PTE exam fee 2026: what the test costs in each country

Updated 30 October 2026 · about an 8-minute read

The PTE exam fee is ₹18,900 in India, AU$499 in Australia and CA$360 in Canada, and in each country that one price covers PTE Academic, PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Core. In Pakistan Pearson lists the fee as US$240, and in Nepal as US$248.60. The price is set by the country where you sit the test, not by your nationality, so the cost of the PTE exam depends on which test centre you book.

This guide gives the fee in 12 countries, taken from Pearson's own fee finder, then explains what the fee covers and what it does not: rescheduling, cancelling, rescoring and retaking all have their own rules and costs, and they are where most people end up paying more than they planned.

PTE exam fees by country (2026)

Pearson charges the same fee for PTE Academic, PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Core in every country below. PTE Home, a separate set of tests (A1, A2 and B1) for UK family, work and settlement visas, costs less.

Two things follow from the table. First, because the three main tests cost the same, choose between them by what you need the score for, never by price. Second, if you could sit the test in more than one country, the fee really does differ: the same PTE Academic test costs CA$360 in Toronto and AU$499 in Sydney.

PTE exam fee in India

In India the fee is ₹18,900 for PTE Academic, PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Core alike, and ₹15,300 for the PTE Home tests. Pearson lists 57 test centres across the country, including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Mumbai and New Delhi. Many older articles still give ₹18,000, so treat any figure you see on a coaching site as a guide and confirm it in the fee finder.

Indian candidates can pay by credit or debit card, Google Pay or Apple Pay, and also through PayU. As the price is the same for all three tests, the real decision is which one to book:

• PTE Academic for study abroad and for Australian and New Zealand visas.
• PTE Academic UKVI for UK visas that need a four-skill Secure English Language Test, such as study below degree level.
• PTE Core for Canadian economic immigration, where IRCC accepts it.

Booking the wrong one is an expensive mistake, because changing it close to the date means cancelling under the refund rules further down this page.

PTE exam fees in Australia

In Australia the fee is AU$499 for each of the three main tests and AU$420 for PTE Home, at 37 test centres including Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

If the score is for an Australian visa, book PTE Academic. It is the PTE test named on the Department of Home Affairs list of approved English tests, and Home Affairs does not accept tests delivered entirely online. When you book, you can tick the box that allocates your scores to the Department of Home Affairs, and they are then sent automatically. To see which score each visa and points level needs, read the PTE score for Australia PR.

PTE Core exam fee in Canada

In Canada PTE Core costs CA$360, exactly the same as PTE Academic, and PTE Home costs CA$305. There are 32 test centres, including Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg.

PTE Core is the version recognised by IRCC for Canada's economic immigration programmes. There is nothing extra to pay to share the result: your score report carries an IRCC Unique Reference Number, which you enter on your application so the government can verify the score. Before you book, work out the CLB level you need with the PTE Core score chart, and get used to the task types with PTE Core practice tests.

Countries where Pearson lists the fee in US dollars

In several South Asian countries, and in the Philippines, Pearson's fee finder gives the price in US dollars:

• Pakistan: US$240, at 12 centres including Gujrat, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Quetta.
• Nepal: US$248.60, at 11 centres including Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Pokhara, Tilottama and Itahari.
• Bangladesh: US$220, at 4 centres in Dhaka and Chattogram.
• Sri Lanka: US$230, at 3 centres in Colombo and Kandy.
• Philippines: US$240, at 7 centres including Manila, Makati, Cebu, Davao and Baguio City.

Pearson's payment policy requires full payment in the currency it specifies, so in these countries you pay in US dollars. Ask your bank whether it adds a currency conversion charge, and make sure the card works for international payments: if a payment is declined, Pearson cancels the appointment.

Elsewhere, the fee is £230 in the United Kingdom, US$275 in the United States, NZ$505 in New Zealand and AED 1,520 in the United Arab Emirates.

What the PTE fee covers

The fee buys one sitting of the test at a test centre, and a few things that other English tests sometimes charge extra for:

• The test itself, about two hours in one sitting. The PTE exam format sets out every task and its timing.
• Your results, which usually arrive within two days and can take up to five working days. See how long PTE results take.
• Free, unlimited score sending. You send your score report from your myPTE account to as many institutions as you need, up to seven at a time, at no cost. Institutions can see it about 48 hours after you send it.
• Two years of access to your score report. After that the report is no longer available; how long a PTE score is valid explains what that means for applications.

It does not cover a rescore, a technical review, a second attempt, or a new booking after a late cancellation. Those are the costs to plan for.

Rescheduling and cancellation fees

Pearson's cancellation and rescheduling rules all turn on how many days are left before your test when you act:

• Rescheduling is free if more than 14 full calendar days are left. You can reschedule one booking up to 6 times.
• Inside 14 days you cannot reschedule. The option disappears from your myPTE dashboard, and the only route is to cancel and make a new booking.
• Cancelling more than 14 days before the booked test time refunds 100% of the test fee.
• Cancelling between 14 days and more than 7 days before refunds 50%.
• Cancelling 7 days or fewer before refunds nothing.

Here is how that works for a test booked for 20 March at 10:00, using the Indian and Australian fees:

The practical consequence: moving a test that is ten days away costs half the fee, because you get 50% back and then pay the full fee again for the new date. In India that is ₹9,450 extra; in Australia, AU$249.50. Moving a test that is six days away costs the whole fee. If there is any doubt about your date, decide while more than 14 full days are left.

There are two exceptions. If illness or a family emergency stops you attending, you can submit Pearson's Request Emergency Reschedule form with evidence, no later than 72 hours after the appointment; Pearson decides each case and may allow a free reschedule. And if Pearson itself cancels or reschedules a test, it arranges a refund or a new date or centre.

Rescore, technical review and retake costs

If your result disappoints you, there are three paid routes, and they are not interchangeable:

• A rescore costs US$160. A human expert rescores the whole test. You request it by phone within 14 calendar days of your score being released, and the fee is refunded only if your overall or communicative skills scores change. The score can also go down, and you cannot ask for a rescore if you have already booked another test. Is a PTE rescore worth it? covers the decision in full.
• A technical review costs US$50. It checks your speaking recordings for a technical fault, it does not change your scores, and it must be requested within 15 business days of your results. If it finds a fault, Pearson refunds both the test fee and the review fee, or gives a free credit voucher if you paid for the test with one.
• A retake is a new booking at the normal fee. Pearson's retake policy lists no discount. You can only book once you have received the scores from your last test, you can hold only one booking at a time, and you can take the test up to 12 times in a 12-month window.

How to pay for and book the PTE exam

1. Create or sign in to your myPTE account. The name, date of birth, citizenship and gender you book with must exactly match the identity document you will bring, so copy them from it.
2. Choose the test: PTE Academic, PTE Academic UKVI or PTE Core.
3. Pick a test centre and date. You can book up to 6 months ahead. Booking at least a few weeks out keeps the free reschedule window open.
4. Pay in full. Pearson accepts credit and debit cards, Google Pay and Apple Pay, plus PayU in India and WeChat Pay and Alipay in China. It does not accept PayPal.
5. Allocate your scores if you are applying to Australia or New Zealand by ticking the Department of Home Affairs or Immigration New Zealand box while you book.

If you pay with a voucher, note that a voucher can pay the test fee but not a rescheduling fee, and Pearson cannot refund a voucher payment. A cancelled payment or a chargeback through your bank cancels the appointment, or the results if you have already sat the test.

Is there a late booking fee? Pearson's payment, refund and cancellation policies do not list one, and the figures quoted on other websites contradict each other. Whatever the checkout in myPTE shows is what you pay.

How to avoid paying the PTE fee twice

For most people the biggest PTE cost is not the fee itself but a second sitting. A few habits make a retake less likely:

• Book when your practice scores are already at your target, not when you hope they will be by the test date. A full, timed attempt tells you far more than loose practice questions; you can sit a free full PTE mock test on the 10 to 90 scale first.
• Book the right test. Academic, UKVI and Core cost the same, so there is nothing to save by guessing; check what your university or visa asks for.
• Leave a buffer before deadlines. Results normally arrive in about two days, but allow for up to five working days, and for a possible retake, before an application closes.
• Bring the right ID. Under Pearson's identification policy, if you cannot show the required ID at the test centre you are not allowed into the test room and you lose the test fee.
• Answer every task. A skipped task scores nothing and an unfinished one loses marks, which usually costs more than imperfect English does.

Sources, checked 30 October 2026: Pearson's test centres and fees (fees and centres in 12 countries), refund policy, cancellation and rescheduling policy, payment policy, rescore and technical review policy, retake policy, identification policy and scoring help centre (results timing and score sending); the Department of Home Affairs English language requirements.

Frequently asked questions