PTE Rescore/Review: When to Request, Timeline, Cost & Success Odds
If you think there was an error with the scoring of your Pearson Test of English, you can request a rescore or technical review. Learn how it all works in this article.
Table of Contents
- Understanding PTE Rescore & Technical Review
- The Rescore Request Process
- The Technical Review Request Process
- Timeline for PTE Rescore or Technical Review
- Cost of Requesting a Rescore or Review
- Success Odds of a PTE Rescore or Review
Understanding PTE Rescore & Technical Review
What is a PTE Rescore/Review?
A PTE rescore/review is an opportunity to have your test results re-evaluated. There are 2 types of reviews.
- Rescore: This process is beneficial if you suspect an error in your score calculation. Because the PTE is scored by AI, rescoring can be particularly helpful for subjective sections like Speaking and Writing, where human judgment plays a role.
- Technical review: If you suspect that some technical issue occurred – like an issue with your recording – you can ask for someone to look over your test again.
When Should You Consider a Rescore/Review?
You should consider a rescore/review if you think that your score is significantly lower than it should be. You should also consider a rescore/review if a particular subscore is much lower than your other scores, since this could mean that there was a specific error.
You should not request a rescore/review unless you are confident that an error occurred. A rescore costs $160 USD and a technical review costs $50 USD. These fees will only be refunded if an error is discovered in the scoring of your test.
It's important to note that if you a request a rescore, you score could end up being lower!
The Rescore Request Process
To request a rescore, you need to call Pearson with 14 days of your test results being shared with you. For rescoring requests and payment, Pearson only does it over the phone.
The Technical Review Request Process
To request a technical review, you need to submit this form within 15 days of receiving your test results.
Timeline for PTE Rescore or Technical Review
Unfortunately, Pearson doesn't specific how long it takes them to process rescore requests. If you call in to request a rescore, you should ask them because they will have the most up-to-date estimates.
However, for technical reviews, they say that the outcome of the review will be shared with you within 15 days.
During peak application periods when a lot of people are taking tests, expect turnaround times to be a lot longer. Plan accordingly. It's best to take your English proficiency test early, in case you need to spend more time preparing or you encounter issues during the test and need to request a rescore/review.
Cost of Requesting a Rescore or Review
A rescore costs $160 USD, and a technical review costs $50 USD.
In both cases, if an error was found with your test, the fee will be refunded. If the technical review reveals an error with your test, you will be allowed to book another test for free.
Success Odds of a PTE Rescore or Review
Pearson doesn't reveal success rates for rescores and technical reviews. However, it is safe to assume that both rates are very low. Pearson works very hard to make sure that the PTE and its scoring is reliable. Therefore, they want as few rescores and technical reviews as possible.
You should only request a rescore or review if there is a clear anomoly with your test, like a much lower overall or section score than you expected. You should not request a rescore or review if your score is just a few points lower than what you expected. This will almost certainly be a waste of your money. Instead, you should spend some more time preparing and then take the test again.
Conclusion
If you suspect that a specific error occurred that significantly impacted your PTE scores, you can request a rescore or technical review. However, both of these are quite expensive, and their success rates are likely very low, so you should only request them if you are confident that they will succeed.