1. What is the Password English Test?
The Password English Test is run by Password (a UK company), and used by hundreds of UK universities, Pathway / Foundation programmes and language centres. Two facts shape its position in the market:
- It is computer-delivered, available at home, and fast — results in 3–5 working days, or 24 hours in the priority option.
- There is almost no free practice material: official practice tests cost £40 each, and Password publicly says no more free samples are available.
Point 2 is the real pain — and the reason we treat Password as a priority gap to fill on this site.
2. Two versions: Skills and Skills Plus
- Password Skills: reads + writes + listens; CEFR-aligned reporting.
- Password Skills Plus: all four skills including speaking; more granular scoring; accepted by more master's programmes.
Most postgraduate programmes require Skills Plus. Confirm with your admissions team before booking.
3. The four sections
Reading (~70 min):
- Sentence completion (vocabulary in context)
- Lexical selection
- Reading comprehension (academic texts)
- Reading into writing (Plus only)
Writing (~60 min):
- Task 1: an email / letter, 120–150 words
- Task 2: an essay or description, 200–250 words
Listening (~45 min):
- Academic lectures, short dialogues, integrated questions
Speaking (~12 min, Plus only):
- Part 1: introduction
- Part 2: picture-based discussion
- Part 3: abstract discussion
4. Scoring vs CEFR
Password reports CEFR bands (A1–C2) plus a decimal score for finer granularity. Approximate CEFR-IELTS map:
| Password | CEFR | IELTS |
|---|---|---|
| 4.0–4.9 | B1 | 4.0–5.0 |
| 5.0–6.4 | B2 | 5.5–6.5 |
| 6.5–7.9 | C1 | 7.0–8.0 |
| 8.0+ | C2 | 8.5–9.0 |
For an interactive view see our score converter.
5. An 8-week prep plan (45 min/day)
Weeks 1–2 — Vocabulary foundation
- 20 words/day from the graded vocabulary targeted to your level
- 10 minutes of word dictation
- 6 sentence dictation items
Weeks 3–4 — Reading and listening expansion
- Read 1 CEFR-level news article daily (BBC, VOA Learning English)
- 10 sentence-dictation items
- Begin cloze practice
Weeks 5–6 — Writing
- Write 4 pieces per week: 2 letters / emails, 2 essays
- Use our word counter & self-rubric tool to check length, sentence length, and CEFR criteria
- Rewrite each piece once using the rubric
Week 7 — Speaking (Plus candidates)
- Daily 2-minute self-introduction (record → listen → rewrite → record again)
- 10 daily shadowing items
- One picture-description per day
Week 8 — Full mock + review
- One full official practice test under exam conditions
- Errors go into your SRS queue automatically
- Light final review the day before; rest the day before that
6. Common pitfalls
- Believing you can't practice without samples. The skills tested are general academic English — train them with CEFR-level material and you'll be fine.
- Hunting "real exam" questions. Password publishes none for free; anything online claiming to be real is suspect and risky to use.
- Cramming in the last two weeks. Writing volume is high; deferred starts lead to predictable underperformance.
7. Before you book
Confirm: Skills or Skills Plus? At-home or in-centre? Priority results or standard? These three choices set both your cost and your turnaround.