PTE Academic is the fully computer-based alternative to IELTS: one sitting, AI scoring, results in days. Here is where a Chitwan student sits it, what it costs through finduni.ai, and how the test day runs.
Reviewed by the finduni team · Last verified 15 September 2026 · Sources: Pearson: PTE Academic and IELTS concordance study
What changed in this update: Corrected: for the UK Student visa, only the UKVI versions of IELTS and PTE are approved SELTs.
PTE Academic is taken entirely on a computer in a single sitting of about two hours. Speaking and Writing come first, then Reading, then Listening. Every part is scored by Pearson's automated system, so there is no examiner in the room and no separate Speaking appointment. Scores run from 10 to 90, and universities publish their own PTE minimum alongside their IELTS band. Our PTE to IELTS conversion table shows how the two scales line up under Pearson's July 2025 concordance.
Results are usually released within 2 to 5 days, which is the main reason students on a tight visa timeline pick PTE. The score is accepted for the Australian Subclass 500 visa and, in its UKVI form, for the UK Student visa.
You book online through finduni.ai: pick PTE Academic, choose the centre and date, pay by eSewa or Khalti QR and upload the receipt. A person verifies the payment and locks the slot, typically within 4 hours, and the confirmation lands on WhatsApp. Chitwan students usually pick Pokhara or Tilottama (next to Butwal), whichever is the shorter trip, and each city page shows whether its centres have dates open. Prefer to test in Bharatpur itself? Book IELTS in Chitwan.