The PTE Academic Exam has revolutionized the English testing department. Its state-of-the-art computerized testing system and accurate and fair grading, have made PTE the most sought-after English test by students the world over. However, there are some rules that need to be adhered to and a few not so well-known tips that can guarantee a smooth test day.
Here is a list of dos and don’ts for the PTE Academic Exam that are essential to know:
PTE Do's
Reduce Your Test Day Anxiety
Students often experience a high level of test-day anxiety and this has a great impact on their scores. It can be overwhelming to have to use a wide range of language skills under timed conditions. Make sure you are well rested before you sit for the exam. Get an early night's rest before your test and try to relax instead of studying frantically. You should also make sure that you have a good breakfast as you will have to sit for the entire test duration without any food items.
ID Documents
Make sure you bring your original ID Documents and passport, and that these are the same as the ones that you used to register for the exam. You will not be allowed to sit for the exam if you fail to meet this criteria.
Time Management
The majority of PTE questions are timed together. It is important to know exactly how much time you should spend on each question type. Many students fail to follow this advice and spend far too much time focusing on certain types of questions, which eats into their overall time for the other tasks. You can’t ‘borrow’ time from one part of the test and add it to another.
Check Your Microphone
Although it is not common, there have been instances where students have not scored well due to a faulty microphone. It’s important to make sure you voice your concerns to an invigilator as early as possible to avoid any discrepancies in your final score.
What Are You Allowed To Bring With You
The rules for what you are allowed to bring into the test center on test day are very strict. You are basically not allowed to bring any personal items, these include things like, mobile phones, hand-held computers/personal digital assistants (PDAs) or other electronic devices, pagers, watches, wallets, purses, firearms or other weapons, hats (and other non-religious head coverings), bags, coats, jackets, eyeglass cases, books, and/or notes, pens or pencils are allowed in the testing room.
You are also not allowed to bring any food or drink items (even water) into the test room
If you refuse to store your personal items, you will be unable to test, and you will lose your test fee.
The Erasable Notebook and Pen
An erasable notebook and pen will be provided to us to use throughout your test. However, there are only certain items in which its use is actually necessary. You can use these during the lengthier question types like for essays, retell lectures, SST, and SWT. It is also really useful for most of the listening questions since the recordings are only played once.
For the listening section in particular, since time is scarce, you should avoid making lengthy notes, as you might miss important information. Simply focus on keywords and phrases. Your notes should only serve to reinforce what you are listening to, so make sure that you focus on listening and not on note taking. This will help to clarify your understanding of what you are listening to
Make sure that you request to have two markers just in case, and also make sure that you always replace the cap after you use it. They tend to dry out pretty quickly and it would take some time before an invigilator can provide you with a new one.