Updated on June, 12, 2023
Have you ever heard of the myth that suggests there is a shortcut to acing the PTE Academic?
Well, don’t believe it!
Sit down and buckle up for a comedic ride of uncovering the 6 common myths on the PTE Academic!
1. You can get more points if you speak fast
A lot of people mistake speed for fluency these days. Being fluent in a language means being able to speak with consistency, sounding natural and not speaking fast.
Many test takers don’t understand that if they are not able to do something well when they speak slowly, this tends to get worse when they speak fast.
Speaking fast will only evidence your mistakes even more, making your speech unintelligible and sloppy.
Picture the following scenario: You are learning how to sing and have trouble singing in front of a small audience. So what would happen to you if you were to sing in front of a stadium full of people waiting to listen to you?
A disaster, right?
So, getting back to the PTE, the same happens here.
Although, the test is entirely corrected by a computer. Never forget that those who define all the standards are humans.
2. You need to use a lot of complicated words to get a high score in PTE Academic.
The answer here would be yes and no.
If you use complicated words properly this will certainly help you with your score. However, if those words are used incorrectly they will only make your score go down.
In a nutshell, do not use words you don’t know well during your PTE test as they may lead you to underperform.
3. You can pass PTE Academic without studying.
Countless people proudly claim they can take the test without studying, as they are either native speakers or fluent in English. However, this is only true until they get their results, after which they often find themselves disappointed.
Different from what many believe, PTE is a technical and strategic test and not only a language test.
How many times have you seen those videos of Indian People whose English is worse than yours but their score is twice as high?
This happens because those Indians took the time to fully understand the test format, strategies, techniques, and practiced for it a lot.
4. Preparation courses are the only way to pass the PTE Academic exam.
No, there are many readers that were able to successfully pass the PTE just by reading and applying our strategies. But definitely having an expert to show you the way can shorten your preparation time.
For example, what would take you many hours of studying, testing, and practicing to learn by yourself can be shortened to a few minutes when you have an expert by your side to show you how it’s done.
To make a long story short, preparation courses are not the only way, but definitely a much quicker one and with more guaranteed results.
5. PTE Academic is easier than TOEFL, IELTS and OET
Well, that is not true at all.
At the end of the day, all tests comply with the standards from the CEFR (common European framework). However, PTE Academic is easier for those who are:
- Prefer to study for a test that is more technical and strategic
- Want to find a test that doesn’t demand them to be good in all skills, as this can be balanced
- Neither mind nor want the test to be correct by a human
- Like the idea that the test can be reversed engineered
- Have a good pronunciation but suck a developing content
If you are a doctor or nurse, the OET test would be the easiest to choose from.
If you want to really test your Academic English, you should go for the IELTS.
If you have great text interpretation skills and excellent listening skills, you should take the TOEFL.
6. The PTE Academic score is determined by the number of questions you get right.
Yes and No for this one.
There is a specific set of questions in each skill that are worth far more points than the other ones. So by focusing on these questions you can get a high score on the test, whereas if you focus on the wrong set your results will not be good.
Did you enjoy the article about common myths?
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Put an end to your uncertainty and book yourself on one of our school’s PTE preparation courses today.
