By Sameer, lead instructor at Precise PTE.
On test day your job is not to improve. It is to deliver the score you already have without losing points to logistics.
Arrive early, eat something, and warm your voice up for five minutes before you enter the centre. A cold voice in Read Aloud is a genuine fluency penalty in the first two items.
During the microphone check, speak at the volume and distance you plan to use for the whole exam. Adjust the headset once, then leave it alone.
The room will be noisy because everyone speaks at once. Expect it, and keep your own volume steady rather than raising it to compete. The microphone is directional and your neighbour is not being recorded on your file.
Use the erasable notepad for Retell Lecture and Summarise Spoken Text only. Notes in other tasks cost you more time than they save.
Manage the clock in the writing section. The timer is shared across items, so a slow Summarise Written Text steals minutes from your essay.