How to get 90/90 in PTE | Tips & tricks to score high
There are a number of tests and English proficiency exams with different levels of difficulty and outcomes.
Pearson english test stands out due to its AI based scoring evaluation making it equally tough and more focused on being more precise while attending. Getting 90/90 is no small feat and has a wide range of recognition as well.
Brief overview of the PTE exam (Pearson Test of English)
Pearson english test is more or less designed for non-native english speakers and tests them on grounds of four criteria such as, reading, speaking, listening and writing. Since the tests are evaluated by AI there is a need for precision while answering but scoring higher in this exam opens doors to better recognition and appreciation.
Importance of a high score, especially 90/90
Being able to score high is no easy feat simply because of the nature of this exam. Students who are preparing for this almost most of the time need to be very precise in their choices while giving the exam and also while being confident by the time they are on their way to give those exams.
The preparation is the main point of this exam and the bulk of the results depend on the students’ practice sessions covering each element of the exam.
Understanding the PTE Format
PTE analyses your English language proficiency across four modules mainly, speaking, reading, writing and listening. Being able to score in these sections is highly correlated to being able to score a 90/90 percentile in the Pearson test of English.
Speaking
Main activity: self introduction, short questions to answer, sentence repeat, reading aloud, image describing, lecture re-telling
Aim: To pin point your pronunciation, fluency, clear communication of ideas.
Writing
Main activity: Write essays and other writing activities.
Aim: To pin point your grammar, vocabulary, coherence along with presenting idea logically well.
Reading
Main activity: Paragraph re-ordering, MCQ’s, filling in the blanks [a combination of reading + writing]
Aim: To pin point your knowledge on grammar, comprehension skills and interpret english in written.
Listening
Main activity: Writing from dictation, summarizing spoken text, MCQ’s, filling in the blanks, highlighting correct summary, missing word selection, highlighting incorrect words.
Aim: To pin point your understanding of spoken English, skills on note-taking and to process information.
Scoring criteria and what "90/90" represents in each section
Each section can be scored up to 10-90 and a perfect score 90 represents a high level of English speaking proficiency.
If you have cracked PTE with a 90/90 percentile then;
- Speaking clarity
- Good grammar and understanding
- Good at understanding written content
- Excellent reproduction and comprehension of spoken English while listening.
The AI scoring is what set’s this exam apart making it mandatory for the student to stay in line with the set parameters.
Scoring criteria and what "90/90" represents in each section
There are 3 main gain from understanding the exam format and these are as follows;
- Preparation by strategy: properly gaining information about the exam and its nature enables you to properly schedule your practice sessions and understand your core areas of weaknesses.
- Undistracted focus: by understanding tasks meant for each section you can easily streamline tasks that are familiar like filling the blank, writing from dictation etc.
- Getting rid of pitfalls: understanding proper scoring structure helps you keep a good expectation in terms of scoring without being held back by negative self belief.
General Tips for a Perfect Score
There are many traits to getting done with PTE for scoring maximum amount of marks but the main ones to cultivate are given below.
Consistency in practice and preparation
Why:
Regular practice of sessions helps you to be more familiar with the task in hand than and more control over your actions.
How to make use of it:
● Block your time for specific session practice
● Give extra time for weak areas
● Practicing questions on weekly basis can also add to being consistent
Using official resources and mock tests
Why:
Available official resources are mostly created to give students a taste of the real exam at hand which serves to help them feel much at ease when they give the real exam.
How to make use of it:
● You can use PTE official guide and Pearson practice tests
● Make use of mock tests to make sure the information in the guides available are well understood.
● Check sample answers along with your written answers to increase precision.
Regular feedback and correction from teachers or mentors
Why:
Getting personalized feedback enables you to properly access your weak areas by understanding where you have performed inadequately and allows you to narrow down your focus on specific sections.
How to make use of it:
● Consider having a qualified tutor to help you
● To have a much better grip on your progress, consider recording yourself.
● Evaluate your written tasks either by yourself and through a tutor or mentor
● Use feedback and data from your past progress to fuel your next step.
Maintaining a study schedule and keeping track of progress
Why:
Clearly allotting specific time for your sessions and to practice them properly is the best way to do it. You can easily cover all the topics and at the same time avoid doing night time crams.
How to make use of it:
● Make use of timetables with less rigid time commitments
● Always make use of chunking each sessions
● Go ahead and use spreadsheets to track progress and organize
Speaking Section Tips
The speaking section is all about pronunciation, fluency and conveying of ideas hence there are additional tips to properly prepare to ensure better scoring.
Clear and fluent pronunciation
There certain tricks to follow to neutralize accent to make your english sound fluent;
● Focus on being clear: Learn the apt pronunciation and practice saying them in and out without going back to the old pronunciation.
● Slow down: when speaking, give importance to moderate pace where you can make sense to the other person properly.
● Shadowing technique: mimic native speakers and practice how they speak by following their speaking mannerisms closely.
Describing images
● Use formats that are clear
● Use brief introductions to bring out the image type [eg: this graph is showing]
● Use key trends and features
● Make sure that ideas are summarized overall
Repeat- sentence questions
● Focus on key words which can be found from paying close attention to sentences
● Avoid overanalyzing
● If unsure about pronunciation make sure to get your rhythm and fluency right
● Listen to short audios and repeat them
● Increase the complexity of sentences gradually
Avoiding a monotone style of speech is the best way to master rhythm and intonation.
● Focus of certain key words and their pronunciation
● Read aloud and try to mimic the right intonation little by little
● Learn the importance of adjusting your pitch perfectly in connection to certain statements.
There are plenty of tools available to get mentored and lots of free resources at the moment.
● PTE tools: there are dozens of PTE tools available throughout and even free so make use of those
● Speech analysis software: platforms like Pronunciation coach and iTalki can help
● Advanced apps: make use of advanced apps like SpeekiAi with custom courses and personalized mentoring.
Writing Section Tips
The writing section more proficiently looks at the candidates ability to be clear, coherent and concise and also have the ability to give out proper translations in written form.
Here are ways to get better at this section;
Structuring essays and summarizing written texts efficiently
The best way to practice getting good at the writing section is to properly understand the core structure and easily summarize any given text.
● Learn essay structures and memorize an easier formula
● Start by understanding basic structure like Introduction – Core – Conclusion
● Become aware on formatting principles while attempting
● Practice summarising simple passages into simple 4-5 line sentences
● Understand the logic of summarization and why it’s important
● Your summary should easily simplify the main point while touching on minor facts
Vocabulary usage: using synonyms and academic phrases effectively
The vocabulary is where you can gain the most attention and the most leverage. Using vocabulary more strategically is how you will be able to succeed in this section.
● Get a good idea on antonyms and synonyms
● Effectively use adjectives and other descriptive words
● Use effective and clear words where it is needed
● Make sure each phrase does not feel too overburdened with jargon
● Don’t rely too much on heavy meaning words as they can make the overall writing feel weighed down.
Focus on spelling, grammar, and coherence
Most candidates end up making simple mistakes in this aspect and almost all but there are few considerations to take into account while practising to clear the grammar.
● Re-learn punctuations
● Do mock practices at least 5 times for punctuations alone
● Read and pronounce your text and practice material to avoid spelling errors
● Do a secondary check and keep note on words you constantly miss out on
● To ensure coherence you need to properly see how your grammar goes in flow with your vocabulary.
Tricks for managing time effectively in writing tasks
Always have a plan on time management because that’s where all your chances get numbered. Follow these strategies to make the most of your time.
1. Have a routine while you do your writing tasks, this routine will focus only on your use of time while you attempt each task and how much time you have for each.
2. Block time according to task
3. Keep your watch or any other gadget in front of you to keep track
4. Keep 2-3 min as a timer to know how much time you might be over putting.
Reading Section Tips
This section has non-reading activities as well, so the main focus over here is going to be comprehension.
Speed-reading techniques to improve comprehension
These are some basic tips you can refer to maximize how you go through a material.
● Use a pen/pencil to follow through with what you read to increase the speed
● Skim reading helps in identifying words that drive concepts while leaving articles like “the”, “is”, “at” which are unnecessary most of the time.
● Stop repeating words in your mind as that will lag you down, read aloud to avoid this for a certain extent.
Skimming and scanning for important information
As mentioned earlier skim reading can help increase comprehension when done right but there are few things to avoid.
● Skim read but only at a slow pace to avoid missing out the main point of the sentence or text.
● Make sure to read normally at first and identify core meaning to a 50% and then move ahead with scanning and skimming to complete your understanding.
● Keep a highlighter or highlight to catch the main point when scanning.
Tricks for multiple-choice questions and reorder paragraphs
There aren’t many tricks for this but some few considerations to keep in mind while you attempt this.
● Be aware of the text topic
● Make highlighting a core tool to use during your passage
● Write a short summary of the passage to keep your understanding centered next to the passage or in a complimentary piece of paper to use as a reminder.
How to tackle the "Fill in the Blanks" section
Fill in the blanks mostly require practice and active recall hence with every passage you get make sure to give it practice just like other section tasks similar to this and repeat to make sure that you are able to actively recall.
Active recall can be strengthened through;
● Flash card
● Mind mapping to connect topics to remember better
● Personal quizzes
Listening Section Tips
Practice these four important points to help you simplify the section before the exam.
Active listening strategies for note-taking
Note taking helps you to properly understand what it is that you are listening to and why it matters.
Active listening is where you are observant and more involved in the conversation so you understand what is going on. So each point you understand you can note them down point by point.
Tricks for summarizing spoken texts and multiple-choice questions
There are no shortcuts for summarizing but making sure your foundations are set, in the case of multiple choice questions you need to underline in your mind the core topic you used in your mind while you were, note-taking and connect it with your MCQ’s and same process applies when your listening to spoken texts.
Focus on the core point.
Managing difficult accents and understanding diverse audio content
Accents can be an easy thing if you take note of only 3 things and that’s all you need!
1. Mimic: find an accent you can easily understand within the English speaking context and start to mimic it.
2. Attitude: instead of mimicking words mimic the attitude that the speaker and the language in general has.
3. Adopt: once you start feeling comfortable, smoothly move that accent to your daily and personal conversations and as a part of your English speaking personality.
Practicing with podcasts, TED talks, and news broadcasts
Lastly it’s very much important to keep using the most important resources out there and keep referring to them as means to practice.
● Podcast: listen to them on issues you are more alert about as opposed to those that interest you.
● TED talks: there are some amazing ones on communication and some general opinions so load on those.
● News: don’t refer to these often but make sure to follow regional ones to get exposed to everyday speech of locals.
Simple Tricks and Daily Habits
There are plenty of things you can do to make yourself more prepared to conquer your PTE, hence small changes in routine and habit can do wonders and here are some quick tips to get you on track.
Incorporating English practice into daily life (podcasts, books, conversations)
Forming habits are the best way to get ahead if you are not someone who is into proper activities like reading or intentionally listening to proper podcasts now is the time to explore and start practising them at best.
Having an accountability partner or a coach also helps so that you can stay committed and also have someone watch over you while you go ahead with your journey.
Regular use of online platforms and apps for vocabulary and grammar
Online platforms are one of the most accessible resources that won’t discriminate in any manner and with that said let me be honest there are a myriad of apps and grammar related courses out there and you can choose anything you like but bear in mind that that everything comes down to how you use it.
● Stick with one thing at a time
● Use services that have app extensions
● Aim for having a personalized coach to help you on your way until you crack the test
Importance of mock tests and self-analysis
Never underestimate the power of mock tests. These kinds of tests help you to further simplify the process of your learning progress and help you to actively make proper self analysis and understand your weak points.
Basic do’s;
● Make it a habit to do 3 full section mock tests per week to be prepped.
● Always do mock test on either sections like reading, listening, writing speaking every day
● Notice the most frequent areas you make mistakes in and note them as areas of improvement
● Use mock tests as a progressive tool for improvement than a regular routine.
Mental and Physical Preparation
Up until now we have learned almost everything needed to prepare and strategies for each section but even so there are few practices and habits that are less academic and more internal. These factors can help you align better with your goals than ever so give it a try along with other things.
Strategies to stay calm and focused on exam day
You can find plenty of online advice on this but we will narrow down the 3 simple ones which you’ll only need.
● Put it all away: block and refrain yourself from revising, 1 hour before your test all you will think and focus on would be having good conversations and maybe joking around with your family.
● Light reading before sleep: the night before the exam allow yourself to read something light and subtle before you sleep to keep your mind grounded.
● Movie break: a day before the exam gift yourself a nice movie break so that you feel much relaxed and ready to take on your exam.
Healthy habits: sleep, nutrition, and exercise for peak performance
In addition to practising strategies for less hectic exam day you can build on some good health habits below;
● Sleep: understand the importance of 8 hr sleep on performance and the benefit of managing wake and sleep time.
● Sun: early morning sun can signal your brain to feel fully awake and help you set the day for a productive week ahead.
● Eat right: Minimize the influence of junk and sugar and add value to whole vegetables and fruits and proper home-cooked meals.
Healthy habits: sleep, nutrition, and exercise for peak performance
Being positive means you accept that even if you fail you have the ability to tap back and score, having confidence means being better prepared enough to lead your days without getting pulled down.
Conclusion
With consistent effort, proper preparation, and a well-structured routine, anyone can achieve a perfect score of 90/90 in the PTE exam. Many individuals have overcome failures and limited resources to succeed, proving that commitment and perseverance are key. If you’re determined to excel, enrolling in the best PTE coaching centre in Kerala can provide the expert guidance and resources needed to help you reach your goals and unlock limitless success.
