If you're planning to take the PTE Academic exam on or after August 7, 2025, there are some important changes you need to be aware of. Pearson has redesigned the test to better assess your real English communication skills, moving away from a focus on memorized answers. This means the updated test will be more practical, more natural, and fairer. It will reflect real-world situations where communication is key. Understanding these changes will help you prepare more effectively for the 2025 exam.
Let’s walk through the changes and share how you can get ready for the updated format.
What’s New in the PTE Academic 2025?
1. Two New Speaking Tasks
The biggest update in the new PTE format involves two new speaking tasks that aim to simulate real-life situations:
Respond to a Situation
This task involves listening to a situation and providing a natural, polite response. For example, you might be asked how to politely refuse an invitation, offer help, or give advice. This task tests how well you respond to everyday situations, encouraging natural communication over memorized answers.
Summarize a Group Discussion
In this task, you will listen to a short conversation between multiple people, and then you will need to summarize the key points in 20-30 seconds. This task tests both your listening and speaking skills, requiring you to process information quickly and communicate it effectively. It's designed to reflect what happens in group settings, such as meetings or discussions.
Both tasks aim to evaluate how you handle real communication, which is the heart of the new PTE exam format.
2. Beep Sound in “Repeat Sentence” Task
The “Repeat Sentence” task now includes a clear beep sound to indicate when you should start speaking. Previously, students were sometimes unsure about the timing. With the new beep sound, you can focus more on speaking clearly without worrying about when to begin. This small change makes the task feel more intuitive and less stressful.
3. Improved Test Interface
The test platform has been redesigned to make the experience smoother and more user-friendly:
Double microphone check – ensures your voice is captured clearly before you start speaking.
No keyboard check – saves you time and simplifies the process.
Circular progress bar – visually indicates how much time is left, keeping you on track.
Adjustable font size – improves readability, especially for the written tasks.
Audio waveform display – helps you see how well your voice is being picked up.
These improvements help you focus better during the exam and feel more confident.
4. Longer Test Duration
The PTE Academic exam will now be 2 hours and 15 minutes long, which is 15 minutes longer than before. This additional time is to account for the new speaking tasks and to give you more time to showcase your abilities. The extra time allows you to approach each section with a calmer, more focused mindset.
5. Human Evaluation for 7 Tasks
In another important change, seven key tasks in the exam will now be scored by human evaluators. These tasks include:
Describe Image
Retell Lecture
Respond to a Situation
Summarize Group Discussion
Summarize Written Text
Write Essay
Summarize Spoken Text
Human evaluators will assess your communication skills, both in writing and speaking. This means that you will be graded on how clearly and naturally you express your ideas, not just how well you memorize or follow patterns. It’s important to speak and write in a genuine, natural way to get the best score.
How to Prepare for the New PTE Pattern
With these changes in place, you may be wondering how to prepare for the updated PTE Academic exam. Here are a few tips:
Practice speaking naturally in real-life situations: Focus on tasks like offering help, refusing an invitation politely, or giving advice. This will prepare you for the "Respond to a Situation" task.
Summarize group conversations: Listen to discussions, podcasts, or even news reports, and practice summarizing what you hear. This helps with the “Summarize Group Discussion” task.
Use updated practice tests: Make sure the practice material you use reflects the new format so you’re familiar with the tasks.
Work on fluency and clarity: The goal is to speak clearly and confidently, rather than relying on memorized answers. Focus on expressing yourself in a natural way.
Record and review your speaking: Listening to your recordings will help you identify any areas of improvement, like pronunciation or fluency.
Avoid memorizing templates: While it’s okay to know how to structure your answers, avoid memorized phrases. Focus on speaking in your own words naturally.
Final Thoughts
The changes to the PTE Academic exam in 2025 make the test more realistic and focused on how you use English in real life. The new tasks are designed to test your ability to communicate in practical, everyday situations. While the updates may seem challenging, they also give you more opportunities to showcase your true skills.
If you focus on natural communication, practice regularly, and stay confident, you’ll be well-prepared for the new PTE exam format. Just remember, the key is to speak and write from experience—not from a script.
Source: PTE Academic Update 2025
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