PTE Academic question bank, question types and practice prompts
Pearson sells a PTE Academic Question Bank of 340 new and authentic practice questions, plus a separate bank inside its Official Guide, which Pearson's help centre counts at 380 questions and its product page describes as 'a bonus 300 practice questions'. Neither is the live test. The test has 9, 5 and 8 question types in its three parts, listed below with Pearson's timings, and every practice prompt on this page is our own.
'PTE questions' can mean three different things: the official question bank, the list of question types, or the questions that will be in the test. This page covers all three. It sets out what Pearson says about its question banks and practice products, lists every question type with Pearson's own timings, explains why we do not publish 'real exam' lists, and gives you eight themes of original practice prompts. We are not Pearson and this is not immigration advice; Pearson's pages decide how the test works.
The official PTE Academic question banks
What Pearson sells, what it says is inside, and what is free.
Pearson sells a PTE Academic Question Bank on its own, and it puts a second, different bank inside the Official Guide to PTE Academic. Both are practice material, not the live test.
"The PTE Academic Question Bank is a self-study product designed to help you try task types from the test with new, authentic content."
| Product | What Pearson says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PTE Academic Question Bank | The PTE Academic Question Bank includes 340 new and authentic test questions, across all of the task types in PTE Academic. | Pearson help centre |
| Question Bank: scoring | The tasks in the bank are not currently scored. However, you can check if your answers are correct or incorrect and compare sample answers to your own responses to speaking and writing questions. | Pearson help centre |
| Question Bank: access | Access to the PTE Academic Question bank expires six months after the access code is activated. | Pearson help centre |
| Official Guide Question Bank | The Official Guide Question Bank includes 380 new and authentic test questions, across all of the task types. | Pearson help centre |
| Official Guide Question Bank: access | Student access expires 24 months (two years) after the access code is activated. There is no limitation on the number of attempts you can make. | Pearson help centre |
| Two banks, not one | The 340 questions in this bank are completely different to the 380 questions in the Official Guide Question Bank. | Pearson help centre |
Pearson's pages disagree on the count
The help centre says 340 questions. Two older Pearson articles put it at 300 or 300+. We show both, because a reader will meet both.
| Where | What it says |
|---|---|
| Pearson help centre | The PTE Academic Question Bank includes 340 new and authentic test questions, across all of the task types in PTE Academic. |
| Pearson article comparing PTE and IELTS (it also lists a price of $19.99 USD) | the Question Bank features 300 test questions, split by task type, as well as sample answers for the Speaking and Writing sections of the test. |
| Pearson article dated July 5, 2021 | Practice with 300+ questions |
The Official Guide's own bank has a similar split. The help centre counts it at 380 questions, and Pearson's product page for the Official Guide describes 'a bonus 300 practice questions'. We cannot tell which is current, so check the product page when you buy.
Our reading: the help centre is Pearson's support page, so we go with its count and treat the older figures and the price in the older article as unconfirmed. You can see the current price on Pearson's own product page, where Pearson says you buy the bank.
"You can buy the PTE Academic Question Bank on our product page"
A related line in the same help page, about the Official Guide’s Question Bank, says 23 task types in PTE Academic or PTE Core. That does not match the 22 question types in the Academic Score Guide or the 19 task types in the Core Score Guide, and Pearson does not say what it counts, so we do not use the number.
"Each skill area in the bank has practice tasks for each of the 23 task types in PTE Academic or PTE Core"
The other official practice options
Free, scored and AI-based.
| Option | What Pearson says |
|---|---|
| Free resources in Smart Prep | A study plan; 4 full Guided Practice Tests; Sectional Guided Practice Tests; Video courses split by skill; Test tip documents |
| Scored Practice Test | Take a 2-hour practice test that uses the same format and scoring engine |
| Scored Practice Test price on Pearson's page | Selling price: 35.99 USD |
| Official AI Practice | 1000+ practice questions, 15 full-length mock tests, 20 sectional tests |
| Official AI Practice: feedback | Instant scoring and feedback |
| Official Guide to PTE Academic | A comprehensive book with access to digital resources (videos, worksheets and more) and an online question bank. |
| PTE Academic Practice App | The PTE Academic Practice App is no longer available |
Pearson says you open the free items through a myPTE account.
"Smart Prep is our preparation portal which hosts all of our preparation resources – both free and paid. You can access Smart Prep in myPTE. Simply create an account for free, or sign in."
Pearson's pages count the free guided practice tests differently. Its help page lists 9 and its November 2024 article lists five. Treat the count as something that changes, and look inside Smart Prep for the current set.
| Where | What it says |
|---|---|
| Pearson help page | There are 9 Guided Practice Tests within Smart Prep for PTE Academic including 4 full versions, 4 skill versions and one short version. |
| Pearson article, November 2024 | Each category includes five tests: one short test that provides a condensed version of the exam |
If you would rather be taught than self-study, Pearson's help page names one online course provider.
"If you want to prepare online, you can take an online course with E2Language."
Part 1 question types: Speaking and Writing
Nine types. Pearson's words for the task and the timings.
"This part of the test contains nine different question types. You will be tested on your speaking and writing skills, using English you might hear in an academic environment."
| Question type | What you do (Pearson's words) | Time and length (Pearson) |
|---|---|---|
| Read Aloud | Text appears on the screen. Read the text aloud. | Text up to 60 words. You have 30–40 seconds to read the text and prepare. |
| Repeat Sentence | After listening to a recording of a sentence, repeat the sentence. | Prompt 3-9 seconds. Time to answer 15 seconds. |
| Describe Image | An image appears on the screen. Describe the image in detail. | 25 seconds to study the image and prepare. 40 seconds to answer. |
| Retell Lecture | After listening to or watching a lecture, retell the lecture in your own words. | Audio up to 90 seconds. 10 seconds to prepare. 40 seconds to answer. |
| Answer Short Question | After listening to a question, answer with a single word or a few words. | Prompt 3–9 seconds. Time to answer 10 seconds. |
| Summarize Group Discussion | Listen to a discussion between 3 people, then summarize the discussion in your own words. | Audio up to 3 minutes. 10 seconds to prepare. 2 minutes to answer. |
| Respond to a Situation | Listen to and read a description of a situation. Then answer a question about it with an extended response. | Text up to 60 words. 10 seconds to think, then 40 seconds to speak. |
| Summarize Written Text | After reading the text, write a one-sentence summary of the passage. | Text up to 300 words. 10 minutes. No more than 75 words. |
| Write Essay | Write a 200–300 word essay on a given topic. | Prompt of 2-3 sentences. 20 minutes. |
Pearson also puts a Personal Introduction at the start of this part. It is unscored.
"This question does not contribute to your score and is for familiarization purposes only."
"The Personal Introduction is an opportunity for you to get familiar with PTE test technology and to help you prepare for your speaking and listening questions."
The introduction gives you 25 seconds to read the prompt and 30 seconds to record, so you can try the microphone before the scored tasks.
Part 2 question types: Reading
Five types. Pearson's words for the task and the text length.
| Question type | What you do (Pearson's words) | Text length |
|---|---|---|
| Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown) | You will see some text with several gaps. Choose the correct words from the drop-down menu to fill in the gaps. | Text up to 200 words. |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | After reading the text, answer a multiple-choice question on the content or tone of the text by selecting more than one response. | Text up to 350 words. |
| Reorder Paragraph | Several text boxes appear on the screen in a random order. Put the text boxes in the correct order. | Text up to 110 words. |
| Fill in the Blanks (Drag and Drop) | The text appears on a screen with several gaps in it. Drag words from the box below to fill the gaps. | Text up to 80 words. |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | After reading the text, answer a multiple-choice question by selecting one response. | Text up to 110 words. |
Part 3 question types: Listening
Eight types. Recordings are played once.
| Question type | What you do (Pearson's words) | Audio length |
|---|---|---|
| Summarize Spoken Text | After listening to a recording, write a 50–70 word summary. | Audio 60–90 seconds. You have 10 minutes to listen and write. |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | After listening to a recording, answer a multiple-choice question on the content or tone of the recording by selecting more than one response. | Audio 80-120 seconds. |
| Fill in the Blanks (Type In) | A transcript of a recording appears on the screen, with several gaps. After listening to the recording, type the missing word in each gap. | Audio 30–60 seconds. |
| Highlight Correct Summary | After listening to a recording, select the paragraph that best summarizes the recording. | Audio 30-90 seconds. |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | After listening to a recording, answer a multiple-choice question by selecting one response. | Audio 30–60 seconds. |
| Select Missing Word | After listening to a recording, select the missing word that completes the recording from a list of options. | Audio 20–70 seconds. |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | The transcript of a recording appears on the screen. While listening to the recording, identify the words in the transcript that differ from what is said. | Audio 15–50 seconds. |
| Write from Dictation | For this item type, you hear a short sentence. Type the sentence into the response box at the bottom of the screen. | Audio 3–5 seconds. |
Pearson's Listening page says how the recordings are played, and that notes are allowed.
"You hear each audio or video clip once. You are allowed to take notes."
What 'real exam questions' can and cannot mean
A plain answer.
Many sites sell or share 'real exam questions' or 'questions from this month'. We do not publish any, and we do not copy anyone's list. Every prompt on this page is one we wrote. Here is why we are careful.
- The practice questions Pearson itself sells are described as 'new' and 'authentic'. That is a description of practice content, not a claim that they are the questions in your sitting.
- Pearson's cancellation policy says it reserves the right to change test content. We cannot tell you what is in any sitting, and Pearson publishes no list of the questions in a sitting, so a list that claims to come from last month is unverified.
- What Pearson does publish is the set of question types, their timings and their marking (see the three tables above), and that is what is worth practising.
"Pearson reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel or reschedule tests, change test content or change the number of test takers in the test session during a PTE test."
Our reading: practise the question types, not a remembered list. A memorised answer to a prompt you may never see is worth less than the habit of planning and answering any prompt in the time you have. For Write Essay, Summarize Spoken Text and the speaking tasks that ask you to describe or retell, Pearson also says that an unoriginal response earns no credit.
"No credit is given for no response, an irrelevant response or an unoriginal response. You must use your own words."
Original practice prompts by theme
Eight themes, four task types each. All ours.
These prompts are ours, grouped by theme so you can practise one subject across several task types. They are not from any test and they do not predict one. For the spoken tasks, find a recording or ask a friend to read the situation aloud, then use the timings in the tables above. For Describe Image, draw the chart yourself from numbers you make up, or find a similar one in a news article.
Education
- Write Essay: 'Universities should let students choose all of their subjects instead of following a fixed programme. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this approach and give your own view.'
- Respond to a Situation: A classmate promised to send you their lecture notes and has not, and your assignment is due on Friday. Leave them a polite voicemail.
- Describe Image: a bar chart comparing weekly hours of study, paid work and sleep for first-year and final-year students.
- Retell Lecture and Summarize Group Discussion: find a short talk on how spaced repetition helps memory, or on whether group projects are fair to every member.
Technology
- Write Essay: 'Many workplaces now use software that tracks how long employees spend on each task. Do the benefits of this outweigh the drawbacks?'
- Respond to a Situation: Your team's online meeting is about to start and your internet has failed. Leave a voice message for your team leader explaining what you will do.
- Describe Image: a line graph of the share of adults who make a video call at least once a week, over ten years.
- Retell Lecture and Summarize Group Discussion: find a talk on how recommendation algorithms shape what people watch.
Environment
- Write Essay: 'Governments should tax single-use plastic packaging. To what extent do you agree or disagree?'
- Respond to a Situation: You are a volunteer at a beach clean-up and a group of visitors asks where to put their rubbish. Explain what they should do.
- Describe Image: a pie chart of where household waste ends up: recycling, landfill and compost.
- Retell Lecture and Summarize Group Discussion: find a talk on why wetlands matter for flood control.
Health
- Write Essay: 'Schools should serve only healthy food and ban sugary drinks on their grounds. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.'
- Respond to a Situation: A friend tells you they are skipping breakfast to study. Explain, in a friendly way, why you think they should eat.
- Describe Image: a table comparing the average hours of sleep for three age groups.
- Retell Lecture and Summarize Group Discussion: find a talk on how sleep affects learning.
Work and money
- Write Essay: 'Some people think young workers should save a fixed share of every pay cheque. Others say spending on experiences is a better use of money. Discuss both views.'
- Respond to a Situation: A new colleague asks how to submit an expense claim and you are not sure of the deadline. Leave a message that gives the steps you know and says how you will find out the rest.
- Describe Image: a bar chart comparing weekly spending on housing, food and transport in three cities.
- Retell Lecture and Summarize Group Discussion: find a talk on the rise of short-term contract work.
Cities and transport
- Write Essay: 'Cities should ban private cars from their centres. To what extent do you agree or disagree?'
- Respond to a Situation: A visitor asks the quickest way from the station to the university library, and the usual bus route is closed. Explain what they should do.
- Describe Image: a map showing three proposed tram routes and the number of stops on each.
- Retell Lecture and Summarize Group Discussion: find a talk on how cycle lanes change commuting habits.
Culture and society
- Write Essay: 'Learning a second language should be compulsory for every school student. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages.'
- Respond to a Situation: You are asked to welcome an international student at the airport and give them a short plan for their first day. What do you say?
- Describe Image: a line graph of museum visitors by month, with one clear peak and one clear dip.
- Retell Lecture and Summarize Group Discussion: find a talk on why languages disappear and how communities protect them.
Science
- Write Essay: 'Scientific research should be funded mainly by governments, not by private companies. Discuss both views and give your opinion.'
- Respond to a Situation: Your lab partner has mixed up two sample labels and the experiment is due this afternoon. Explain what you would do and who you would tell.
- Describe Image: a flow chart of the steps in the water cycle.
- Retell Lecture and Summarize Group Discussion: find a talk on how vaccines train the immune system.
Two mini practice sets
Ours. Answer key and a one-line reason for each.
First set: Answer Short Question (read aloud by a friend, answer in one word or a few)
- What do you call a person who teaches a class at a university?
- In which direction does the sun set?
- What instrument do you use to measure temperature?
- What is the name for a book of maps?
- Which month comes just before October?
- What do you call a place where you can borrow books for free?
| Question | Answer | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | lecturer (or professor) | A single word names the job. No more is needed. |
| 2 | west | One word. The question asks for a direction only. |
| 3 | thermometer | One word. The instrument is named by its job. |
| 4 | atlas | One word. A common term you should recognise by ear. |
| 5 | September | One word. Listen for 'just before'. |
| 6 | library | One word. The detail 'for free' points to a public place. |
Second set: Reorder Paragraph
Put these five sentences into the order of the original paragraph. Look for the sentence that can stand alone first.
- A. Today, most also offer free internet access, meeting rooms and classes for adults.
- B. As a result, many new libraries are designed more like community centres than quiet reading halls.
- C. Libraries have changed a great deal over the past twenty years.
- D. This shift has been driven by falling book borrowing and growing demand for community space.
- E. Once, their main purpose was to store and lend printed books.
| Position | Sentence | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | It states the topic and does not refer back to anything, so it can stand alone. |
| 2 | E | 'Once' sets up the old purpose, and 'their' refers back to libraries in C. |
| 3 | A | 'Today' contrasts with 'Once' and 'also' adds to the services. |
| 4 | D | 'This shift' refers to the change described in A. |
| 5 | B | 'As a result' draws the consequence, so it comes last. |
Order: C, E, A, D, B.
Which practice to use
Our reading of the options above.
| If you are | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Booked and not ready to spend | Smart Prep's free items | A study plan, guided practice tests and test tips cost nothing, and you will find your weak task types quickly. |
| Wanting a full timed run | A Scored Practice Test | It runs on the same format and scoring engine, so it is the nearest rehearsal. |
| Wanting a large number of questions to repeat | A question bank | It is organised by task type, with sample answers to compare against. |
| Wanting feedback on speaking and writing between tests | Official AI Practice | Pearson says it gives instant scoring and feedback. |
| Wanting a person to teach you | A tutor or course | A course named on Pearson's help page. |
None of these is a guarantee of a result, and we are not ranking them. If you use a question bank, use it the way Pearson describes its guided practice: in an exam-like setting, with a self-review and a comparison against the sample answers.
"Compare with sample answers: Click on the sample answer button to listen to and read the sample response."
- Do a set in one sitting, with the timings from the tables above.
- Record your spoken answers and play them back before you read any sample.
- Note every task type where you lose time or words, then repeat only those.
- Do not memorise sample answers. Learn the shape of a good answer and write your own.
Common questions
Pearson describes it as a self-study product designed to help you try task types from the test with new, authentic content. It is sold separately from the Scored Practice Tests.
Pearson's help centre says the PTE Academic Question Bank has 340 questions and the bank inside the Official Guide has 380, and that they are different questions. Two older Pearson articles put the standalone bank at 300 or more, and the Official Guide's product page describes 'a bonus 300 practice questions'.
No. Pearson says you buy it on its product page, and access expires six months after the code is activated. Free practice is in Smart Prep, which also holds paid items and opens from a myPTE account.
Pearson says the tasks in the bank are not currently scored, but you can check if your answers are correct or incorrect and compare sample answers to your own speaking and writing responses. The Scored Practice Test is the scored product.
Pearson lists nine in Part 1, five in Part 2 and eight in Part 3. It also has an unscored Personal Introduction at the start of Part 1.
Pearson's practice products describe their questions as new and authentic, and Pearson reserves the right to change test content. We do not publish recent exam lists. Every prompt on this page is our own.
They are short and set to fixed limits: Read Aloud text up to 60 words, Summarize Written Text passages up to 300 words, Write Essay prompts of 2-3 sentences. The three tables above list every type.
Pearson says the PTE Academic Practice App is no longer available, and points to Official PTE AI Practice instead.