PTE common mistakes to check before you sit

Most lost marks in PTE come from a short list of avoidable mistakes rather than weak English. Run through this list before your test — several of these are worth more than another week of general practice.

Breaking the form rules

Essay outside 200–300 words. Summarize Written Text written as two sentences. Summarize Spoken Text outside roughly 50–70 words.

These cap your Form score regardless of content quality, and they are the most common reason a strong writer scores in the 50s.

Stopping to correct yourself while speaking

Hesitation and restarts damage oral fluency far more than a mispronounced word does.

The habit to build is continuing through mistakes. It feels wrong and it is worth real marks.

Clicking too much where marks are deducted

Highlight Incorrect Words and multiple-answer questions deduct for wrong selections. Selecting everything guarantees a low score.

Choose only what you can support. Restraint scores better here than coverage.

Leaving Write from Dictation blank

Marks are per correct word, so writing the six words you caught is far better than writing nothing.

Never leave this task empty, even when you missed most of the sentence.

• Word counts memorised: essay 200–300, SWT one sentence, SST 50–70
• Practised speaking through mistakes without stopping
• Know which tasks deduct marks for wrong clicks
• Never leave dictation or single-answer questions blank
• Last two minutes of the essay reserved for proofreading
• Practised at least once with background noise

Preparing without feedback

Doing hundreds of unmarked practice questions mostly reinforces existing habits, because you cannot see what is costing you points.

One properly reviewed and rewritten answer teaches more than five unreviewed ones.

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