Scoring a 79 score in PTE is a dream for many who want to settle down in Australia. Higher the score, the easier it becomes to meet the visa requirements.
Different people take different paths to a 79 plus score. For some it comes very easy because they have studied or worked in an English language environment for a long time. For others it comes after a lot of hard work and effort.
In this article we will outline a clear plan for anyone who wants to score 79 or more in PTE. We will steer clear of so-called magical shortcuts and tricks and rather focus on how to achieve this target with sincere effort.
Before we go further, let’s be honest – Not everyone can achieve a score of 79 plus. A 79 plus score indicates that the person has a high degree of mastery over the English language. Usually such a high level of skill only comes with time. People who are from a non English speaking environment often struggle a lot with their pronunciation. It is common to see people write great essays but score very low in their speaking. It can take months and even years to improve things like your pronunciation. Therefore, it is important to assess the situation realistically.
Do you know what your current score level is? Usually, it takes a lot of effort to jump more than 10 points from one attempt to the next, unless the previous low score was simply due to a lack of preparation.
This gives us our very first step:
Find your current score level – how close is it to a 79 score?
We strongly recommend joining a PTE course that comes with an online learning platform as well as the guidance of expert tutors. It will help you to know where you stand currently. Take a PTE mock test right away!
Once you know your current score and target score, the next step is to understand the areas that need improvement. Some of us need help with speaking while others may need to work on their writing skills. Taking this analysis further some might need to focus more on specific question types within a section.
Try to identify the common underlying issues
For e.g. the reason for your low score in essays and summaries can be the same – poor grammar. If you are able to find and fix these common high level issues, it will impact your overall performance significantly. This is where a personal tutor is invaluable. You will have access to personal tutor help if you sign up for an online PTE course package.
Now it’s time to make a plan for 79 in PTE
Don’t be the person who first sets up an exam appointment and then worries about the lack of time for preparation. If you want to see a significant jump in your score, give yourself at least a month or couple of months of good preparation. A few weeks of intense study can also result in a good score but go for it only if your tutor advises you to.
Tip: Stay away from people who sell repeated questions and other shady shortcuts. Nothing can make up for the lack of study time, right guidance, and good study materials. Conversely, if you have these you do not need anything else.
An important point while planning your study is to aim for consistency
Instead of spending eight hours on a weekend, spend one hour every day. This approach is especially helpful if you want to improve your speaking score. Pronunciation is almost a subconscious behaviour which takes time to change. No amount of tutoring or study can change your pronunciation overnight. You will need to feed good speaking samples into your brain, practice speaking like the people in those samples, and give your brain time to assimilate everything.
OK! So you have a plan and you have set aside an hour or two for study every day.
What you need now is good quality study materials
Good quality study materials come from experienced tutors who are up to date with the latest PTE Academic exam pattern and the type of questions asked in recent exams.
Tip: Do not risk your score by relying entirely on YouTube videos. Sure some of the YouTube videos are good and have some value but most of the materials do not conform even to the minimum standards required by PTE. Just because there are a large number of likes or comments on a PTE video does not make it authentic.
Think of the money you spend on your PTE preparation as an investment and as a part of your overall plan to settle down in Australia. You will be spending thousands of dollars in visa fees and a few hundreds on PTE exam fees. Then why not spend a little more and make sure your whole investment is worthwhile? I am sure all of us know someone who has taken PTE dozens of times, spending thousands on exam fees, but still asks around for free study materials! You don’t want to be that person.
If you have the right study materials then you are now ready to go. Put your time every day and work on the feedback that you receive from the exercises and from the tutor if you have access to one. Do not be lazy when processing the feedback. Accept it, work on the suggestions, and then try to apply the new learning in the next set of exercises.
Tip: As a general rule of thumb aim to take at least one scored mock test each week during your PTE preparation. When you do take an exam, set aside 4-5 hours for the whole exercise i.e. taking the test and then reviewing your responses and the sample responses. Don’t just wait for the scores, be proactive and analyze each and every question.
That’s all! A 79 plus score in PTE is definitely achievable, provided you are ready to put in sincere effort. We wish you all the best!
