New Zealand IELTS - Test choice

Most Indian students find PTE easier to score high on because its AI scoring removes examiner bias, rewards templates and returns results within 24-48 hours. IELTS suits students who prefer handwriting, face-to-face speaking and paper-based reading. Check that your target universities accept PTE before booking either test.

Besides IELTS, New Zealand universities widely accept PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT, and many accept Cambridge English too. Duolingo is accepted at Victoria Wellington, Canterbury, Massey, Waikato, and Lincoln, but not at Auckland or Otago, and Immigration New Zealand relies mainly on IELTS, PTE, TOEFL, or Cambridge for visas.

Immigration New Zealand does not set its own English score; it relies on your university's offer of place. If your institution accepts your overall 65 with 50 in speaking and issues an unconditional offer, your visa is not affected, though some competitive postgraduate courses require 55 or higher in speaking.

IELTS Academic is the safest choice, since it is accepted by 100 percent of universities and immigration in Canada and New Zealand and costs around 215 to 340 dollars. TOEFL suits typing over speaking to a human, while Duolingo suits a tight budget but is not universally accepted.

Yes, many UK and New Zealand universities accept the Duolingo English Test for master's admission, including Imperial College London and the University of Otago. In the UK, the Home Office generally does not accept Duolingo for your visa, so you may still need IELTS UKVI instead.