PTE Academic: What the Test Is, Where Russian Citizens Can Take It and Who Accepts It

PTE Academic is Pearson's computer-based test of academic English: about two hours at a test centre, an overall score from 10 to 90, results usually within two business days, and a score that stays valid for two years. It cannot be taken in Russia. On 5 March 2022 Pearson suspended the sale and delivery of its products in Russia and Belarus, and as of 02.10.2026 the PTE online store is still unavailable for Russia. The nearest centres are in Almaty, Tashkent, Bishkek, Tbilisi, Yerevan, Baku, Belgrade, Istanbul and Dubai, with fees from $175 in Kazakhstan to $260 in Serbia. Universities usually want the standard PTE Academic; a UK visa for study below degree level requires PTE Academic UKVI.

Which PTE do you need?

Pearson sells several tests under the PTE name, and booking the wrong one costs a full fee. Start from the organisation that will read your score.

PTE Academic and PTE Academic UKVI share the same content, timing and scale. The only difference is that the UKVI score report carries a SELT unique reference number that UK Visas and Immigration uses to verify the result. For bachelor's and master's degrees at a UK university, the standard PTE Academic is usually enough: at degree level the university assesses your English itself, and its requirement must be equivalent to CEFR B2. Our guide to English tests for the UK student visa covers the British rules in more detail.

How the test is structured

All three parts run on one computer, in a single sitting, without a human examiner. Pearson gives timings as ranges because the mix of tasks varies slightly between candidates.

Answers are scored by an automated system, with some complex responses also reviewed by a human expert. Two practical consequences follow. A long pause or a false start hurts your fluency score more than it would in a face-to-face interview. And many tasks feed more than one skill: retelling a lecture counts towards both speaking and listening.

Rooms hold no more than 15 candidates who record their spoken answers at the same time. Practise speaking into a headset while other people are talking nearby.

Scores: what 10–90 means and what universities ask for

The overall score and the skill scores are reported on the Global Scale of English, Pearson's scale aligned with CEFR levels. Each university sets its own minimum. Pearson's own guidance gives typical ranges: 36–50 for foundation courses, 51–60 for undergraduate degrees and 57–67 for postgraduate degrees. Real requirements look like this:

The Edinburgh example is the reason to check each university's list before you book. Most universities in Australia, the UK, Canada and New Zealand accept PTE, but not all of them.

In July 2025 Pearson republished its IELTS concordance for the updated test while keeping the CEFR table unchanged. If a university states its requirement in IELTS bands, use that university's own conversion table rather than an old one from a forum.

Who accepts PTE Academic for visas

Australia. The Department of Home Affairs accepts PTE Academic for the Student visa (subclass 500). For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025 the minimum is 47; it falls to 39 if the main course is packaged with at least 10 weeks of English (ELICOS) or a foundation programme, and to 31 with at least 20 weeks of ELICOS. The test must have been taken within the two years before you lodge the application. See our Australian student visa guide for the full procedure.

United Kingdom. The only Pearson tests on the UK SELT list are PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Home. The UKVI version is needed for a Student visa below degree level, such as a foundation year in the UK, and for study at providers that are not universities. A SELT result is valid for visa purposes for two years. The visa itself is explained in our UK student visa guide.

New Zealand. Immigration New Zealand accepts PTE Academic for student, work and migration visas; the minimum depends on the visa category.

Canada. Canadian universities and colleges often accept PTE Academic, but for immigration programmes the Canadian government recognises a different test, PTE Core.

United States. Pearson reports wide acceptance among US universities, but every programme publishes its own list, so confirm it before you register.

Where Russian citizens can take PTE Academic

Because the test is not sold in Russia or Belarus, you have to book in another country. The centres and fees below come from Pearson's official store on 02.10.2026. In these countries PTE Academic and PTE Academic UKVI cost the same.

For candidates from Siberia and the Urals, Almaty and Bishkek are usually closest; from Moscow and southern Russia, Yerevan, Tbilisi, Baku and Istanbul. Most of these centres have one or two rooms, so check available dates in your account and buy tickets only after the booking is confirmed. Check the entry rules for your chosen country on its embassy's official website before you travel.

Kazakh citizens can sit the test in their own country, in Almaty, for $175.

Paying for the test

You register and pay in your myPTE account with a card, in the currency of the test country. Cards issued by Russian banks are generally declined by international payment systems, and paying through an unknown intermediary is risky: the booking is in your name, and refunds go back to the card that paid. Legal options for Russian residents are covered in our guide on how to pay for studies abroad from Russia.

Booking, rescheduling and results

1. Create a myPTE account. Enter your name exactly as it appears in your passport; it will be checked against your ID on test day.
2. Choose the test version, country and centre. Book PTE Academic UKVI for a UK visa; for most other purposes the standard test is enough.
3. Pay and keep the confirmation. You can reschedule free of charge up to 14 days before the test. Cancelling 14 or more days ahead gives a full refund, 8–13 days ahead gives 50%, and 7 days or less gives none.
4. Take the test. Results usually arrive by email and in myPTE within two business days, occasionally up to five.
5. Send your scores. myPTE lets you share scores with as many institutions as you like at no cost; no paper certificate is needed.

Your score expires two years after the test date. Many universities count those two years to the course start date, not the application date, so testing two and a half years before you enrol is wasted money.

Can you take PTE Academic online at home?

Not for admission purposes. Pearson's test page states plainly that PTE Academic is delivered only at an authorised test centre and cannot be taken at home. Pearson's store still lists a PTE Academic Online product for some countries, but its own description says governments do not accept it for visas, and universities rule it out: Sheffield and Manchester do not accept PTE Academic Online, and Imperial accepted online results only for courses starting by 31 December 2023. If someone offers you a "PTE from home with a certificate", expect neither universities nor visa authorities to accept it.

PTE, IELTS, TOEFL or Duolingo?

PTE suits candidates with even skills who are comfortable speaking to a microphone and need results fast before a deadline. IELTS is the better choice when a university or visa route names it specifically, or when you would rather speak to a person. For an at-home option, see our Duolingo English Test guide. If your universities accept Cambridge English, compare our guide to B2 First and C1 Advanced.

Preparation timeline

• 6–9 months before the deadline. For each programme, note whether PTE is accepted, the overall score, the minimum per skill and whether the UKVI version is required.
• 4–6 months before. Take Pearson's official scored practice test; it pinpoints the weak skill better than free sample tasks.
• 3–4 months before. Choose a country and centre, compare dates and book so that a second attempt still fits before the deadline.
• 2–6 weeks before. Practise the speaking tasks on recordings: steady pace, no pauses longer than three seconds, no self-corrections.
• After the test. Send your scores to every university on your list through myPTE and keep the PDF report for visa forms.

Common mistakes

• Taking the standard test for a UK foundation visa. Without a SELT URN it will not work for the visa, and you will have to retake the UKVI version.
• Not checking the university's list. Edinburgh does not accept PTE for undergraduate entry, and similar exceptions exist in every country.
• Looking only at the overall score. Imperial also requires at least 56 in each skill; a 64 overall with 52 in writing will not qualify.
• Travelling without a confirmed booking. Small centres fill up, and rescheduling within 14 days of the test is not free.
• Testing too early. The score expires after two years, and many universities measure that to the course start.
• Letting an intermediary pay. The booking and the payment should both be in your name, or a refund becomes difficult.

FAQ

Sources

• Pearson: suspension of sales and delivery in Russia and Belarus (05.03.2022) — checked 02.10.2026
• Pearson PTE: PTE Academic — format, validity, rescheduling, test-centre delivery and scoring and typical minimums — checked 02.10.2026
• Pearson PTE: PTE Academic UKVI — checked 02.10.2026
• Pearson PTE: fees and test centres by country (official store and centre map on pearsonpte.com; the store is unavailable for Russia) — checked 02.10.2026
• GOV.UK: SELT tests and approved providers; Student visa English requirement — checked 02.10.2026
• Australian Department of Home Affairs: Student visa (subclass 500), English requirements — checked 02.10.2026
• Imperial College London: English language, University of Sheffield: undergraduate English, University of Manchester: language requirements, University of Edinburgh: undergraduate English — checked 02.10.2026
• UNSW Sydney: English requirements, University of Sydney: English requirements — checked 02.10.2026
• Exchange rates: ECB reference rate for 01.10.2026 (EUR 1 = USD 1.1298 = TRY 55.3993, so USD 1 ≈ TRY 49.03); the UAE dirham is pegged at USD 1 = AED 3.6725. Amounts under $100 are rounded to the dollar.

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