PTE vocabulary: learn phrases, not word lists

Memorising long word lists produces very little score improvement. The exam rewards knowing how words are used together — which word follows which — and being able to spell them. That is a different skill from recognising definitions.

Collocations are what get tested

The fill-in-the-blanks tasks are largely collocation tests. They ask whether you know that we "conduct research", "draw a conclusion", "pose a risk" and see "a significant increase".

So record phrases, not single words. "Significant" on its own is much less useful than "a significant increase in".

Focus on academic register

PTE texts come from academic and semi-academic sources, so everyday conversational vocabulary is not where the marks are.

Words like analyse, demonstrate, factor, consequence, approach, framework and their word families appear constantly. Learning a word's family — analyse, analysis, analytical — is more efficient than learning unrelated words.

Spelling counts, twice

Write from Dictation awards marks per correct word, so a misspelling is a lost mark. Spelling also appears as an enabling skill on your report.

Keep a personal list of words you actually get wrong rather than a generic list. Your own errors are the highest-value thing to review.

Use vocabulary in writing, not just recognition

Recognising a word in a passage is easier than producing it in an essay. The vocabulary score rewards production.

When you learn a phrase, write one sentence using it. That single step is what moves a word from passive to active.

A sustainable routine

Read something academic daily and note three or four phrases — not thirty. Review your list weekly and delete the ones that have stuck.

Small and consistent beats large and abandoned, and it fits alongside the dictation and speaking practice that carry more marks.

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