IELTS: (INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING SYSTEM)
The IELTS exam pattern 2021 comprises four sections, Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The candidates are tested on these four parameters. The International English Language Testing System (IELTS exam) can be given in two formats namely IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training Test. Candidates should check the requirement of the college/university they are applying to and then prepare accordingly. IELTS Academic is accepted by universities worldwide where candidates apply for pursuing undergraduate or postgraduate courses. The IELTS test pattern includes 4 sections that evaluate the candidates’ ability on various parameters.
On the other hand, IELTS General Training is given by those who are planning to migrate to a major English speaking nation. It can also be given by those who are shifting to a different country for work-related training. IELTS Test Score plays a significant role in the selection criteria. This exam is conducted and administered by the ETS, Educational Testing Service, across the world. This exam is accepted by more than 10,000 educational institutes in more than 150 countries.
| Sections with Duration | IELTS Academic Test Description | Total Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Listening (30 minutes) | It encompasses four recorded monologues and conversations | 40 |
| Reading (60 minutes) | Three long reading passages with tasks Texts range from descriptive and factual to discursive, and analytical includes non-verbal material like diagrams, graphs, and illustrations texts are authentic (taken from books, journals, and newspapers) | 40 |
| Writing (60 minutes) | A writing task of at least 150 words where the candidate must summarize, describe or explain table, graph, chart, or diagram, and another short essay task of at least 250 words | 2 |
| Speaking (11-14 minutes) | The face-to-face interview includes short questions, speaking at length about a familiar topic, and a structured discussion |
PTE (PEARSON TEST OF ENGLISH)
The Pearson Test of English assesses the written, spoken, skills of the candidates to ensure that they are capable of studying in the international environment, with a good grasp over the universal language of English. By scoring well in this test, students can assure the admission committee as well as the visa officers that they are capable of understanding the globally accepted official language while studying on the foreign land.
A good score in the test also ensures that candidates would be able to represent their ideas, deliver presentations, work to gain international exposure, and basically function on the international front in front of foreign audiences. This helps the applicants ensure that they are ready to study amidst students from all over the world and international faculty members in the universal official language.
As an English language test, PTE is no exception and has a similar kind of Exam Pattern like other English language tests. It focuses on the three major sections of the language proficiency:
- Reading Section
- Listening Section
- Speaking and Writing Section
The PTE test is made of the following components:
-
Question:
Time to Reading the Text Prompt: The time duration of each prompt you get varies depending upon the length of the text. The length is measurable in words or sentences. You need to be active in this part.
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Prepare for Answer:
Time granted to Relax and Think: You do not have to immediately answer the question. On average, you get 10 to 15 seconds to prepare for each segment. You should relax and think for a while on how to answer.
-
Answer:
Time for Action: This is the total time duration where you have to perform. The answers are recorded when you speak, saved as text when you write, and selected in options multiple-choice questions.
Speaking and Writing — 77 to 93 minutes
As the name implies, this section tests the candidate’s on the basis of their 2 major skills of communication, which are spoken and written skills. This section comprises of six small sections that test you on your promptness over speaking and writing the written test that you would get to read for the first time ever. The complete section is given time duration of 77 to 93 minutes and the time allotted to each segment is as follows:
| Segments Pattern | Time Duration |
|---|---|
| Personal Introduction | 55 seconds: 25 seconds for prompt, 30 seconds to record |
| Read Aloud | 30-40 seconds to prepare for reading out the text of 60 words |
| Describe Image | 25 seconds are granted to study the image as well as prepare your response on the same |
| Re-Tell Lecture | 90 seconds for prompt length, 10 seconds to prepare and 40 seconds to answer |
| Answer Short Question | 20 seconds: 3-9 seconds for prompt, 10 seconds to answer |
| Summarize Written Text | 10 minutes to answer to text prompt of 300 words |
| Essay | 20 minutes to answer to text prompt of 2-3 sentences |
As the name implies, this section tests the candidate’s on the basis of their 2 major skills of communication, which are spoken and written skills. This section comprises of six small sections that test you on your promptness over speaking and writing the written test that you would get to read for the first time ever. The complete section is given time duration of 77 to 93 minutes and the time allotted to each segment is as follows:
| Segments Pattern | Time Duration |
|---|---|
| Personal Introduction | 55 seconds: 25 seconds for prompt, 30 seconds to record |
| Read Aloud | 30-40 seconds to prepare for reading out the text of 60 words |
| Describe Image | 25 seconds are granted to study the image as well as prepare your response on the same |
| Re-Tell Lecture | 90 seconds for prompt length, 10 seconds to prepare and 40 seconds to answer |
| Answer Short Question | 20 seconds: 3-9 seconds for prompt, 10 seconds to answer |
| Summarize Written Text | 10 minutes to answer to text prompt of 300 words |
| Essay | 20 minutes to answer to text prompt of 2-3 sentences |
Reading — 32 to 41 minutes
This section tests the candidates on the basis of their ability to understand the written instructions in the language. The section further divided into 5 segments is 32 to 41 minutes long. Check out the segment-wise pattern for time distribution of this section:
| Segments Pattern | Time Duration varies on the length of the Text Prompt |
|---|---|
| Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer | Read 300 words of text |
| Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers | Read 300 words of text |
| Re-Order Paragraphs | Read 150 words of text |
| Reading: Fill in the Blanks | Read 80 words of text |
| Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks | Read 300 words of text |
| Summarize Written Text | 10 minutes to answer to text prompt of 300 words |
| Essay | 20 minutes to answer to text prompt of 2-3 sentences |
Listening — 45 to 57 minutes
The listening section of the PTE Academic is stretched over 45 to 57 minutes of duration. This one is designed to determine the ability to understand spoken English by the candidate. Here, the student needs to ascertain that they carefully hear the audio file played and retain what they heard. This section is divided into 8 segments and the time give to each segment is as follows.
| Segments Pattern | Time Duration |
|---|---|
| Summarize Spoken Text | 60-90 seconds to retain 50-70 words, 10 minutes to write |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer | 40-90 seconds for prompt |
| Fill in the Blanks | 30-60 seconds |
| Highlight Correct Summary | 30-90 seconds |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | 30-60 seconds |
| Select Missing Word | 20-70 seconds |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | 15-50 seconds |
| Write From Dictation | 3-5 seconds |
TOEFL (TEST OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
The TOEFL exam pattern comprises four sections, Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing – along with the total score. It is always advised that candidates should practice more and more, as the more they practice TOEFL Sample Papers, the better their scores will be. TOEFL exam pattern is decided by the ETS, the conducting body that governs the TOEFL exam. TOEFL scores will be declared online six days after the commencement of the test. The total score can be found with the sum of the scores of all four skill areas. Apart from this, at the time of the TOEFL registration, candidates get the option of selecting up to four institutions where they can send the score report. So, once the TOEFL results are declared, ETS sends the official score reports directly to the institutions the student has selected.
Presently the TOEFL exam can be attempted in two forms, the internet-based test (iBT) and the paper-based test (PBT). However, the majority of the countries follow the internet-based test and only a few of the countries follow the paper-based test. Before preparing for the TOEFL exam aspirants should always go through the complete TOEFL Exam Pattern as it will help them in preparation.
| Section | Questions Duration | Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | Questions: 30–40 Duration: 54–72 minutes |
Reading 3 or 4 passages from the academic texts and answering questions based on them. |
| Listening | Questions: 28-38 Duration: 41-57 minutes |
Listening to lectures, conversations, classroom discussions, and, then answer questions based on them. |
| Break: 10 minutes | ||
| Speaking | Questions: 4 tasks Duration: 17 minutes |
Candidates need to express their opinion on a topic familiar to them and speak based on reading and listening tasks. |
| Writing | Questions: 2 tasks Duration: 50 minutes |
Candidates need to write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks, along with supporting the opinion in writing. |
GRE (GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATIONS)
The GRE question paper is divided into three main sections, namely, Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning. The total time given to complete the exam is three hours and thirty minutes (3 hours 30 minutes=210 mins) and for computer-based, it is three hours and forty minutes (3 hours 40 minutes= 220 mins).
GRE Paper-based Exam Pattern
The paper-based exam includes two sub-sections of each of the main categories- Analytical Writing, Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning. Analytical Writing part contains two tasks with a duration of one hour (60 mins). Verbal and Quantitative reasoning each contains two sections and 50 questions with a maximum time limit of 60 and 70 minutes, consequently. The variable sections of Unscored and Research are not included in the paper-based exam.
GRE Computer-based Exam Pattern
For the computer-based pattern, each of these sections is further divided into two-sub-sections with forty questions in total (Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning). Analytical Writing has only one section that contains two tasks with a time duration of one hour. Apart from these main sections, there are two other variable sections included in the computer-based pattern exam. This section is followed by a ten-minute break after the Quantitative Reasoning part is complete. However, these two variable sections- Unscored and Research section- are not included in the final GRE Scores.
While the GRE Pattern may change from time to time generally, the crux of the format remains the same. Currently, the following is the exam pattern which aspirants can look forward to:
| GRE Sections | Paper-Based | Computer-Based | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No.of Sections | Duration | No.of Sections | Duration | |
| Analytical Writing | 2 sections- 2 tasks | 60 minutes | 1 section- two tasks | 60 minutes |
| Verbal Reasoning | 2 sections- 50 questions | 70 minutes | 2 section- 40 questions | 60 minutes |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 2 sections- 50 questions | 80 minutes | 2 section- 40 questions | 70 minutes |
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