PTE Cheat Sheet

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PTE Cheat Sheet

When you're getting ready for your PTE test, this cheat sheet is all you need. Discover the most effective strategies and spend only 2 hours to become “PTE Ready”.

Focused Approach

  • For a score of 79 (IELTS 8): Concentrate on these 13 question types.
  • For a score of 65 (IELTS 7): Concentrate on these 10 question types.
Questions to focus on for 79 (IELTS 8) Questions to focus on for 79 (IELTS 8)
  1. Read Aloud
  2. Repeat Sentence
  3. Describe Image
  4. Retell Lecture
  5. Summarize Written Text
  6. Essay
  7. Fill in the Blanks – Reading & Writing
  8. Reorder Paragraph
  9. Fill in the Blanks – Reading
  10. Summarize Spoken Text
  11. Fill in the Blanks – Listening
  12. Highlight Incorrect Words
  13. Write from Dictation
  1. Read Aloud
  2. Repeat Sentence
  3. Describe Image
  4. Essay
  5. Fill in the Blanks – Reading & Writing
  6. Fill in the Blanks – Reading
  7. Summarize Spoken Text
  8. Fill in the Blanks – Listening
  9. Highlight Incorrect Words
  10. Write from Dictation

Read Aloud (Watch the strategy video)

  • Speed: Maintain a natural speed; not too fast or slow.
  • Pronunciation: Read from punctuation to punctuation with clear pronunciation.
  • Skipping: If you struggle with a word, skip it.
  • Rhythm: Maintain smooth, connected speech.

Repeat Sentence (Watch the strategy video)

  • Memory: Don’t try to memorize the question.
  • Note-taking: Avoid writing while listening.
  • Focus: Pay attention to the last half of the sentence.
  • Fluency: Focus on fluency and pronunciation of the part you can repeat.
  • Concentration: Close your eyes to improve concentration.
  • Chunks: Break the sentence into 2-3 meaningful parts.

Describe Image (Watch the strategy video)

  • Template: Use a practiced template for fluency.
  • Accuracy: Focus on fluency, not the accuracy of content.
  • Conclusion: Don’t skip the conclusion.

Retell Lecture (Watch the strategy video)

  • Template: Use and practice a template daily.
  • Keywords: Note 9-12 keywords.
  • Phrases: Turn keywords into key phrases if aiming for a higher score.

Summarize Written Text (Watch the strategy video)

  • Content: Include the first sentence of each paragraph and the last one.
  • Connecting: Join sentences using “and” or “but”.
  • Synonyms: Avoid overusing synonyms.
  • Paraphrasing: Do not paraphrase; ensure correct spelling.

Essay (Watch the strategy video)

  • Template: Follow any template you are comfortable with. Type your template a few times each day before your exam. This will ensure your fast and accurate typing during the exam.
  • Ideas: Write simple ideas using question keywords.
  • Paraphrasing: Avoid paraphrasing keywords.

Fill in the Blanks – Reading/Reading & Writing (Watch the strategy video)

  • Collocations: Focus on PTE collocation list.
  • Context: Understand the context and meaning before answering.
  • Grammar: Follow key grammar rules:
    1. Have/has/had + past participle tense (V3)
    2. Am/is/are/was/were + past participle tense (V3)
    3. Be/being/been+ past participle tense (V3)
    4. Preposition ‘to’ + first form of the verb (V1)
    5. Preposition with, of, for, about + verb-ing
    6. Articles a/an/the + noun
    7. Article a/an/the + adjective + noun
    8. Modal verb + first form of the verb
    9. Many + Plural nouns
    10. It/which/that + Plural form of the verb -s/-es

Reorder Paragraph (Watch the strategy video)

  • Introduction: Identify the introductory sentence; avoid sentences with pronouns and discourse markers.
  • Keywords: Use keywords to determine sentence positions.
  • Sequence: Follow chronological sequences.
  • Joiners: Identify joiners to determine sentence order.

Summarize Spoken Text (Watch the strategy video)

  • Template: Follow any template you are comfortable with. Type your template a few times each day before your exam. This will ensure your fast and accurate typing during the exam.
  • Keywords: Note 9-12 keywords.
  • Phrases: Convert keywords to phrases for higher scores.
  • Compound Sentences: Include at least one compound sentence.
  • Spelling: Check spelling

Fill in the Blanks – Listening (Watch the strategy video)

  • Direct Typing: Type answers directly if confident in typing speed.
  • Navigation: Use “Tab” to move between blanks.
  • Notepad: Write answers in sequence on your notepad.
  • Spelling: Double-check spelling, especially word endings.
  • Missed Words: Don’t look back if you miss a word.
  • Completion: Fill every blank, even if unsure. Remember, there’s no negative marking for this question type.

Highlight Incorrect Words (Watch the strategy video)

  • Speed: Stay one word ahead of the recording.
  • Accuracy: Avoid guessing; there is negative marking.
  • Missed Words: Don’t look back if you miss a word.

Write from Dictation (Watch the strategy video)

  • Notes: Take note of the first letter of each word.
  • Sequence: Word order doesn’t matter.
  • Extra Words: Adding extra words is okay.
  • Capitalization and Punctuation: Ensure correct capitalization and punctuation.

These strategies should help streamline your preparation and focus your efforts effectively as you approach your PTE exam. Good luck!