# My PTE Story



## aussie_dreamz_0209 (Nov 26, 2015)

Part - I

MY PTE Story 

I had posted the same article in PTE-A thread, and I was overwhelmed by the response. Hence I am posting this as a new thread for a wider audience.

Thanks to the people who posted amazing information/articles on this website, especially nicemathan ( Your story was a big inspiration for me, in my hard times).
I will pen down the things which I did and things which went in my mind, during the course of PTE exam preparations. Ignore the typo and other mistakes. I am not proofreading this.

For people, who got perfect 90, this article might be a joke. But this might help people who are struggling hard even for 65 in all modules.

2015 - Oct - Took the decision to apply for AUS PR and prepare for PTE.
My friends told, the exam is easy and one can achieve 79+ in all modules very easily !!!
Went through the exam pattern ( trust me, there were not many materials online at that time, unlike today). Got some materials for IELTS and started preparing ( some random books ) [ mistake number 1]

2015 - Dec - Lots of personal issues during this month, and in midst of all I took my first PTE mock and in first 10 minutes of the exam, I felt this is something which I can never do. Especially speaking, describe image !! The score was really poor, overall 55. ( speaking was somewhere in 40 !!). Got quite depressed and lost of the Hope.
Watched couple of self-help videos ( Roman Sani’s TED talk and Arunima Sinha) and spoke to some friends about this exam, they encouraged me a lot. 

Jan 2 - Came home at 3am in the morning, after seeing the new year fireworks at London Bridge. Woke up at 9 am, and studied PTE. ( that was my first new year in London; Last time when I visited I was a bit unlucky to travel back on Dec 23rd ...) and I was doing fill in the blanks and re-order paragraph.

2015 Jan to 2016 March - Did preparations and started following expats forum.
Read the story of nicemathan. And felt really inspiring. ( I owe you a drink bro .. a million hugs ). Used to listen to ted talks, Harvard/Stanford commencement speech - this helped me to improve my listening skills and vocab.

2016 March - Came back to India and did ACS.

Gave a mock test 2 days before the exam ( mistake 2, nothing could have improved at this time and why the hell did I give mock !! ). Got very poor scores again. [ Speaking 20 !! - blamed the mic ] and the day before my exam, I was looking for PTE coaching centres near my place ( because I was sure that I will not be able to get 65+ in all modules] (mistake 3 - lack of confidence)

PTE 1st attempt - 3 May 2016 - L74/ R64/ S54/ W70
Understood 65 is achievable, and actual exam is easier than the mocks.


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## aussie_dreamz_0209 (Nov 26, 2015)

Part - II

Joined for PTE coaching and I was working in shifts at that time. This is how my schedule was during that month.

During Morning Shift: Wake up at 5:30; Office 6:30 - 3:30. Lunch. Sleep in office dorm for 1 hr. 
Travel 1 hr. PTE class 6pm - 9pm. Travel back to home (1.5 hrs ) . Sleep at 11.

During Afternoon Shift: Wake up at 6. Go for the class at 7. Attend Class from 9 - 12.
Reach office by 2. Work till 11. Reach home at 12:30.

During Night Shift: Go for the class at 4. 6 -9pm Class. Go to the office from there. Work 10:30 - 7:30.
Reach home and sleep 9:30 - 2:30 ( 5 hrs!).

( also cleared 3 good companies interview at this time[ And each company took more than 10 hours of interview ( all rounds combined ), and accepted the 3rd offer; Spent a lot for OLA/UBER )

The coaching class was kind of helpful, they helped me to figure out my errors, especially in speaking and writing.

PTE 2nd attempt 16th Jun 2016- L 69 / R 54 / S 75 / W69

Yes, lost by 1 mark in reading and you how once fee.

Prepared for PTE again and decided never to give up. And started feeling better about speaking which was my pain from day 1. Had a small break as I was switching my company.
So used this to prepare for PTE, brush up my driving skills, joined for keyboard class. ( Next Mistake, we are not superheroes to handle multiple things at a time, I should have just sat and studied PTE), but still cleared PTE in the next attempt.

PTE 3rd Attempt 11th August - L 71 / R 68 / S 69 / W 75

This was the first relief w.r.t this exam. But later understood that it was only temporary as I got only 60 points and my skill was software engineer ( I had already done ACS)

August - Feb 

To honest, I have never done something which I really didn't like in my life. I am among the few IT professional who took this job by choice. And preparing for PTE was like drinking a sour medicine every day. Trust me, I never enjoyed it. And I felt horrible. Especially when I need to write an essay or do a describe image. And every day I wake up checking the email, expats forum and expecting a 189 call. I understood that it is not going to happen.
I applied for NSW after a month ( another mistake - should have done with 189 itself)
And from a month later I applied for VIC ( another mistake - should have done with 189 itself).
Somewhere I knew unless I clear PTE with 79+ I am not going to make it. And if I don’t push myself hard here in India then how can I survive the testing times in AUS, during the job hunts.

A few of my friends who had got 79+ till then had amazing English skills from the school days but I was never like that. I didn't know where to use has/have, do/does play/plays prior to my PTE preparations. I thought my MTI was the biggest show stopper. I decided to join accent neutralisation class. Signed up for one, and they kept pushing the first class for 1 month, telling very silly reason and I felt this is not going to work out.( I hate people who don’t stick to their words ). Since I had told promised to pay after the first trial class, my money was safe.
Attendant many online grammar class ( unaccademy.com) and in youtube. Made notes and improved me a lot. Initially, people told me to read books to improve English, I wanted to understand the grammar rules and then read the books to reiterate what I learned. My brain is more logical and memorising. ( I hardly remember phone numbers and friends birthdays)

And to start believing that 79+ is achievable was not easy. Watched several motivational videos and read articles. No help. Suddenly a thought stuck in my head, why don't I start teaching PTE online ( I felt I was good at that, used to teach people while I was in college and train my juniors in office. Also while I attended the PTE coaching, I used to help people around me, as I had already given an attempt at that time, and had an idea about the exam)

So, started PTE class, informed that in the couple of whats app group, which I was part off.
Started getting students. Classes progressed, I prepared materials for my students. I started preparing for class. Got more students. Students started clearing the exam.
A student of mine got 87 in speaking and it rang a bell. ( i felt for the first time, it is achievable with the Avg level of skills). The student who joined after that got 88 in speaking. 

I was waiting for VIC result. And somewhere I felt, I will get a rejection and I might push myself hard for PTE. Exactly the same happened. On the day when I got VIC rejection email, I promised myself to do something every day till I clear PTE exam. ( this was a time where I saw many people getting approval from VIC, but my case was different).

Made a plan and started practising PTE again, did one section at a time. Started with easy topics like read aloud, answer short questions. And one section a day. Completed PTE test builder and Pearson PTE. Whenever I felt low, I used to watch videos of “Places to Visit in Sydney/Melbourne”. Dreamed about going to Gold Coast and Great Ocean Road. At times I thought to visit Malaysia / Srilanka with friends to take a break from this PTE, but I thought I will use all the pressure/stress to work hard and do things once I clear PTE. Took a mock with full confidence. 

Speaking - 75 ; Reading 55 ; Listening 81 ; Writing : 65 !!!

Felt reading is very hard when compared to what I practised. And in general my reading skills are poor, I hardly read books in my life. And when I read, I lose my focus easily.

But thought to work hard, booked for the exam. After that mock exam, trust me for one month I didn't do any PTE practice . ( because i felt that really boring and never interested me ). 
Read 4 books in 3 weeks time. 2 Shidney Sheldon ; 1 Agatha Christie; 1 Self-help book.( My friend in Aus used to always tell me, bro read Shidney Sheldon your English will improve a lot - another mistake - never listen to that advice for this long) . On the other hand, I was confident with speaking and I knew what to do to get good scores 
-Speak naturally, no MTI, no stammer, don’t worry too much about content. ( easy to tell, but trust me it require lots of practice to do this simple thing).

Even for the day before the exam, I was reading books. ( this helped me to improve my spelling, grammar, vocab, and to comprehend faster).

May 1 2017 - Gave PTE exam. As usual, people were screaming and I got angry. Luckily I got a corner seat and I move further towards the corner and managed to speak.
After the exam, I felt it is doable, say in another 2 attempts.

Came back home, continue reading books. Next day got an email stating that my scores are out. Checked the website and the report was blank ( understood it was a technical issue and contacted the chat support the following day and they fixed it). Was looking for slots for next attempt parallely. After some time, checked the report. And I screamed ... YESSS !! I did it..the pain of year and a half was over.. And I did.. I did it… I always wanted to pump my first like Virat Kohli, when I make this achievement, but it didn't come to my mind then !!!

So guys, I have not given any PTE tips, because all of them are already available online and in this forum. I had promised myself, that I will do this when I clear the exam as I was a silent follower of this group.

So, believe guys it is doable, I used to wake up and check emails for the last one year thinking the so-called miracle will happen or “Rain of invites” from NSW will happen.
But don't wait guys, start today. Don't think about anything, just go step by step one at a time and I am sure you can do it.

So that's all, My cab is waiting and I need to skip my BF today. But I am happy for that. All the best guys…


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## kaushik_91 (Nov 11, 2016)

aussie_dreamz_0209 said:


> Part - I
> 
> MY PTE Story
> 
> ...


Congrats bro...You have come a long way..Inspiring too!!! 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk


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## maraikayer (Feb 28, 2017)

Nice write up, congrats on clearing PTE. 
This indeed is very inspiring.

Sent from my Nexus+5 using Tapatalk


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## ajay23888 (Dec 27, 2015)

Congrats Bro !!



aussie_dreamz_0209 said:


> Part - II
> 
> Joined for PTE coaching and I was working in shifts at that time. This is how my schedule was during that month.
> 
> ...


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## Shwethays (May 5, 2017)

You are an inspiration to believe hard work and determination never fails  A big and hearty congrats to you...


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## Lax9 (May 5, 2017)

Excellent post! Just goes to show where there is a will there is a way and hard work ALWAYS pays. I have always believed that. No pain no gain. Anyone can achieve what they like with practice and perseverance.


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## geekashu (Feb 23, 2017)

Very Motivational. Congratulations.
In your opinion what could have been the reason for VIC rejection?


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## Parin Das (Apr 13, 2016)

Hi Guys,

Many congratulations on your PTE scores !

I had given mine last year in May 2016 and I achieved the below scores:

1. Listening : 79
2. Reading : 73
3. Speaking 80
4. Writing : 73

Overall 73.

May I know if this is an acceptable score or not?
I am planning to start my skill assessment process, just need some of your experts advise on the same .

Thanks,
Parin Das


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## mm84 (May 23, 2017)

aussie_dreamz_0209 said:


> <*SNIP*>* - see Rule 10: http://www.expatforum.com/expats/general-expat-discussions/2397-forum-rules.html kaju/moderator*


Hi - just interested in knowing about your invitation, has that come yet?


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## aussie_dreamz_0209 (Nov 26, 2015)

Nope. Waiting for the next invitation round.!! 

Fingers crossed.


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## mm84 (May 23, 2017)

aussie_dreamz_0209 said:


> Nope. Waiting for the next invitation round.!!
> 
> Fingers crossed.


70 is great total, you will get there - all the best!


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## zaback21 (Jan 18, 2017)

aussie_dreamz_0209 said:


> Nope. Waiting for the next invitation round.!!
> 
> Fingers crossed.


You will. Lodge a Complete Application for a direct grant.


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## Virtual3xpert (Jul 5, 2017)

Wow! What an inspiring story. A big congratulations to you.


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## KKB_0602 (Sep 12, 2016)

Thanks aussie_dreamz_0209 for such a inspiring story of yours. while reading your journey I feel like its my won story..meanwhile I'm in the same boat as you been through..and wanted to settle for 65+
Now you encouraged me to put more effort to get 79+. I have been preparing for PTE since last 4-5 months 65+ seems like gettable after getting close to 65+ in mocks but I was reactant to strive for 79+ before reading your post... Now somehow you show me little hope that 79+ can be achievable..
Thanks.. I got the Kick


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## Rajnath27 (Dec 19, 2015)

aussie_dreamz_0209 said:


> Part - II
> 
> Joined for PTE coaching and I was working in shifts at that time. This is how my schedule was during that month.
> 
> ...


Hey Aussie Dreamz, 

Heartily Congratulate you on this! 

On the Lighter side, You might have felt the "Bahubali 1" Moment when Prabhas reaches the Top most portion of the Cliff while striking an Arrow at the Tree Perched on Top of it and the Background music Playing : :music: Dheevara prasara shourya bhaara Uthsara sthira ghumbheera :music: 

If you also followed a certain Telugu Movie: "Happy Days" (released in 2007) there was on character in it who was initially depressed when he joined the Engineering college thinking that he was never Good at English. But he finally made the cut during his Last semester. Broke all the shackles and bagged a Job. Nice to watch that in a Movie. Your experience proves people like them exist in real Life Too !!! 

Once again Heartiest Congratulations to you on your determination and perseverance that finally paid off !!

By the way, Did you also secure an invite by now ? 

regards,
Rajnath27


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## aussie_dreamz_0209 (Nov 26, 2015)

Thank you and all the best.



KamalBafila said:


> Thanks aussie_dreamz_0209 for such a inspiring story of yours. while reading your journey I feel like its my won story..meanwhile I'm in the same boat as you been through..and wanted to settle for 65+
> Now you encouraged me to put more effort to get 79+. I have been preparing for PTE since last 4-5 months 65+ seems like gettable after getting close to 65+ in mocks but I was reactant to strive for 79+ before reading your post... Now somehow you show me little hope that 79+ can be achievable..
> Thanks.. I got the Kick


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## aussie_dreamz_0209 (Nov 26, 2015)

Thanks a lot for your kind words. Your post made by day.

I have watched both the movies, thank you for the great compliment.

I didn't get the invite in the last round, might have to wait for the next one.



Rajnath27 said:


> Hey Aussie Dreamz,
> 
> Heartily Congratulate you on this!
> 
> ...


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## Ilay (May 19, 2014)

aussie_dreamz_0209 said:


> Part - II
> 
> Joined for PTE coaching and I was working in shifts at that time. This is how my schedule was during that month.
> 
> ...




Hi, you are indeed an inspiration.. I am feeling quite hopeless and yet still getting ready for the pte. I lost 5 points from age and 5 points from work experience as I was lost somewhere on the path.. had got my assessment in sept 2015 and could not get around studying for the exam..now I am back to my country and feeling lost; all I want is to go back to Australia.. however.. My maximum score I can reach is 65 for 189 and 170 for 190 NSW, not to mention i am a biomedical engineer, which is counted in the other engineering professions.. so, im just wondering, why did VIC deny your visa? Was it because your score was 65? I am concerned that I cannot get pr, sadly, I could have applied with 75 for 189 only 1.5 years ago...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## aussie_dreamz_0209 (Nov 26, 2015)

Sorry for the late reply. No one knows how VIC works, they basically check your skills and the skills in demand in VIC and make the decision. It got nothing to do with your PTE / IELTS Scores as far as I understand.





Ilay said:


> Hi, you are indeed an inspiration.. I am feeling quite hopeless and yet still getting ready for the pte. I lost 5 points from age and 5 points from work experience as I was lost somewhere on the path.. had got my assessment in sept 2015 and could not get around studying for the exam..now I am back to my country and feeling lost; all I want is to go back to Australia.. however.. My maximum score I can reach is 65 for 189 and 170 for 190 NSW, not to mention i am a biomedical engineer, which is counted in the other engineering professions.. so, im just wondering, why did VIC deny your visa? Was it because your score was 65? I am concerned that I cannot get pr, sadly, I could have applied with 75 for 189 only 1.5 years ago...
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## aussie_dreamz_0209 (Nov 26, 2015)

Guys.. I got my grant. No CO contact or verification. Thanks for all your wishes.

One more tip: Bunk your office the day you get grant. And feel happy about what you have achieved. In my case, I went straight to work and later regretted.


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## ArGo (Nov 18, 2016)

aussie_dreamz_0209 said:


> Guys.. I got my grant. No CO contact or verification. Thanks for all your wishes.
> 
> One more tip: Bunk your office the day you get grant. And feel happy about what you have achieved. In my case, I went straight to work and later regretted.


Congratulations mate! That's a more valid and valuable tip! 

Sent from my Redmi 4 using Tapatalk


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## Aussie_Fantacy (Aug 19, 2018)

aussie_dreamz_0209 said:


> Part - II
> 
> Joined for PTE coaching and I was working in shifts at that time. This is how my schedule was during that month.
> 
> ...


Hi Brother, I read your complete thread and this is so motivational for me. 

one quetion, I am lagging in listening section in PTE and can you suggest me anything for improvement and also can you please tell me the exact book names that improved your reading and vocabulary. 

Eagerly waiting for your response brother


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## PrettyIsotonic (Nov 30, 2016)

Aussie_Fantacy said:


> Hi Brother, I read your complete thread and this is so motivational for me.
> 
> one quetion, I am lagging in listening section in PTE and can you suggest me anything for improvement and also can you please tell me the exact book names that improved your reading and vocabulary.
> 
> Eagerly waiting for your response brother


In case you haven't already seen them, I would recommend these threads too:

https://www.expatforum.com/expats/a...ng-australia/1326978-pte-tips-i-prepared.html

https://www.expatforum.com/expats/australia-expat-forum-expats-living-australia/672738-pte-exam.html

All the best


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