If you have been thinking about studying at Purdue, you are well aware of
the requirement to meet a minimum English proficiency standard. Road to
Purdue is not easy, and this requirement is often the biggest stumbling
block for prospective students. All those who have given up on IELTS and TOEFL can now
rejoice. Pearson’s Test of English – PTE Academic, the new kid on the block
is the best and easiest English test
To get started you can find all the information on PTE Academic here – Sure Way English
. PTE is a computer administrated and computer scored exam. This is in
sharp contrast to tests like IELTS that are given and scored by human
examiners. For this very reason, these exams are often blamed for human
bias and inaccuracy. Nothing like that in the PTE. Your score will be given
by a computer algorithm.
Since its launch a few years ago, PTE Academic has quickly become the
preferred exam especially in countries like Australia and New Zealand. It
is now gaining ground in the USA too. Keeping in tune with the nature of
the exam, preparation for it can also be done entirely online. Providers
like Sure Way English offer a number of
online PTE courses
that include personal coaching, real exam like software and on demand
lectures to make it easy for busy test takers to prepare anytime anywhere.
If you are comfortable using a computer and have failed to achieve your
desired score in IELTS or TOEFL, then PTE makes huge sense for you.
However, do not make the mistake of thinking of it as just another kind of
IELTS. According to Scott Wilson, the lead instructor at Sure Way English,
PTE requires targeted preparation and practice of each of the twenty
question types included in it. These item types mimic a range of situations
one is likely to encounter in an academic English environment. Some
questions will require you to just simply read a text, while others will
ask you to describe an image the way you would if you were giving a
presentation in a classroom.
According to Pearson, PTE has an accuracy that is at least of the same
level or higher than IELTS or TOEFL. If you are unhappy with your PTE
score, you can even submit a request for review. But given the automated
nature of the exam, chances of any mistake are very rare.
For someone who is new to PTE Academic, it usually takes anywhere between 2
weeks to 2 months to come up to a level where they can achieve a score of
65 plus or 79 plus, of course depending on their previous proficiency
level. According to Sure Way English, students should spend at least a
couple of weeks understanding the exam and getting familiar with it, before
booking their exam appointment.
Talking of the exam appointment, another thing that makes PTE very
attractive is the ease of booking an exam date and fast turnaround of
results. Majority of students receive their score card in just under 3
days.
It is estimated that close to a hundred thousand test takers will sit for
PTE Academic in 2018. Will you be one of them?