PTE Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield PTE facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Read this sentence: "The committee's decision was predicated on the assumption that funding would be secured." What does "predicated on" mean? → Based on or dependent upon
2. Which PTE Academic communicative skill is specifically assessed by the Highlight Correct Summary listening task? → Listening comprehension and ability to identify the best overall summary
3. Poems that combine dancing and music with a strong romantic theme. → Odes
4. A passage states: 'The renaissance of urban farming is _______ to technological advances in hydroponics and LED lighting.' Which word best fits? → attributable
5. The research was conducted _____ close collaboration with two partner universities. → in
6. Which word is closest in meaning to "ubiquitous" as used in academic texts? → Present everywhere
7. Which PTE Reading question type contributes to BOTH Reading and Writing scores? → Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks
8. Which sentence uses the correct form of the verb? → She will go to the store.
9. What is the importance of using linking words in your essay? → To connect ideas clearly and show the relationship between them.
10. In PTE Academic Listening, the "Highlight Correct Summary" task requires test takers to: → Select which written summary best matches the audio recording
11. Which type of evidence is most academically appropriate to support a claim in a PTE essay? → Generalised examples, statistics, or reasoned argument
12. Of all the methods evaluated, the new approach proved _____ reliable. → the most
13. The word "hypothetical" in academic writing means: → Relating to a hypothesis or imagined scenario
14. A student ends every paragraph with a quote from an expert. What is the risk of this approach in a PTE essay? → It may suggest the student cannot develop their own ideas
15. Which sentence demonstrates correct use of a concessive clause? → Although the results were inconclusive, the study was well-designed.
16. For the PTE Academic Repeat Sentence task, which pronunciation feature is most important for a high score? → Accurate reproduction of the content with natural rhythm and stress
17. Which conjunction best completes this academic sentence: "The experiment yielded significant results; ______, further research is needed." → therefore
18. In PTE Academic, what is the recommended word count range for the Essay writing task? → 200–300 words
19. A PTE Academic audio states: "Contrary to the earlier study, the 2019 research found no correlation." What detail confirms this is a contrasting finding? → The phrase "Contrary to the earlier study"
20. How many times is each audio clip played in PTE Listening tasks? → Once only
21. A text states: 'The proliferation of misinformation on social media has exacerbated public distrust in scientific institutions.' The word 'exacerbated' means: → Made worse or more severe
22. What is the typical maximum length of the audio clip in the PTE Re-tell Lecture task? → Up to 90 seconds
23. The survey findings are consistent _____ data collected in three earlier studies. → with
24. A student writes a summary that omits the main point of the passage but uses perfect grammar. What score dimension suffers most? → Content
25. What distinguishes a high-scoring Content response from a partial-credit Content response in Summarize Written Text? → Whether all key points are captured versus only some key points
26. What type of ID is required to sit the PTE Academic exam at a test center? → A government-issued photo ID such as a passport
27. In PTE Academic, 'Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks' is categorized under which section? → Reading
28. In the PTE 'Write from Dictation' task, what is penalized? → Spelling errors and missing words
29. What happens to the Form score in Summarize Written Text if a test-taker writes more than one sentence? → The Form criterion receives a score of zero
30. What strategy is most effective for PTE Academic's 'Multiple-choice, choose single answer' Reading task? → Skim for keywords in the question, then locate them in the passage