Pearson has unveiled significant improvements to its Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic test, introducing practical speaking components and advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) security measures starting August 2025. The updates target Indian students seeking international education and migration pathways.
The enhanced PTE Academic will feature two additional speaking sections: "Respond to a Situation" and "Summarise a Group Discussion." These new components focus on evaluating candidates' communication abilities in practical academic and workplace contexts. Alongside these additions, Pearson is upgrading its artificial intelligence scoring technology to identify copied or unoriginal responses, promoting fairer evaluation across all test takers.
To support Indian candidates adapting to these changes, Pearson is rolling out comprehensive preparation resources, including scored practice tests, expert-developed courseware, webinars, and instructional videos. The company emphasises that these updates maintain the test's established advantages of quick results, security, and worldwide acceptance.
Prabhul Ravindran, Director of English Language Learning at Pearson India, explained that the PTE Academic improvements reflect current learner requirements in India while preserving institutional and governmental confidence in the assessment tool. The new real-world speaking tasks and enhanced scoring protections are designed to improve test preparation while maintaining decision-maker trust.
Pearson's secure testing network has expanded to over 500 global locations, with additional centres opening across Southeast Asia this year to enhance accessibility and testing capacity in major cities.
The fundamental characteristics of PTE Academic remain intact. It continues as a fully computer-based examination, primarily scored by AI, with results typically available within 48 hours. Over 3,500 institutions worldwide recognise PTE, and governments in Australia, Canada, the UK, and New Zealand accept it. The test maintains its position as a preferred English proficiency assessment for Indian students pursuing international study and career opportunities.