Exam info
PTE Core exam fees
Pearson sets the PTE Core fee by country and shows the exact amount in its booking system. This page gives the figures as they stood in October 2026, explains what the fee does and does not cover, and sets out the refund rules that decide what a change of plan costs.
Every number on this page is as of October 2026. Pearson changes fees by country and the figures below come from Pearson's own policy pages where available and from third-party listings where Pearson shows the amount only inside its price finder. Check Pearson's site, signed in to myPTE for your chosen test centre, before you budget.
The test fee
| Where you sit the test | Fee | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | Roughly CAD 340 to 350 | Third-party listings, October 2026; Pearson shows the exact centre price in myPTE |
| India | Roughly ₹18,000 to ₹18,900 including 18% GST | Third-party listings, October 2026, citing a March 2026 revision; confirm in myPTE |
| Elsewhere | Varies by country | Pearson price finder, October 2026 |
Pearson's own wording is that the fee "varies depending on the country" and that you should use the price finder for your test centre (as of October 2026, check Pearson's site). The practical effect is that the amount you pay is tied to where you sit the test, not to your nationality, so a candidate who travels to a cheaper country for a sitting pays that country's fee. In Canada, tax is generally shown on top of the fee at checkout; in India the GST is included in the quoted price.
What the fee includes
- One sitting of the full two-hour test at the centre and time you book.
- Your score report and skills profile, released to your myPTE account, typically within two business days (Pearson, October 2026).
- Sending scores. Pearson describes score sharing as free and unlimited through myPTE, and says scores are shared with IRCC automatically (as of October 2026, check Pearson's site). There is no per-recipient charge of the kind some other tests levy.
- Two years of validity for the result.
It does not include preparation, a retake, or any rescoring request. Automated scoring means rescoring rarely changes a result; if you consider it, read Pearson's current terms on rescore fees first, because the fee is normally refunded only when the score changes.
What a change of plan costs
Pearson's reschedule and cancellation policy for PTE Core, as of October 2026 (check Pearson's site):
| When you act | Reschedule | Cancel |
|---|---|---|
| 14 or more days before the test | Free | Full refund |
| 8 to 13 days before | Not available; cancel and rebook | 50% refund |
| 7 days or fewer before | Not available; cancel and rebook | No refund |
Two consequences follow. First, the real deadline for deciding whether you are ready is fifteen days before the test, not the night before; after that, moving the date means losing half the fee or all of it. Second, the cheapest insurance against a bad day is a mock test taken about three weeks out. If it is below target, you still have time to move the booking for nothing.
Some third-party listings in India mention a late-booking surcharge for sittings booked within 48 hours (one lists ₹850 as of October 2026). Pearson's own PTE Core pages do not state one; check the total shown at checkout in myPTE before you pay.
Discounts and vouchers
Pearson accepts voucher and promotional codes at the payment step in myPTE. Two kinds show up regularly. Vouchers are prepaid codes sold through authorised resellers in some countries, sometimes at a small discount and sometimes simply as a way to pay in local currency. Promotional codes come from partnerships: in Canada, Scotiabank has run a 10% discount on the eligible test fee for its customers who register through its landing page, valid for bookings at Canadian test centres through 28 February 2027, not combinable with other Pearson offers (Scotiabank, October 2026). Pearson has also, at times, offered a free PTE Core voucher to people who had taken a competing test. These offers change; search Pearson's news pages and your bank's partner pages before paying full price.
How the fee compares
| Test | Fee in Canada | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| PTE Core | Roughly CAD 340 to 350 | Third-party listings, October 2026 |
| CELPIP-General | CAD 290 plus tax | CELPIP fee notice for sittings in Canada, October 2026 |
| IELTS General Training | About CAD 339 to 379, by centre | ielts.org centre pages, October 2026 |
On list price CELPIP is the cheapest of the three in Canada and PTE Core sits with IELTS. The difference between tests is smaller than the cost of a single retake, so the better question is which test you are most likely to pass once. The CELPIP comparison and the IELTS comparison go through format and scoring; the fee should be the last factor, not the first.
Budgeting for the whole process
- Assume one retake. Many candidates sit twice: once to learn what the test is like, once to hit the target. Budget two fees and try to need only one by doing timed mocks first.
- Count the gap to a boundary, not the fee. If a skill is two points under a CLB line, a retake is cheap relative to the Express Entry points it unlocks. If it is fifteen points under, the money is better spent on preparation.
- Add travel if you are far from a centre. Pearson's centre network is large, but if the nearest centre needs a hotel night, that is part of the price.
- Do not pay for rescoring on a hunch. Automated scoring is consistent; a rescore is for cases where you believe a technical fault affected a recording.
- Use free practice. Every PTE Core task is practisable free on this site, on screens that match the test. Paid question banks add little that the format itself does not teach.
Paying
Pearson's booking guide lists American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa as accepted cards, with voucher or promo codes entered at the same step (as of October 2026, check Pearson's site). The fee is charged in the currency of the test centre's country. If your card is issued elsewhere, your bank may add a foreign-transaction charge; a voucher bought locally avoids that. The booking guide walks through each screen.
This page reports published fees and policies for information. Confirm the current amount for your test centre in myPTE before you book, and confirm programme requirements with IRCC.