PTE Competent Study Plan

Study plans: Competent Study Plan (this plan) · Proficient Study Plan · Superior Study Plan · All target scores

Who this plan is for

This plan is for you if your PTE scores are in the 30s or 40s, or you haven't taken PTE yet and want a clear place to start. It aims at a solid intermediate level: about 47 to 54 in each skill, which is the Australian Competent English level and a common first target for study and work. The lessons use simple English and explain every task step by step.

How the plan works

1. Start with the quick check. It takes about 35 minutes: six reading questions, six listening questions, a summary, and five short speaking tasks. It shows which skill to work on first. Don't worry if it feels hard.
2. Five sessions a week, about 20–35 minutes each. Each session tells you what to do and gives you a link. Tick it when you finish. The plan remembers your place on this device.
3. One easy lesson a week. Read it on the first day of the week. Each lesson explains one or two high-value tasks: the ones that count towards two skills, or that come up many times in the test.
4. Speaking gets the most time. Speaking has the highest minimum for Competent English, so weeks 1 and 2 are speaking weeks, and every other week has a speaking session too.
5. A weekly check. At the end of each week, do one longer practice test and note your accuracy.
6. A full mock test in week 6, with all the task types in order, like the real test.

What Competent English needs

PTE Academic is scored from 10 to 90 for each skill. This plan uses the Australian Competent English level as its target: at least Listening 47, Reading 48, Writing 51 and Speaking 54 (for PTE tests taken on or after 7 August 2025). Before 7 August 2025 it was 50 in each skill, which is why many people still say "PTE 50". If you need PTE for another organisation, check its exact scores.

• Speaking (54): speak smoothly without long pauses, and say every word clearly. Fluency matters as much as perfect grammar.
• Writing (51): follow the rules of each task (word counts, one sentence for the summary), use a clear essay structure and spell carefully.
• Listening (47): catch and type short sentences correctly, and follow a speaker word by word.
• Reading (48): use grammar clues to fill gaps, and follow linking words to put sentences in order.

An honest note

Our practice tests don't give you a PTE score. Only Pearson's own scoring can do that. On this site you see your accuracy on our questions, which shows what's improving and which tasks need more work. Your dashboard asks you to type in your latest official PTE scores, or your scores from an official Pearson practice test, so you can see the gap to your target in each skill.

The 6 weeks

1. 1Week 1: Quick check and Read Aloud5 sessions · focus: Speaking · Weekly check: PTE practice test
2. 2Week 2: Repeat Sentence and speaking templates5 sessions · focus: Speaking · Weekly check: Mock test 1, Speaking & Writing
3. 3Week 3: Write from Dictation and listening5 sessions · focus: Listening · Weekly check: Mock test 2, Listening
4. 4Week 4: Fill in the Blanks and reading5 sessions · focus: Reading · Weekly check: Mock test 2, Reading
5. 5Week 5: A clear essay and a one-sentence summary5 sessions · focus: Writing · Weekly check: PTE writing practice test
6. 6Week 6: Full mock test and your next step5 sessions · focus: Mixed · Weekly check: Full PTE mock test

Before you start

Read our strategy guide, how to get pte 50, for what this score needs in each skill. Then take the quick check so the plan knows your starting point.

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