Should I start preparing for IELTS now or continue with PTE since I have already invested in PTE?

Switching tests after real preparation is rarely the right move unless there is a concrete, named blocker, since abandoning PTE preparation also abandons the reading, listening, and academic-vocabulary work that overlaps heavily with IELTS anyway.

Why Continuing With PTE Usually Makes Sense

• Your investment is not wasted: PTE voucher fees and preparation materials are non-refundable, and restarting with IELTS means paying again for books, mock tests, and a new exam fee.
• Broad acceptance: PTE Academic is widely accepted by universities and visa authorities across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, and most institutions in Canada and the US, so a switch rarely opens meaningfully more programme choices.
• Faster turnaround: PTE results typically arrive within 24 to 48 hours, compared with a longer wait for IELTS, which matters if you are working against a tight application deadline.
• No human-examiner variability: PTE is entirely computer and AI-scored, which some students find fairer than a face-to-face IELTS speaking interview.

When Switching Genuinely Makes Sense

• Your target university explicitly mandates IELTS and does not list PTE as an accepted alternative, which is rare for standard postgraduate programmes but worth confirming on the university's own admissions page.
• You are struggling heavily with the computer-based format itself, particularly speaking tasks like Repeat Sentence or Describe Image, and communicate noticeably better in a face-to-face setting.

What to Do Next

Take a couple of official PTE scored practice tests before deciding anything. If you are close to your target score, the sensible move is closing that specific gap rather than restarting your entire preparation under a different exam format.

My Advice

I would only recommend switching if you can name the exact university and requirement forcing it, not a general sense that IELTS is more common in India. If your PTE mock scores are trending upward, my honest read is that switching now would cost you more time than it saves.