If you're planning to take the PTE Academic exam on or after August 7, 2025, it's essential to understand the new changes that will shape your test experience. These updates, focusing on real-world English usage, will shift the focus from rote memorization to assessing your ability to communicate naturally in everyday scenarios. The goal of these changes is to better reflect the type of communication skills needed in academic and professional environments, so adapting your study methods is crucial to succeed with the updated format.

Why These Changes?

Pearson has made these changes based on valuable feedback from test-takers, aiming to move away from rigid memorized answers and focus on authentic communication skills. The previous format was often criticized for not accurately testing real-world language abilities. By shifting the exam to prioritize fluency and practical usage of English, Pearson is offering a more realistic and fair way to assess how well candidates can use English in everyday situations, academic settings, and work environments.

What’s New in the PTE Academic?

Here’s a look at the main updates you’ll encounter in the August 2025 version of the PTE Academic exam:

1. Two New Speaking Tasks

• Respond to a Situation: In this task, you’ll be asked to respond to real-life situations in a natural, polite, and effective manner. You might be asked to decline an invitation, offer assistance, or provide an explanation in a conversation. This tests how well you can manage social interactions and express yourself clearly in everyday contexts.
  
  

• Summarize a Group Discussion: For this task, you will listen to a short group discussion and summarize the key points in 20–30 seconds. This task assesses both your listening and speaking abilities, as you’ll need to extract the most relevant points and express them concisely.
  
  

2. “Repeat Sentence” Beep

In the Repeat Sentence task, a beep will now signal exactly when to start speaking. This feature eliminates any uncertainty about when to begin, allowing you to focus on repeating the sentence accurately.

3. User Interface Updates

The updated user interface will improve your overall exam experience:

• Double mic check: A more thorough microphone check will ensure your voice is clearly captured during speaking tasks.
  
  

• No keyboard check: The keyboard check has been removed, so you’ll be able to start the test more quickly.
  
  

• Circular progress bar: The new circular progress bar will help you track the time remaining in each section, allowing you to manage your time effectively.
  
  

• Font size adjustment: You can now adjust the font size to make reading questions and instructions easier.
  
  

• Audio waveform display: A visual waveform will appear as you speak, giving you a real-time representation of the clarity and volume of your voice.
  
  

4. Changes to Exam Structure & Time

• Total questions: The updated exam will now have 22 questions.
  
  

• Duration: The total exam duration has been extended to about 2 hours and 15 minutes, which is about 15 minutes longer than before.
  
  

• Faster onboarding: The exam now has fewer system checks, which means a faster start and more time to focus on answering the questions.
  
  

5. Human Evaluation for 7 Tasks

Human evaluators will now score seven tasks, ensuring a more accurate and fair assessment of your abilities. This change reduces reliance on automated scoring and encourages more authentic responses. The tasks evaluated by humans include:

• Describe Image
  
  

• Retell Lecture
  
  

• Respond to a Situation
  
  

• Summarize Group Discussion
  
  

• Summarize Written Text
  
  

• Write Essay
  
  

• Summarize Spoken Text
  
  

Human evaluation means that your responses will be judged based on their naturalness and clarity, rather than on memorized phrases or rigid structures.

How to Prepare Smartly

With these changes, your preparation should be geared toward real-world English usage. Here are some strategies to help you prepare effectively for the updated PTE Academic exam:

1. Practice Real-Life Scenarios: For the Respond to a Situation task, practice handling typical social situations, such as offering help, politely declining an offer, or explaining something. Focus on speaking naturally and confidently.
   
   

2. Enhance Listening and Summarizing Skills: For the Summarize Group Discussion and Summarize Spoken Text tasks, practice listening to discussions, podcasts, or lectures, and summarizing the key points in a short time. The goal is to capture the main ideas concisely.
   
   

3. Avoid Relying on Templates: While templates can provide a basic structure, overusing them can harm your score, especially in tasks evaluated by humans. Aim to respond naturally and clearly, using your own words rather than memorized answers.
   
   

4. Familiarize Yourself with the New Features: Spend time practicing with the new user interface, such as the beep system, the progress bar, and the waveform display. These updates will help you feel more confident and comfortable when taking the exam.
   
   

Quick Recap

• Two new speaking tasks: Respond to a Situation and Summarize Group Discussion.
  
  

• Human evaluation for seven tasks: Tasks like Describe Image and Retell Lecture will now be evaluated by human scorers.
  
  

• UI improvements: Features like the beep signal, circular progress bar, and font size adjustment will make the exam easier to navigate.
  
  

• Duration: The exam now lasts approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes.
  
  

• Focus on fluency: The exam now prioritizes fluency and real-world communication rather than memorization.
  
  

Final Thoughts

The updates to the PTE Academic exam in August 2025 are designed to better reflect the language skills you’ll need in real-life academic and professional environments. By focusing on fluency, spontaneity, and natural communication, these changes provide a more accurate assessment of your ability to use English effectively. To succeed, make sure to adjust your preparation to match the updated format, practice responding naturally in real-world situations, and get familiar with the new exam features. With the right preparation, you’ll be ready to excel in the updated PTE Academic exam.

FAQs

1. Has the PTE scoring system changed?
No, the PTE scoring system remains the same, with scores ranging from 10 to 90.

2. Will these updates affect PTE Core?
No, these changes apply only to PTE Academic and UKVI Academic exams.

3. Is the test longer now?
Yes, the exam duration has been extended by about 15 minutes.

4. Are old prep materials still useful?
Some older prep materials may no longer align with the new format. It's a good idea to use updated resources that reflect the 2025 changes.

5. Are templates banned?
Templates are not banned, but over-relying on them can negatively affect your score, especially in tasks evaluated by human scorers. Focus on speaking naturally and using your own words.

Source: PTE Academic New Update 2025