English tests for Australian PR: accepted tests, levels and points

The list of approved tests changed on 7 August 2025. At the time of writing, Home Affairs accepts these tests taken on or after that date:

• IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training, including One Skill Retake for eligible visas
• PTE Academic
• Occupational English Test (OET)
• TOEFL iBT, if you selected "Taking TOEFL for Australia" when you registered
• Cambridge C1 Advanced
• CELPIP General
• LANGUAGECERT Academic
• Michigan English Test (MET), including Single Section Retake

You must sit the test at a secure test centre. Computer-based and paper-based tests are both fine, but fully online tests are not: Home Affairs lists IELTS Online, OET@Home, TOEFL iBT Home Edition and other at-home versions as not accepted. Results from tests taken on or before 6 August 2025 can still be used until 6 August 2028, depending on the visa. See the English language requirements page for the full rules.

Home Affairs describes five levels of English: Functional, Vocational, Competent, Proficient and Superior. Each visa says which level you need. Skilled visas usually ask for at least Competent English, and the points test rewards the two levels above it.

Each level is defined as a minimum score in each of the four test components, not an average. For example, if Proficient asks for 7 in every IELTS component, an overall 7.5 with a 6.5 in writing doesn't meet it. The official minimums for tests taken from 7 August 2025 include:

OET, TOEFL iBT, C1 Advanced, CELPIP General, LANGUAGECERT Academic and MET each have their own score tables, and older results use different tables again. Check the Competent, Proficient and Superior pages for the test you're taking. Note that the new PTE Academic keeps the old name but has different scores.

The points tables for the Skilled Independent (subclass 189), Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) and Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visas give, at the time of writing:

• Competent English: 0 points (the minimum)
• Proficient English: 10 points
• Superior English: 20 points

That 20-point gap is one of the largest you can change through your own preparation. It's why many applicants re-sit a test even after they've met the visa minimum. Read the points test explained to see how English fits with the other factors, and check the current points table for your visa.

For Vocational, Competent, Proficient and Superior English, Home Affairs says the score must have been achieved in the three years before your visa application, depending on the visa. If your result will be close to three years old when you expect to apply, plan for a re-sit. Professional registration bodies can set shorter windows: Ahpra, for example, generally wants results from the two years before you apply for registration.

The tests differ in format more than in difficulty. IELTS Speaking is a face-to-face interview with an examiner; PTE Academic is computer-based and you speak into a microphone; OET uses health-care role-plays. We compare them in IELTS, PTE or OET: which test?.

1. Check your target level. Look up the level your visa needs and whether you're aiming for Proficient or Superior points.
2. Find your weakest component. Because every component has a minimum, the lowest score decides your level.
3. Practise under test conditions. Use the timings of the real test, and practise speaking out loud, not just in your head.
4. Book with time to spare. Leave room for a re-sit before any deadline, such as an invitation to apply.