed I did not have enough words on my essay for the writing area.
Throughout this time I was exceptionally busy between work and making a video editing application as a side project. This app was taking the majority of my time beyond work, I was not seeing friends or doing anything outside of work. I still managed to get to the gym, but I was hooked on getting the app ended up. I chose to take the IELTS once again as soon as possible, so that I could get back to operate in the app. Yet again, another failure in my capability to speak english, this was PTE Coaching in Auckland quite devastating and difficult. Understanding that my remain in this nation depended on an english exam that I had passed previously but for some factor I needed to take once again, yes, that had an unfavorable effect on me.