# PTE Core vs PTE Academic

Booking the wrong Pearson test wastes money and time. PTE Academic and PTE Core share a computer format and four skills, but they serve different goals. PeakPTE practices for **PTE Academic**. Official rules live on [Pearson](https://www.pearsonpte.com/which-test-is-right-for-me/).

## Quick answer

| Goal | Book |
| --- | --- |
| Study at a university or college (including Canada) | PTE Academic |
| Australia or New Zealand migration | PTE Academic |
| Canadian permanent residency or citizenship | PTE Core |
| Certain UK work or below-degree study visas | PTE Academic UKVI (same content as Academic, plus a URN) |

If your destination or visa is unclear, start with Pearson's [which test is right for me](https://www.pearsonpte.com/which-test-is-right-for-me/) quiz, then confirm with your university or immigration authority.

## What is PTE Academic?

PTE Academic is Pearson's academic English test. Content reflects lectures, academic reading, and study settings. It is widely used for:

- University admissions worldwide
- Migration visas to Australia and New Zealand
- Many professional registration routes

It is a four-skills test (Speaking, Writing, Reading, Listening), taken at a test center, scored on Pearson's 10 to 90 scale.

## What is PTE Core?

PTE Core is Pearson's general English test accepted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for economic immigration, permanent residency, and citizenship pathways. Content leans toward everyday and workplace English (for example emails or magazine-style reading), not lecture-style academic material.

Like Academic, Core is about two hours, covers four skills, and is taken at a test center. IRCC typically cares about skill scores mapped to Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB). Your overall score is not what IRCC converts.

## Same format, different purpose

Both tests are computer-based and cover Speaking, Writing, Reading, and Listening. The difference is **why** you take them and **what the items sound like**. Academic trains academic English. Core trains general English for Canadian immigration. Pearson does not treat them as interchangeable.

## Where PeakPTE fits

PeakPTE is practice for people preparing for **PTE Academic**. If you need Core for Canadian PR, book Core with Pearson and practice with materials built for that test. Do not treat Academic-style lecture passages as Core preparation.

## Next steps

1. Confirm the exact test your university or visa lists.
2. Book on [pearsonpte.com](https://www.pearsonpte.com/).
3. If you are preparing for Academic, [start PeakPTE practice](/free-pte-practice) and see [Pricing](/pricing) for Premium plans.