PTE ACADEMIC

fallenchocolates

Hi guys! I tried the PTE practice scored test A today and ito yung results which i compared to my IELTS score.

PTE A /IELTS score taken last June 2015

72 Listening 7
65 Reading 6
63 Speaking 7
71 Writing 6


I got 63 sa speaking sa practice test which is alarming. Do you think it has something to do with the mic of the headset? Yung reading is expected na kasi im not really good in reading but what really surprised me is the writing na umabot pa ako sa score na 71 hehe

btw, yung repeat sentence ganun ba talaga kabilis sa actual exam? doon yata ako sablay.


@dominick congrats! i'll wait for your tips din I'll be taking the exam on friday.

kymme

@fallenchocolates sa mga napansin ko, mas mahirap ang mock daw sa actual and tumataas ang scores sa actual from mock. yan pandin ko mostly sa mga nakapag take na

vher

Good Evening Everyone,

Question lang po regarding sa Gold Package nang PTE-A.

I am not quite sure whether it was already discussed in the previous post but I noticed that when I purchased the Gold Package from PTE. It has 2 major components, namely ONLINE PRACTICE TESTS and SAMPLE QUESTIONS.

One time take lang po ba yung ONLINE PRACTICE TESTS and SAMPLE QUESTIONS? meaning once nagamit ko na, I wont be able to re-take or do another round of review?

For example for SAMPLE QUESTIONS? once I click start from one of the items would I be able to retake it again for another review?

Thank you very much and good luck satin!

OZwaldCobblepot

@dominick Congrats! Taas ng scores mo. others will be highly motivated to take PTE dahil jan

OZwaldCobblepot

@vher Yung sample test, you may retake it as many times as you want. pero hindi nababago questions nyan. Yung online practice test, once lang yan. Pag nagamit mo na both, you have to buy again.

jrgongon

guys paturo sa repeat sentence...ang hina ko makaalala...

vher

@OZwaldCobblepot Thank you

dominick

Thanks guys! Pinost ko na ang tips pero requiring approval pa raw from @admin. Di ko alam bakit.

dominick

As promised, here are some tips and tricks that helped me (or could have helped me if I just realized them earlier). But please note that these may not be applicable to everyone.

GENERAL TIPS:

Familiarize yourself with how the exam is being scored. May madadownload na PDF regarding this sa PTE website. This will help you understand what matters and what doesn't.

Use Macmillan and PTE-A Offline Test to get an idea about the type of questions and the degree of difficulty. In my case, masasabi kong magkasing-hirap lang ang Macmillan, PTE-A Offline at yung actual exam.

Take the online mock test to gauge the flow of the exam and the time allotted for each part. Looking back at my experience, I would suggest maging conscious po tayo sa time limit lalo na sa reading.

Very important: Sa pagrereview, focus more on your weaknesses. In my case, hindi ko na masyadong pinansin yung mga alam kong kaya naman.

SPEAKING:

Read aloud - This is easy for most of us, I guess. Ang crucial lang dito ay yung pace ng reading. Wag masyado mabilis na parang kinakain na ang words. Wag naman mabagal dahil baka sumobra sa time limit. The right pace will let you read the passage in 30-40 seconds.

Repeat sentence - Just listen to the audio intently. No need to write it down. Usually, maiksi lang naman ang sentences kaya hindi mahirap tandaan.

Describe image - If you look at how PTE is scored, you will see that what matters here is your fluency, mentioning of keywords, grammar, and pronunciation. In my case, walang kakwenta kwenta yung mga sinabi ko. Pero I made sure tama ang grammar ko, nakapag-mention ako ng keywords related to the graph, and I delivered it as fluently and clearly as possible. Keep ah, um, er, and other fillers to a minimum.

Re-tell lecture - same as Describe Image. Fluency, mentioning of keywords, grammar, and pronunciation. I only jotted down the keywords. Hindi ako masyadong nag-notes para mas makapag-focus ako sa audio. May items na hindi ako nag-notes at all. Give it a try and see kung mas effective din ba sayo kapag mag-focus na lang sa audio instead of taking down a lot of notes.

Answer short question - easy part. Just answer the question straight. No need to say it in a complete sentence.

WRITING:

Summarize written text - keywords, grammar, and correct use of punctuation. And follow instructions, one sentence lang dapat. Hindi ko alam kung may word limit dito pero yung sentences ko nasa around 30 words. You will have enough time for this part. Don't be pressured.

Write essay - again, keywords, grammar, and correct use of punctuation. Yung structure hindi na masyadong importante, I guess. I don't think the computer is smart enough to check if you're making sense or not. Pero makakatulong ang familiarity sa structure ng essay para free-flowing ang ideas at alam mo kung ano ang isusulat. Refer to youtube videos of IELTS Ryan for the structure of argumentative and discussion essays.

READING:

Hindi ko na iisa-isahin. Refer to previous posts in this forum or dun sa wordpress ni @filipinacpa for specific tips. Ang key lang naman talaga dito ay intindihin ang binabasa, and be conscious of the time remaining. Sobrang bilis ng oras dito lalo na kung nagtagal ka sa isang part na pinilit mong intindihin. That happened to me kaya hindi ko natapos ang reading part. Kaya kung hindi talaga maintindihan ang passage, just have a guess. Otherwise, you might run out of time and miss the easier parts.

LISTENING:

Summarize spoken text - similar to Re-tell Lecture, keywords, grammar and correct use of punctuation ang importante dito. Again, I only wrote down the keywords at hindi na ako masyadong nag-notes para mas makapag-focus ako sa audio. Kapag hindi talaga maintindihan ang audio, just compose sentences kahit hindi related sa subject basta andun ang keywords at correct ang grammar & punctuation.

Multiple choice - make sure naiintindihan mo ang question before the audio starts. Then, if you have more time, skim through the choices. Pero pag nag-start na ang audio, I think it would be best if mag-focus muna sa pakikinig. It's usually hard to listen and read at the same time.

Highlight correct summary - same as Multiple Choice, skim through the choices before the audio starts pero kapag nag-start na, focus on listening.

Fill in the blanks - easy part. You can type the word straight to the box kapag mabilis ka mag-type. Maging vigilant lang dun sa sunod-sunod na blanks kasi baka habang nagta-type ka ay ma-miss out mo yung next word.

Select missing word - listen to the audio, and try your best to understand the gist of the speech. Kapag naintindihan ang audio, this will be easy. Pag hindi, just have a guess.

Highlight incorrect words - another easy part. Basta sabayan mo lang ng cursor on the text yung sinasabi ng audio recording. Then upon spotting on the incorrect word, click.

Write from dictation - easier version of Repeat Sentence. Kapag mabilis mag-type, pwedeng direcho na sa screen. Otherwise, you can write it down first. Hindi naman mahaba ang sentences so they should be easy to remember.

So that's it! If I missed out anything or if you have further questions, just ask. Cheers!

dominick

Link to PTE test tutorials, top tips, and offline practice test:

http://pearsonpte.com/test-takers/preparation/free-pte-academic-preparation/

dominick

Structure of an argument essay (video tutorial):

Structure of a discussion essay (video tutorial):

jandm

@dominick wow ang taas ng scores mo both sa IELTS and PTE! congrats!

kymme

hi guys. i tried my mock A test (not knowing any sturcture of the test) with the following results L78, R62, W80, S66. sa enabling lahat above 79 except oral fluency and pronunciation. Nag matter po ba ang headset na gamit? sa reading, mahirap siya pero minadali ko kasi lahat. nkaka amaze yung results

OZwaldCobblepot

@kymme ganda ng mock test result mo madali ang 90 sayo Based sa experience ko, more on speed and how you speak yung factors ng Oral Fluency and Pronunciation. Though baka nga may factor headset pero minimal lang siguro if your voice record is clear naman. Try mo magrecord ng voice mo while reading. Then judge it kung naiintindihan mo naman to check if may problem sa headset.

kymme

@OZwaldCobblepot problem ko talaga is super bilis ako magsalita. to the point na minsan na bubulol ako. otherwise, it comes with oractice. ang hirap pala ng words na gamit sa reading. huhu. nakaka nosebleed masyado. and sa writing naman, ok lang pala di maxado flowery words as long as correct grammar, spelling etc. just have to read more tips and dapat reciew talaga. december pa naman exam ko

kymme

@OZwaldCobblepot tumataas po ba ang score sa actual compared sa mock? sbi ng iba mas mahirap daw mock

OZwaldCobblepot

@kymme yep, that's why. kelangan parang CNN/BBC reporter daw ang dating ng pagsasalita. hehe. and yes, sa writing, or any part of the test that will allow you to write your own words, kelangan correct grammar, spelling and lots of academic words for vocabulary, mapapataas mo talaga scores mo.

As for actual vs. Mock, based sa scores ko, ang laki ng tinaas ko sa Reading, writing at listening. Di ko alam kung nadalian lang ako or mas lenient ang scoring sa actual. Pero nagcheck din ako sa mga previous posts dito, tumataas mga actual exam nila wag lang magkakaproblem sa speaking part.

kymme

@OZwaldCobblepot yun din pansin ko. sana nga tataas talaga sa actual. kelangan ko kasi at least 79. buti pa kau taas score mo. pero practice tlaga ako. sayang din pera

OZwaldCobblepot

@kymme kaya yan. tamang strategy lang yan. mataas naman nkuha mo sa mock. Goodluck

jrgongon

talaga bang mahirap ang mcmillan..ang parang weakness ko ang repeat sentence..huhuhu....hina ng short term memory ko...ilang araw na lang exam ko na...pinafamiliarize ko na lang sarili ko sa format ng exam..by the way mas maganda bang hayaan na lumabas ng completed ang exam or kung tapos na iclick ko na ung next?

Liolaeus

Goodluck sir. Practice lang ng practice. Kaya mo yan. Ang ginawa ko next lang ng next after ko sumagot pag wala na ko masabi. Baka kasi may ma capture pa na ibang boses ng ibang examinees.

Congrats sa mga new graduates sa english requirement.

OZwaldCobblepot

@jrgongon I've read somewhere na it's not the short term memory that's important sa repeat sentence but your comprehension of the spoken language. mas mag effort ka sa pag intindi sa sinabi kesa sa pagmemorize ng bawat word. It'll help. Not sure kung may points pa din ang adlib kung sakaling may ma-miss ka na word but worth a try kesa walang sabihin. and ok lang i-click ung next kahit di pa tapos timer, just count 2-3secs para di maputol last word mo. that way, may time ka pa for other items

dominick

@jrgongon, tama si @OZwaldCobblepot mas importante ang comprehension. Think of it this way, mas madali para satin na tandaan at ulitin ang isang Tagalog sentence than an English one kasi mas naiintindihan natin siya. I guess practice ang kelangan pagdating sa part na to. Try to watch youtube videos (yung walang AMV), pause every after one sentence, then repeat what you've heard.

dominick

@kymme you might want to practice speaking at a slower pace at https://talktyper.com/

@OZwaldCobblepot problem ko talaga is super bilis ako magsalita. to the point na minsan na bubulol ako. otherwise, it comes with oractice. ang hirap pala ng words na gamit sa reading. huhu. nakaka nosebleed masyado. and sa writing naman, ok lang pala di maxado flowery words as long as correct grammar, spelling etc. just have to read more tips and dapat reciew talaga. december pa naman exam ko

kymme

@dominick thank you po.

jrgongon

@all..guys i need clarification...sa repeat sentence sa actual..may beep ba na maririnig after iplay ung recording...may nabasa kasi ako sa mga tips sa handouts na wala na daw madidinig ng sound na beep...automatic after ng voice magsalita agad otherwise hindi marerecord ung boses nung nagsasalita..i need clarification lang...kasi sa mcmillan na mock exam meron ako beep na nadidinig..sana may makapanglinaw..3 days na lang exam na..huuhuhu

kymme

@jrgongon sa mock wlang beep after sa dictation. gorabels agad

jrgongon

@kymme sa actual ganun din po?dito kasi sa mcmillan may beep eh...un lang po ba ang walang nagbebeep?

kymme

@jrgongon di pa ako ng actual e. december pa. antay nlng sabi ng mga npag exam na

OZwaldCobblepot

@jrgongon have u tried the mock test? wait mo lumabas ung bar sa timer before speaking. same rule applies, pag di ka nagsalita for 3secs, magstop na ung recording. remember, ung actual format iba sa format ng macmilan. iba pa din ung may timer na nakikita sa screen hehe