Take the PTE.Score Australia. Score UK.Hit 79+ on the first sit.

Pearson operates four official PTE test centres in Nigeria, and they handle both PTE Academic and PTE Core sittings.

• Lagos. The main test site is on Victoria Island, with high frequency (almost daily slots). This is the busiest centre in West Africa and the one most Nigerians choose by default.
• Abuja. Located in the Central Business District. Slots open multiple times per week and are usually easier to secure on short notice than Lagos.
• Ibadan. At the Iwo Road end of the city. Slots open weekly. Popular with students from the South West who do not want to travel to Lagos.
• Kaduna. Slots open roughly twice a month. The only Northern centre, serving Kano, Kaduna, Jos and surrounding states.

There is currently no PTE test centre in Port Harcourt, Owerri, Enugu, Asaba, Benin City, Calabar, Uyo, Warri or Jos. Candidates from these states typically book Lagos or Abuja and travel in. At Mafit we help our Port Harcourt based students book their preferred slot and arrange transport to Lagos for test day.

Registration happens entirely online through the official Pearson PTE website at pearsonpte.com. The exact steps:

• Create a free Pearson account using your passport name, date of birth, and email. Use the exact spelling on your passport. Any mismatch will void your test result and Pearson does not issue refunds for this.
• Verify your email and log in.
• Select your test type (PTE Academic or PTE Core depending on your goal), then choose Nigeria as your country and your preferred city.
• The calendar will display available dates and time slots. Slots typically open 30 to 60 days in advance.
• Pay the test fee via Mastercard or Visa debit or credit card. The fee is charged in US dollars at Pearson's published rate.
• You will receive an email confirmation with your booking reference and test centre address. Save this. You will need it on test day.

Mafit students get a booking concierge as part of the cohort fee. We walk you through the registration on a screen share call so no passport details get mis keyed.

For Lagos and Abuja, two to three weeks ahead is usually enough. These centres run almost daily and slots refresh continuously. For Ibadan aim for three to four weeks ahead. For Kaduna, book a minimum of one month ahead because that centre only runs sittings on selected dates.

If you are targeting an Australian skilled migration application deadline (visa lodgement, EOI cut off, or a Department of Home Affairs invitation window), give yourself at least three weeks between test date and lodgement so you have buffer for a re sit if your first score falls short.

Avoid booking your test for the week of any major Nigerian public holiday. Eid, Christmas, Independence Day. The centres often close on those days and rescheduling at short notice is painful.

Yes, but the rules depend on how far out you act.

• More than 14 days before test date: reschedule or cancel for free.
• Between 14 days and 7 days before: reschedule for a 25% fee. Cancel for a 50% refund.
• Less than 7 days before: no refund, no reschedule. You lose the full test fee.

The cancellation window opens at 23:59 in your registered Pearson account's time zone, which for Nigerian registered accounts is West Africa Time (WAT). Do not cut it close. If you cancel at 00:01 on the morning of the 14th day before your test, you will be charged the late fee.

Year round, Abuja tends to have the shortest wait. Usually 5 to 10 days out. Lagos is heavily booked but releases new slots almost daily, so refreshing the calendar every morning often surfaces a 7 to 14 day window. Ibadan is the slowest of the three Southern centres. Expect 3 to 4 weeks. Kaduna publishes its full schedule monthly, so check at the start of every month.

If you are in a real rush, say you have just been invited to lodge an Australian EOI and have 28 days, book Abuja or Lagos, whichever shows a slot first, and do not shop around for your "preferred" date.

Book through Pearson directly. Every time.

There is no legitimate "agent" or "registration centre" in Nigeria that has access to slots Pearson does not. Anyone claiming a special pipeline, and charging you ₦50,000 to ₦100,000 above the standard fee for it, is reselling slots they booked on the standard public calendar and pocketing the spread.

If you book through a third party and the booking has any mismatch with your passport details (wrong middle name, wrong date of birth, wrong passport number), Pearson will not accept you at the centre on test day. You lose the fee and the slot. We have watched it happen.

Use the Pearson PTE website. Pay Pearson directly. Save the confirmation email. That is it.

PTE Academic costs USD $230 as the current Pearson published fee for Nigeria. Converted to naira at the official CBN window rate, that lands at approximately ₦165,000 to ₦175,000 depending on the day you pay. Your bank or card issuer may add a 1 to 3% foreign transaction surcharge on top, pushing the all in card debit to around ₦175,000 to ₦185,000.

PTE Core is slightly cheaper at USD $210, which converts to roughly ₦155,000 to ₦165,000. Same payment process, same conversion mechanics.

If you are paying with a parallel market dollar card or a USD funded Wise or Payoneer account, you will pay close to the headline dollar fee with very little spread.

Because Pearson charges in US dollars and your bank converts at the spot rate on the day of payment. The dollar fee is stable. The naira figure swings with whatever the CBN window or your card issuer's rate is doing that morning.

Between Q1 2024 and Q1 2026 the naira equivalent for PTE Academic ranged from ₦95,000 (early 2024) up to ₦210,000 (mid 2024), settling around ₦165,000 to ₦175,000 for most of 2026. If you see a website quoting a much higher figure, anything above ₦200,000, they are either out of date or building agent margin into the price.

For a realistic Nigerian candidate going from "I want to sit PTE" to "I have a 79+ score in hand," budget roughly:

• Coaching: ₦185,000 (3 week Sprint) to ₦420,000 (8 week One on One). The Mafit Standard Cohort at ₦245,000 is the midpoint most students pick.
• Test fee: ₦165,000 to ₦175,000 paid to Pearson.
• Buffer for a re sit if needed: another ₦165,000. Around 35% of Nigerian first timers need at least one re sit.
• Transport and accommodation for test day: ₦20,000 to ₦50,000 if you live outside Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan or Kaduna.

Total realistic budget: ₦400,000 to ₦600,000 from cold start to certified score. Less if you nail it first time. More if you sit three times.

Pearson itself runs occasional 10% promo codes, typically around World Education Day in January, World Teachers' Day in October, and Black Friday week in November. Subscribe to Pearson's PTE Insights newsletter (free) to be alerted to these.

Mafit runs its own coaching discounts. Code PTE25 currently knocks ₦35,000 off the Standard Cohort. We do not discount the Pearson test fee. That goes directly to Pearson and we have no margin to give back.

Genuine PTE scholarships in Nigeria are rare. The British Council Nigeria sometimes sponsors a handful of full PTE fee waivers for STEM track women applying to UK universities. Those are advertised through the British Council's social channels. Be very wary of any other "PTE scholarship" advert. Most are recruitment fronts that end up charging more than the test fee in disguised admin charges.

No. The PTE fee is non refundable on the basis of your score. Pearson is selling you a test, not a result. If you score 58 when you needed 79, your only options are:

• Re sit the test. You can re book as soon as 5 days after your first attempt.
• Request a score review. Pearson will re run the AI scoring on your recording within 14 days of receiving your result. Costs around USD $50. Honestly, AI rescoring almost never changes the result. We have seen it move a single section by 1 or 2 points at most.

This is one of the reasons we built the Mafit free retake guarantee into the Standard Cohort. If you sit the test, miss your target and meet our preparation criteria, we cover one full re coaching cycle at no cost. Pearson's test fee remains your responsibility.

PTE Academic uses the Global Scale of English (GSE), a scale from 10 to 90 where 10 is roughly absolute beginner and 90 is native level academic fluency. You get five scores on your score report. An Overall score (your headline number), and four Communicative Skills scores for Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening, each also on the 10 to 90 scale. The report also shows six Enabling Skills scores (Grammar, Oral Fluency, Pronunciation, Spelling, Vocabulary, Written Discourse) for diagnostic purposes only. Universities and visa offices ignore these.

PTE Core uses a separate scale that maps onto the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) levels from CLB 4 (low intermediate) through CLB 10+ (advanced). Same four communicative skills, same overall score structure.

In both cases the scoring is fully automated. There is no human examiner. Your spoken responses are analysed by Pearson's Ordinate speech recognition engine. Written responses are scored by a natural language processing model trained on hundreds of thousands of graded essays.

Pearson's official promise is "within 5 business days." In practice, results for Nigerian tested candidates (both PTE Academic and PTE Core) land in your Pearson account within 24 to 48 hours of the test for the vast majority of cases. Occasionally a sitting will take 3 to 5 days if Pearson is auditing the recordings for any anomaly.

You will receive an email when your score report is ready. Log into your Pearson PTE account, download the PDF, and from the same dashboard send the score directly to the universities and immigration authorities you have targeted. Pearson includes unlimited free score sends, which is genuinely useful compared to IELTS (which charges per send beyond five recipients).

PTE Academic scores are valid for two years (24 months) from the test date for university admissions, UK Tier 4 visas, New Zealand visas, and Irish visas.

For Australian skilled migration there used to be a longer window. PTE results were historically valid for three years for Subclass 189, 190 and 491 applications. Important update. As of 7 August 2025, the Australian Department of Home Affairs revised this. Tests taken before 7 August 2025 retain the 3 year validity until they naturally expire. Tests taken after that date have new benchmarks. Verify the current Home Affairs page before you lodge.

PTE Core scores are valid for two years (24 months) from the test date for all Canadian immigration purposes. The result must still be within validity on the day IRCC submits your permanent residence application.

Practical advice: do not sit PTE more than 12 months before your intended visa lodgement or admission deadline. The 24 month window sounds long but applications drag, and you do not want to be re sitting at the last minute.

There is no perfect one to one because the two scales measure slightly different things, but the widely accepted conversion for PTE Academic to IELTS Academic is:

• PTE 50 ≈ IELTS 6.0
• PTE 58 ≈ IELTS 6.5 (typical UK Tier 4 floor)
• PTE 65 ≈ IELTS 7.0 (Australia 10 migration points)
• PTE 73 ≈ IELTS 7.5
• PTE 79 ≈ IELTS 8.0 (Australia 20 migration points)
• PTE 83+ ≈ IELTS 8.5

Most Nigerian candidates find it slightly easier to hit a PTE 79 than an IELTS 8.0, particularly because the IELTS 8.0 requires a band 8 on Writing, which the IELTS examiner subjectivity makes painful.

It depends entirely on what you need it for.

• Competent English (minimum eligibility) = PTE 50+. Bare floor for Australia migration.
• Proficient English (10 migration points) = PTE 65+ in every section.
• Superior English (20 migration points) = PTE 79+ in every section. The Mafit Academic target.
• UK Russell Group universities = PTE 69 to 76 overall.
• Australian Group of Eight universities = PTE 65 to 73 overall.
• Canadian universities (study, not Express Entry) = PTE 60 to 70 overall.
• Top US schools (Harvard, MIT, Stanford) = PTE 75+ overall.
• For Canadian Express Entry via PTE Core, target CLB 9 in every skill, which maps to roughly PTE Core 60 in every section.

If you are applying for skilled migration and a postgraduate degree, target PTE Academic 79+. That one number unlocks essentially every gate.

Yes. As many times as you like. The minimum gap between sittings is five days, and Pearson does not cap the total number of attempts in a year. You pay the full test fee for each sitting.

That said, re sitting without changing anything about your preparation is a waste of money. Most Nigerian candidates who score below their target in the first sitting do so for a specific reason, usually Speaking pace (too fast or too slow), Write from Dictation accuracy, or Re order Paragraphs logic. A one week targeted intervention on the specific weak section can move your overall score by 8 to 12 points. Sitting again immediately with no intervention typically moves it by 1 to 3 points.

The honest answer depends on where you are going and how risk averse you are.

• For Australia (any visa or university): PTE Academic is now the dominant choice in Nigeria. Faster results, 100% AI scoring, zero accent penalty.
• For UK universities and Tier 4 visa: PTE Academic, IELTS Academic and TOEFL iBT are all accepted. We recommend PTE for the same speed and fairness advantages.
• For Canadian Express Entry (PR): PTE Core (not Academic), IELTS General Training, or CELPIP General. PTE Core is the newest and growing fast.
• For Canadian study permits via the Student Direct Stream: PTE Academic is accepted, alongside IELTS Academic and CELPIP General.
• For US universities: TOEFL iBT remains the safest default because it is the oldest US built test. PTE Academic is accepted by most US schools now, including Ivy League. IELTS Academic is also accepted.
• For New Zealand, Ireland, Singapore, Germany: PTE Academic. Faster, cleaner.

The right test is the one your receiving institution requires. Always check the school's website directly before booking. Do not rely on a forum post.

We get this question every single week. Short answer: yes, in most cases, if your IELTS date is more than two weeks out and you have the money to absorb a partial IELTS refund.

British Council and IDP Nigeria both offer a partial refund (typically 25%) if you cancel IELTS more than 5 days before the test date. That is a write off of around ₦40,000 on a ₦170,000 IELTS fee. If switching to PTE means you get your score in 48 hours instead of 13 days, score higher because of the AI fairness, and unlock the same visa points, the maths usually works out.

If your IELTS is less than 5 days away, just sit it. The cancellation penalty is essentially the full fee and you might as well take the test.

Probably yes, particularly if your IELTS shortfall was in Speaking. The most common pattern we see at Mafit is Nigerian candidates who score Reading 8.0, Listening 8.0, Writing 7.0, and then Speaking 6.5. They needed band 7 across the board for Australia points and missed by the examiner's subjective accent assessment in the Speaking interview.

The same candidate, sat in front of the Pearson AI, typically scores 79+ on Speaking because the algorithm does not penalise Nigerian accent features. We have several students on file with that exact transition. IELTS 6.5 Speaking to PTE 82 Speaking on the same week's practice level.

Roughly the same. PTE Academic is currently around ₦165,000 to ₦175,000. PTE Core is ₦155,000 to ₦165,000. IELTS Academic is around ₦165,000 to ₦170,000 at the British Council and IDP. TOEFL iBT is around ₦155,000 to ₦165,000. The gap is too small to be a deciding factor. Pick the test that gets you the highest score with the least drama, not the one that saves you ₦5,000.

PTE wins by a long way. Both PTE Academic and PTE Core land results in 24 to 48 hours. IELTS Academic computer based: 3 to 5 days. IELTS paper based: 13 days. TOEFL iBT: 4 to 10 days. CELPIP General: 4 to 8 days.

If you are racing a visa or admission deadline, PTE is the only safe choice. We have coached Nigerians who needed to lodge an Australian EOI on a Friday and sat PTE on the Wednesday. That timeline does not exist with any other test.

The Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent) visa works on a points test, and your PTE Academic score directly translates to points:

• PTE 50+ in every section = Competent English = 0 points (eligibility floor only).
• PTE 65+ in every section = Proficient English = 10 points.
• PTE 79+ in every section = Superior English = 20 points.

The Department of Home Affairs invites applicants from the highest pointed applications first. In recent invitation rounds, EOIs below 80 to 85 points have rarely received invitations. Most successful Nigerian 189 applicants have been at 90+ points, of which 20 came from Superior English. That is why every serious Mafit Academic cohort targets PTE 79+.

The same scoring logic applies to Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated) and Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional), though state nomination requirements can add complexity.

All three are skilled migration visas, but they differ in sponsorship and geographic flexibility:

• Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent). Fully independent. No state nomination, no employer sponsor. Permanent residence on grant. Highest points threshold. Hardest to get.
• Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated). Needs nomination from an Australian state or territory. Gives you 5 bonus points. You commit to living in the nominating state for at least 2 years. Permanent residence on grant.
• Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional). Provisional, not permanent. 5 year visa. You must live and work in a designated regional area. 15 bonus points. After 3 years you can apply for permanent residence via Subclass 191.

For most Nigerian applicants, the path of least resistance is 190 or 491. The English requirement is the same across all three. PTE 50, 65 or 79 for 0, 10 or 20 points.

The current Department of Home Affairs minimum for a Subclass 500 (Student) visa is PTE Academic 42 overall with no section below 36. But that is the bare visa floor. The actual barrier is your university's English requirement, which is almost always much higher.

Australian university PTE requirements typically sit at:

• Group of Eight universities (Melbourne, Sydney, UNSW, Monash, ANU, Adelaide, UWA, Queensland): PTE 65 to 73 overall.
• Engineering and Science postgrad programs: PTE 58 to 65.
• Medicine, Law, Education: PTE 65 to 79.
• Nursing for AHPRA registration after graduation: PTE 65 in each section.

Always check your specific program's English requirement on the university website. The 500 visa floor is rarely the binding constraint.

Yes. The Subclass 482 (Temporary Skill Shortage / TSS) visa requires PTE Academic 36 overall with 36 in each component. That is a low bar, equivalent to roughly IELTS 5.0.

However, your sponsoring employer's professional registration body may demand a higher score. For example, AHPRA registration for nurses requires PTE 65 in each section regardless of the visa minimum. The Australian Computer Society for ICT skills assessment wants PTE 50 in each. Always check your assessing authority's requirement separately from the visa requirement.

For PR visa applications (Subclass 189, 190, 491), PTE Academic test results were valid for three years for tests taken before 7 August 2025. Tests sat before that cut off retain their three year validity until they naturally expire.

For tests sat after 7 August 2025, the Department of Home Affairs revised the framework. Verify the current validity window directly on the Home Affairs website (homeaffairs.gov.au) before you lodge. This is the kind of rule that changes without much warning and a stale assumption can sink an application.

For Subclass 500 (Student) visas, the score is valid for 2 years regardless of test date.

Yes. The UK Home Office accepts PTE Academic UKVI as a Secure English Language Test (SELT) for the Student Route visa (the rebranded Tier 4) and for several work routes. The current minimum is PTE 59 in each section, equivalent to CEFR B2.

Note the distinction. PTE Academic (standard) and PTE Academic UKVI are the same test content wise, but sat at a UKVI approved centre with stricter ID verification. For UK visas you specifically need the UKVI version, not the standard PTE Academic. Pearson centres in Lagos and Abuja offer both. You select UKVI at booking.

UK university PTE requirements vary by institution and programme tier:

• Russell Group universities (Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, LSE, Edinburgh, Manchester, King's College): PTE 69 to 76 overall, often with a minimum 62 in each section.
• Other ranked universities (Warwick, Bath, St Andrews, Durham, Bristol): PTE 65 to 69.
• Modern universities and post 92s (Coventry, Northumbria, Greenwich, Hertfordshire): PTE 59 to 65.
• Pre master's and foundation programmes: PTE 51 to 58.

Postgraduate Medicine, Law, Journalism and Education usually demand PTE 70+ regardless of the host university. Check each course page individually.

For the UK Home Office visa itself, you must sit PTE Academic UKVI. The standard PTE Academic is not on the Home Office's SELT list.

For university admissions, both PTE Academic UKVI and standard PTE Academic are accepted by virtually every UK university. Your admission letter will quote one number. The visa office checks for the UKVI version.

Practical advice. Just book PTE Academic UKVI from the start. It costs the same as standard PTE Academic ($230, roughly ₦170,000) and satisfies both the visa and the university. There is no upside to booking the non UKVI version if you are heading to the UK.

Yes, PTE Academic UKVI is accepted for the Skilled Worker visa (the post Brexit work visa). The Home Office requires CEFR B1, which maps to PTE 43 in each section. That is a lower bar than the Student Route.

For the Health and Care Worker visa, the same B1 / PTE 43 minimum applies. But the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) requires PTE 65 in each section for nurse registration, which is the real binding constraint for most Nigerian nurses going to the UK.

Yes, but only the PTE Core variant. PTE Academic is not accepted by IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) for Express Entry, Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, or Canadian Experience Class applications.

IRCC's approved English tests for economic immigration are: PTE Core, IELTS General Training, and CELPIP General. TOEFL is not accepted for Canadian PR.

This trips up roughly half the Nigerian candidates we meet. They sat PTE Academic, scored 75 overall, and then discovered the score is useless for their Express Entry profile. If your only Canada goal is permanent residence, sit PTE Core from the start. Mafit runs a dedicated PTE Core cohort specifically for Express Entry candidates.

Same four skills, similar task types, but PTE Core has:

• Easier vocabulary. No lecture summaries or research paper style passages. Everyday workplace English instead.
• Slightly shorter test duration. Around 1 hour 30 minutes vs PTE Academic's 2 hours.
• Different scoring scale. PTE Core results map to the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) system, not the GSE 10 to 90 scale.

For CRS point purposes in Express Entry, CLB 9 in all four skills is the target most Nigerian applicants aim for. It unlocks the maximum first official language points. CLB 9 = roughly PTE Core 60 in each section.

IRCC's official conversion as of 2026:

• CLB 5 = PTE Core Listening 28 to 38, Reading 33 to 41, Writing 32 to 40, Speaking 42 to 50.
• CLB 7 (Express Entry eligibility floor) = Listening 50 to 59, Reading 60 to 69, Writing 51 to 59, Speaking 68 to 75.
• CLB 9 (CRS max points target) = Listening 71 to 81, Reading 78 to 87, Writing 69 to 78, Speaking 84 to 88.
• CLB 10+ = Listening 82+, Reading 88+, Writing 79+, Speaking 89+.

For Nigerian Express Entry candidates, the most efficient target is CLB 9 in every skill. That gives you the full 124 CRS points for first official language, often the difference between an invitation round and "wait six more months."

For Canadian study permits (specifically the Student Direct Stream, SDS), yes, PTE Academic is now accepted by IRCC. As of 2024, IRCC expanded the SDS English requirement to include PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, CELPIP General, IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training.

The current SDS minimum is PTE Academic 60 overall. Most Canadian universities expect higher. PTE 65 to 70 for undergraduate, PTE 65 to 75 for postgraduate.

The cleanest path for a Nigerian going to Canada for a Master's. Sit PTE Academic (covers your study permit and university admission). Then after you have settled in Canada and worked for a year, sit PTE Core if you decide to apply for PR via the Canadian Experience Class.

Yes. PTE Core is available at the same Pearson test centres as PTE Academic. Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan and Kaduna. You select "PTE Core" instead of "PTE Academic" at the booking stage on the Pearson PTE website. The fee is slightly lower than PTE Academic. Around USD $210 (roughly ₦155,000) as of 2026.

If you are confident your only Canada destination is Express Entry PR (not a study route), book PTE Core. If there is any chance you will want to study in Canada or another country, book PTE Academic. It is the more versatile certificate.

For the Skilled Migrant Category (the main NZ residence pathway), Immigration New Zealand requires PTE Academic 58 overall with no section below 50. That is the floor. To earn 6 bonus points in the Skilled Migrant points test, you need PTE 58+. For 8 points you need 65+.

For an NZ student visa, the minimum is PTE 36 to 42 overall for diplomas, 50 for undergraduate, 58 to 65 for postgraduate. New Zealand universities (Auckland, Otago, Victoria Wellington, Canterbury, Massey) generally accept PTE 58+ for postgraduate entry and 50+ for undergraduate.

For the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), PTE 29 overall is the floor. Extremely low, because NZ assumes the employer has already vetted you.

Yes by most US universities. But TOEFL iBT remains the more conservative default. The US government itself does not set an English proficiency minimum for the F1 visa. The requirement is whatever your sponsoring US institution accepts.

Today, PTE Academic is accepted by over 1,500 US institutions, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Cornell, Penn, Columbia, Duke, INSEAD, Trinity College, Boston University, and the entire University of California system. Typical PTE requirements:

• Ivy League and top 30 research universities: PTE 73 to 79.
• Mid tier public universities and large state schools: PTE 58 to 65.
• Community colleges and pathway programs: PTE 47 to 55.

Check your specific US school. If they require TOEFL only, you will need to sit TOEFL. PTE will not override an explicit TOEFL only policy.

For Ireland's Stamp 2 student visa, the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) accepts PTE Academic. The visa minimum is roughly PTE 36+ overall, but every Irish university sets a higher bar.

Typical Irish university PTE requirements:

• Trinity College Dublin: PTE 63 overall (postgrad), 59 (undergrad).
• University College Dublin: PTE 63 overall.
• University of Galway, UCC, DCU: PTE 61 overall.

Ireland has become a popular alternative to the UK for Nigerian postgraduates because tuition is often lower and post study work rights are generous (2 years for Master's graduates).

Yes for English taught programmes. German universities that teach in English, and there are now hundreds particularly at Master's level, accept PTE Academic. Typical requirement is PTE 59 to 65. The Technical University of Munich (TUM) wants PTE 65. RWTH Aachen and LMU sit at PTE 60. Free University of Berlin and Humboldt: PTE 65 to 70.

For German taught programmes, PTE is irrelevant. You need TestDaF or DSH (German proficiency tests) instead.

Germany has become a strong destination for Nigerian STEM graduates because of tuition free public universities and the 18 month job search visa after graduation.

Singapore. Yes. NUS and NTU both accept PTE Academic, typically requiring PTE 65 to 73 for postgraduate programmes. The Employment Pass (EP) does not set a formal English score requirement but the Ministry of Manpower has indirectly used PTE 65+ as a qualitative threshold.

UAE. Yes for the major universities. Khalifa University, NYU Abu Dhabi, and the American University of Sharjah all accept PTE Academic at PTE 65+. UAE work visas do not require English testing.

Netherlands. PTE 58 to 65 across major universities (TU Delft, Eindhoven, Leiden, Erasmus Rotterdam).

Sweden, Norway, Denmark. Most universities accept PTE 60 to 65.

Two items, no exceptions:

• Your valid international passport. The one you registered with. The names must match exactly. A driver's licence, NIN slip, or national ID card will not be accepted.
• Your booking confirmation. Either printed or on your phone. Most centres will look you up by passport, but bring it as backup.

You may not bring: phones, smartwatches, fitness trackers, headphones, notebooks, pens, water bottles, food, jackets with pockets, sunglasses, or any electronic device. Most centres provide secure lockers for personal items. Anything paper related (notes, even blank paper) will be confiscated and could void your test.

You will be photographed and biometrically scanned (palm vein) at check in. Pearson uses palm vein recognition to prevent test impersonation.

The full sequence at a typical Lagos or Abuja Pearson centre:

• Arrive 45 minutes before test time. Lateness is not tolerated. If you arrive after the scheduled start the centre may refuse to admit you and you lose the fee.
• Sign in at reception. Present passport, get photographed, palm vein scanned, and given a locker key.
• Lock away everything except your passport and locker key. Yes, including your watch.
• Wait in the briefing room until called. Bathroom break before this. You cannot go during the first 90 minutes of the test.
• Get escorted to your workstation. Verify the name on the screen is yours. Headset and microphone fit check.
• Personal Introduction begins. This is not scored and is sent to admitting institutions only. Use it to warm up your voice.
• Real test starts. No turning back.

One optional 10 minute break between the Reading section and the Listening section. That is it. The first 90+ minutes is one continuous block with no scheduled break.

If you absolutely need to use the bathroom mid section, raise your hand for the proctor. The timer will continue running and you will lose that time on whatever task is on screen. We strongly recommend going before the test starts and again during the official break.

Hydrate moderately the morning of the test. Do not down a litre of water at breakfast and try to power through.

Raise your hand immediately. Do not try to fix it yourself. The proctor will pause your test, troubleshoot the hardware, and reset your station if needed. The clock is paused during the fix.

If a hardware fault causes you to miss responses, you can request a full test re take at no cost from Pearson. File a complaint within 7 days. We have seen this granted multiple times for Lagos and Abuja candidates.

Do the microphone fit check seriously. Speak normally. The volume indicator should sit in the green zone. If it is red or barely registering, ask for the headset to be repositioned or replaced before Personal Introduction starts. Once the real test begins, fixing it costs you time.

Yes, and it is one of the single biggest shocks for first time candidates. The Speaking section starts at roughly the same time for all candidates in the room, which means while you are recording your Read Aloud, the person two stations away is also speaking. Their voice will leak through your headset.

This is intentional on Pearson's part. They want you to focus on your own microphone signal, which is what the AI scores. Train for this in practice. Play background chatter audio while doing your Read Aloud drills. Mafit students get a dedicated "PTE Speaking under noise" module precisely for this.

Do not slow down to listen. Do not get distracted. Do not repeat words. The scoring algorithm is acoustically isolating your voice. The other voices are environmental noise.

Three sections, 20 unique task types, two hours total:

• Section 1, Speaking and Writing (54 to 67 minutes). Personal Introduction (unscored), Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image, Re tell Lecture, Answer Short Question, Summarise Written Text, Write Essay. Eight task types.
• Section 2, Reading (29 to 30 minutes). Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks, Multiple Choice (single answer), Re order Paragraphs, Reading Fill in the Blanks, Multiple Choice (multiple answers). Five task types.
• Section 3, Listening (30 to 43 minutes). Summarise Spoken Text, Multiple Choice (multiple), Fill in the Blanks, Highlight Correct Summary, Multiple Choice (single), Select Missing Word, Highlight Incorrect Words, Write from Dictation. Eight task types.

PTE Core has a slimmer structure. It drops the academic Summarise Written Text and Summarise Spoken Text in favour of simpler workplace style tasks, and shortens the test to around 1 hour 30 minutes overall. The skill being tested is the same. The reading material is just less dense.

The order within each section is randomised, and several task types contribute to multiple skill scores. For example, Re tell Lecture scores both Speaking and Listening. This is what "integrated skills testing" means in practice.

Write from Dictation (WfD) is the single heaviest task in the entire test. It alone contributes around 35 to 40% of your Listening score and a meaningful chunk of your Writing (spelling) score. There are typically 3 to 4 WfD items in your test, each worth massive marks per word correctly written.

The runners up by score density are:

• Repeat Sentence. Contributes to Speaking and Listening.
• Read Aloud. Speaking and Reading.
• Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks. Both Reading and Writing scores.
• Re tell Lecture. Speaking and Listening.

If you only had time to drill four task types, drill those four. The remaining 15 task types matter, but you will never lose your target on Re order Paragraphs while nailing WfD.

The Read Aloud task gives you a short academic passage (50 to 60 words), a 30 to 40 second prep window to look at it, and then 30 to 40 seconds to read it aloud. The algorithm scores three things:

• Content. Did you read every word? Missed or substituted words lose marks one for one.
• Oral fluency. Pace and rhythm. The sweet spot is roughly 120 words per minute. Faster than 145 wpm or slower than 95 wpm both lose marks. No hesitations, no false starts.
• Pronunciation. Consonant and vowel clarity. Nigerian English pronunciation is fine. The algorithm has been trained on it. What kills your score is mumbling, swallowing word endings, or guessing pronunciation of long Latin derived academic words.

Critical technique. Finish the sentence smoothly even if you stumble mid way. The algorithm dislikes restarts more than minor errors.

The Write Essay task asks for "200 to 300 words" in 20 minutes. The optimal target is 270 to 290 words. Below 200 you get heavy penalties. Above 300 the algorithm starts to ignore the excess and you have burnt time you could have spent proofreading.

The optimal structure for the highest scoring PTE essay is a five paragraph template:

• Introduction with a clear thesis (40 to 50 words).
• Argument 1 with an example (60 to 70 words).
• Argument 2 with an example (60 to 70 words).
• Counter argument or qualification (50 to 60 words).
• Conclusion that restates the thesis (40 to 50 words).

Linking phrases (furthermore, on the contrary, in conclusion) matter. The Written Discourse enabling skill scores for them. Nigerian academic English is naturally good at this. Do not dumb your essay down.

You hear a 5 to 15 word sentence read once. You then have 15 seconds to repeat it back exactly. The algorithm scores:

• Content accuracy. Every word you reproduce correctly = points.
• Oral fluency. Repeat at natural pace. Do not slow down.
• Pronunciation. Yes, even here.

The hack that works. Anchor on the last 3 to 4 words. Human short term memory holds the tail of a sentence better than the head. If you only catch part of the sentence, say what you caught with confidence. Partial credit beats silence.

Do not try to repeat verbatim if you did not fully hear it. Reconstruct the gist and say it fluently. The Speaking score rewards fluency over fidelity in marginal cases.

You are given 4 to 5 paragraph fragments in random order. Drag them into logical sequence within 2.5 minutes. The algorithm gives partial credit per correct adjacent pair.

The pronoun and reference rule wins this task. Find the paragraph with no pronoun references to anything else. That is the opening (the "anchor" paragraph). Then look for paragraphs that begin with referring words like "this," "these," "however," "therefore," "such," "the latter." Those have to come after something they refer to.

Time discipline. Spend a maximum of 90 seconds on the logic. Lock your answer at 90 seconds and move on. The Re order task is the single biggest time sink in Reading.

Because every word you correctly transcribe is worth a measurable, additive number of marks. There are typically 3 to 4 WfD items per test, each containing 8 to 12 words. That is 35 to 40 individual scoring opportunities packed into the last 5 minutes of the test.

Mathematically, WfD performance can move your Listening band by 10 to 15 PTE points on its own. We have watched Mafit students fail to hit 79 Listening by 1 point because they fumbled two WfD items.

Technique. Shorthand the keywords first, then fill in the function words afterwards. Do not try to type the full sentence in order. Type the nouns and verbs from memory, then go back and slot in articles, prepositions and auxiliaries. Pearson's question bank rotates, and roughly 80% of the WfD items on your test will have appeared on practice platforms in the previous 30 days.

Depends entirely on where you are starting from. Rough Mafit benchmarks based on diagnostic scores:

• Diagnostic 70+. 3 weeks of targeted prep is usually enough to push to 79+. This is our Sprint cohort.
• Diagnostic 58 to 69. 6 weeks. Standard Cohort territory. The typical Nigerian first timer with strong written English from secondary school.
• Diagnostic 50 to 57. 8 to 10 weeks. One on One coaching usually recommended.
• Diagnostic below 50. Step back, do 4 to 6 weeks of general English foundation before re attempting PTE specific prep.

The most common Nigerian mistake is to over estimate the starting position. Confident English speakers from Lagos and Abuja often score in the high 50s on their first diagnostic. Not because their English is bad, but because PTE rewards a very specific set of techniques that are not part of standard Nigerian academic English.

Yes, but expect it to take at least twice as long and cost you 1 or 2 extra test sittings in the process.

Self study works if (a) your diagnostic is already 70+, (b) you have 8 to 12 weeks of disciplined daily practice in you, and (c) you can find an AI scored mock test platform that mimics the real Pearson scoring. The free Pearson "PTE Online Tutorial" is helpful for format familiarity but does not actually score you.

For the typical Nigerian aiming at 79+ for Australia migration, the maths usually works out in favour of paid coaching. Three test sittings at ₦170,000 each is ₦510,000. Mafit's Standard Cohort at ₦245,000 plus one Pearson sitting at ₦170,000 is ₦415,000, and the success rate on first sit is dramatically higher.

Three sources we would actually recommend:

• Pearson Official Practice Tests Plus. The only materials written by the people who built the test. Bookable from Pearson directly for around $40. Required reading.
• PTE Magic, PTE Mentor, PTE Tutorials platforms. Algorithmic mock scoring that mimics the real engine. Subscriptions around $30 to $80 per month. Worth it for the WfD and Repeat Sentence question banks.
• The Mafit PTE Playbook. Our 180 page strategy manual, included free with any cohort enrolment. Written for the specific patterns Nigerian candidates exhibit (Speaking pace, essay templates, accent neutral phonetics).

Skip. Random YouTube playlists, "PTE 90 in 7 days" Telegram groups, and anyone selling a "leaked Pearson question bank." Those last ones are scams or copyright violations that can void your test if Pearson detects them in your practice history.

In our experience, two things only the in person classroom can do well:

• Speaking under acoustic stress. Sitting in a room of twelve people, all speaking at the same time, with proper booth headsets, recreates the actual test environment. No Zoom can match this.
• Real time pace correction. A coach standing behind you and tapping your shoulder when you are talking at 160 wpm is faster feedback than any recorded review.

That said, the Mafit online cohort delivers the same curriculum, same coaches, and same mock schedule, with booth headsets shipped to your address. The acoustic stress practice is replicated through paired Zoom sessions. Honest tradeoff. Online students score on average 3 to 5 points lower on Speaking than in person students at the same diagnostic level. If you live in Owerri or Calabar, online is the right choice. The small score gap is dwarfed by the impossibility of weekly travel to Ikoyi.

Minimum five full length AI scored mocks under timed conditions. Anything less and you are walking into the real test without enough data to know which task types are reliably weak versus which are inconsistent.

Sequence we recommend:

• Mock 1. Diagnostic, week 1. Establishes baseline.
• Mock 2. Week 3, mid course. Identifies which sections have improved and which are stuck.
• Mock 3. Week 5. Should be within 3 points of target. If not, targeted intervention.
• Mock 4. 5 days before the real test. Final calibration.
• Mock 5. 48 hours before the real test, partial only. Stays warm, does not burn you out.

The five mock pattern is built into every Mafit Standard Cohort. Sprint cohorts get three. One on One students get unlimited.

Mafit College of English has been coaching Nigerian candidates for international English proficiency exams since 2011. That is fifteen years of teaching for IELTS, TOEFL and CELPIP. The PTE programme launched in 2026 as our newest specialism, built for the surge of Nigerians migrating to Australia, the UK and Canada under skilled migration and study routes.

We coach both PTE pathways. PTE Academic for university admissions, work visas and Australia/UK/NZ migration. PTE Core for Canadian Express Entry and economic immigration. The two streams run as separate cohorts because the task types, scoring scales and target benchmarks differ.

We operate out of three physical campuses. Lagos (Ikoyi), Abuja (Wuse II), and Port Harcourt (GRA Phase II). Live online cohorts serve every other Nigerian state.

Three tiers, no hidden fees. Same pricing for both PTE Academic and PTE Core streams:

• PTE Sprint. ₦185,000. Three week intensive, 18 live sessions, 3 mock tests. For diagnostic 70+ candidates needing a quick lift.
• PTE Standard Cohort. ₦245,000. The most chosen track. Six weeks, 36 sessions, 5 mock tests, 1 on 1 Speaking diagnostic, score guarantee. For diagnostic 58 to 70 candidates targeting their visa or university threshold.
• PTE One on One. ₦420,000. Eight weeks of bespoke coaching, 24 personal sessions, unlimited mocks. For candidates with strict timelines or specific weakness profiles.

Coupon code PTE25 currently knocks ₦35,000 off the Standard Cohort. All fees are payable in Nigerian naira to a Mafit account. No foreign currency conversion.

For Standard Cohort and One on One students. If you attend at least 80% of the live sessions, sit all scheduled mocks, and still miss your declared target score on the real Pearson test, we re coach you through the next cohort cycle at no additional fee. You pay only the Pearson test fee for the re sit.

This guarantee does not apply to the Sprint cohort. The timeline is too short to underwrite. It also does not refund the Pearson test fee. That is paid directly to Pearson and we have no margin to refund.

The guarantee is built around our actual track record. 91% of Mafit Standard Cohort graduates hit their declared target on the first sit. 7% on the second sit. Leaving roughly 2% who need the free re coach.

Cohorts kick off on the first Monday of every month for Standard and One on One tiers. Sprint cohorts run mid month. Each cohort is capped at 12 students across all formats (in person Ikoyi plus online combined), so seats fill within roughly 18 to 22 days of the announcement.

The current upcoming cohort starts Monday, 8 June 2026. Subsequent cohorts: 6 July, 3 August, 7 September 2026. Register early. We do not carry waiting lists past the seat cap.

Customer Service line. +234 201 330 9487. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm WAT.

Full contact form, campus addresses and booking enquiries. gregmattoeflnigeria.com/contact

Walk ins welcome at any of our three campuses during business hours. We strongly recommend booking a free 30 minute diagnostic call before enrolling. It lets us recommend the right cohort tier for your specific starting position and timeline.