What should you do one week before PTE?
Spend the first day confirming the current PTE format and getting a baseline. Spend the middle of the week on the weakest skill estimate and integrated task families. Take one complete mock before the final day, then use the last day for light review and setup checks.
The PTE last-week schedule
| Day | Focus | PrepEx action |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm the current format and get a baseline. | Review format, then start the diagnostic. |
| 2 | Repair the lowest skill estimate. | Use the scoring repair map to choose the first task family. |
| 3 | Run short focused loops. | Pick one task guide and complete its 15-minute loop into filtered practice. |
| 4 | Practise integrated tasks. | Prioritise tasks that affect two skills, especially listening-to-speaking or listening-to-writing tasks. |
| 5 | Check readiness before a full session. | Use the PTE ready checklist and fix any setup or format gaps. |
| 6 | Run one complete mock-style session. | Open the mock-test guide, then complete the diagnostic/mock flow. |
| 7 | Taper and review only the biggest repeated errors. | Use attempt review and the target planner. |
Choose task families that change decisions
With one week left, high-yield PTE practice is not the same as doing every task equally. Start with the families that repeatedly expose score leakage.
Repeat Sentence and Write from Dictation
These reveal listening recall, spoken delivery, spelling and word-order issues quickly.
Summaries and essay
Strict response form can waste otherwise decent language, so protect word count, sentence count and task coverage.
Multiple-answer and highlight tasks
Use controlled selection instead of guessing. One bad habit can repeat across many items.
What not to do in the final week
- Do not reread every guide instead of submitting attempts.
- Do not take repeated full mocks without reviewing item-level patterns.
- Do not chase unofficial score certainty; use practice estimates as direction.
- Do not switch task families every few minutes because the weak pattern feels uncomfortable.
Choose one weak skill, one integrated task family and one form/penalty issue. Repeat those until your next mock shows whether the pattern changed.
Use the last day for confidence, setup and light review
- Review your worst recurring mistakes from PTE attempt review.
- Confirm microphone, headphones, browser and quiet-space setup.
- Run short warm-up tasks only; avoid a heavy full mock immediately before test day.
- Re-read the official-vs-practice limitation so you treat estimates as directional signals.
Current public format, independent practice plan
Pearson organizes PTE preparation around understanding the test format, preparation tools, official scored practice tests, question bank resources, official guide material and scoring guidance. PrepEx turns those same preparation needs into a focused one-week practice workflow.
Primary sources checked July 2, 2026: Pearson PTE Academic test format, Pearson PTE preparation, and Pearson PTE Academic scoring.