Should I take an official or a non-official PTE Mock Test?

If you’re preparing yourself to take the PTE Academic Test, you’ve probably heard about PTE mock tests. You might also know that there are both official and non-official mock tests, but which type should you take?

What is an official PTE Mock Test?

A real PTE mock test is a simulation of the exam that you can take in order to practice for the real exam. The official term for them, given by Pearson, is Official Scored Practice Tests. They are developed and made available by Pearson themselves, and you have to pay to be able to take them.

What is a non-official PTE Mock Test?

If you don’t want to invest your money on an official Pearson Mock Test, your other option is taking a non-official one. These tests aren’t developed by Pearson, but by PTE study platforms and specialists. Most of them are free and in our courses we can point you to the most accurate ones.

Is doing a mock test a good idea?

The answer is: absolutely yes! Doing a mock test can not only make you more familiar and comfortable with the exam format, but it can also show you where your difficulties are and what you should do in order to improve your score. Taking a mock test is an essential part of your PTE preparation.

How to make the most of a mock test.

However, just doing the mock tests is definitely not enough to guarantee your success on exam day. It’s good to have an idea of what score you will get when you eventually take the test, but it’s more important to know why you’re getting that score. Get an expert to analyse your mistakes!

Can I trust the results of non-official mock tests?

As you may or may not know, the PTE test is corrected by an AI (artificial intelligence) system. When you take the official mock tests, you get a more accurate result, because they are corrected by the official PTE AI. The free PTE mock tests are corrected by non-official AI systems.

Is it still a good idea to take a non-official mock test?

Yes, it could be. During your studies, you can use non-official mock tests to get familiar with the exam, train your time management skills, check your scores for the simpler tasks (leave the Speaking and Writing questions for the official AI) and specially see what it feels like to do the whole exam.

When should I do the official one then?

You should invest in an official practice test when you’ve done a few non-official ones and are very close to getting your desired score. This should happen a couple of weeks before exam day, this way you will have enough time to analyse your mistakes and learn from them before the test.

So, which one should I take?

The answer is: both! You can utilise both resources to make sure you will pass your exam. Also, taking a PTE Mock Test is an essential part of your preparation, and if you are unwilling to pay for the official mock test, it would be a good idea to at least try the non-official ones.