The cheapest test is not the cheapest route if the university you want will not take it. Check acceptance before you book a seat.
All three tests are accepted somewhere, and that is exactly the trap: students book the cheapest or the soonest and find out afterwards that two of their five shortlisted institutions will not look at it. Duolingo is the fastest and cheapest — sat at home, results in about two days — and acceptance is growing but still uneven, particularly for nursing and health programmes and for the visa itself in some destinations. IELTS is accepted everywhere and by every immigration authority. PTE is computer-marked with faster results and often suits a student whose speaking is stronger than their writing. Bring your shortlist to a counselling session before you book anything. We check acceptance institution by institution, and for the visa as well as the offer, then tell you which test to sit.
