Got 54 in PTE Academic (Real Exam) but scored 66 on Alpha PTE Mock — Shocked. Rescore or Retake?
Hi everyone, I just got my PTE Academic results and I’m in complete shock. Here’s my situation:
Real Exam (Rome, May 22): Overall 54 — Listening 51, Reading 58, Speaking 57, Writing 53
Alpha PTE Mock (Medium difficulty, 1 week before): Overall 66 all sections above 60
Target: 65 overall, minimum 60 in each section for University of Adelaide, Australia
A few things happened on exam day: I arrived slightly late (but before the test started), there was no fingerprint scanner at the Italian test centre (RTS Rome), and I felt quite nervous throughout. I also noticed many questions repeated from Alpha PTE practice.
My questions:
1. Has anyone experienced such a large gap (12 points) between mock and real scores? What caused it?
2. Is a Score Review/Rescore worth it given the 11-point gap to my target?
3. Any advice on how to recover and prepare for a retake especially Listening (51) and Writing (53)?
4. How long did your rescore take if you requested one?
I have limited time and budget Adelaide application deadlines are approaching. Any advice from those who’ve been through this would be hugely appreciated.