Choosing your exam
MET vs IELTS: which should you take?
The honest answer is whichever your institution accepts. Here is how to choose when both are on the list.
The 30-second answer
Take the test your institution, employer, or immigration programme requires. Get the requirement in writing, and check whether it sets a minimum on individual skills as well as on the overall score. If more than one test is accepted, choose on the scale, the format, and which one you can actually sit near you and on time.
Side by side
| MET | IELTS | |
|---|---|---|
| Skills tested | Four | Four |
| Format | One 155-minute sitting | Listening, Reading, Writing and a separate Speaking interview |
| Score | Out of 80, mapped to CEFR A2–C1 | 0–9 band, plus a band for each skill |
| Versions | One test | Academic and General Training — different papers |
| Typically used for | A recognised CEFR level for a school, employer, or scholarship | University admission and professional registration (Academic); migration and work visas (General Training) |
One row is deliberately missing: a total duration for IELTS. We publish the MET's 155-minute sitting because it is a fixed, single session. IELTS timing varies by how and where your Speaking interview is scheduled, so check the current figure with your test centre rather than taking a number from a preparation site.
Academic vs General Training — the IELTS fork the MET does not have
If you choose IELTS, you have a second decision the MET never asks you to make, and getting it wrong means preparing for the wrong paper.
| IELTS Academic | IELTS General Training | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The four-skill English test universities and professional boards accept worldwide, reported as a 0–9 band with a band for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. | The IELTS route for migration and work — same 0–9 band scale, but Reading uses everyday workplace and notice texts, and Writing Task 1 is a letter, not a graph. |
| Who takes it | Applicants to universities abroad, and nurses, doctors, engineers and teachers registering with a foreign board — most of whom need a specific band in every single skill, not just an overall. | Permanent-residence and work-visa applicants to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK, where the band you hit converts directly into immigration points. |
Where PTE fits
A fully computer-based English test scored by machine on a 10–90 scale, with integrated tasks that mark two skills at once — Read Aloud counts for Reading and Speaking together.
It is worth a look if you want results quickly, or if you would rather speak to a computer than to an interviewer. There is also PTE Core, the general-English version built for Canadian immigration.
How Lexis prepares you for either
For the MET
- A free Mini Test, with original Lexis listening and grammar questions and instant feedback.
- 10 original, full-length AI-scored mocks in the real 155-minute format, with an estimated MET-equivalent score and CEFR level (Mock Package, 60 days).
- A four-skill Readiness Check, the Overview Course, the 14-lesson Masterclass, practice items, model responses, and 5 original AI-scored mocks written for the Success Package (90 days).
For IELTS
- Full mock exams for Academic or General Training, written to the paper you are actually sitting, with AI band scoring in minutes.
- On the IELTS Mock Package only: one examiner-rated Writing and Speaking review on one designated mock, with annotations, an instructor note, and a sub-band breakdown.
Questions
Everything you might want to know.
Is the MET easier than IELTS?
They are different scales, not different difficulties, and nobody can honestly tell you one is easier in the abstract. The MET reports out of 80 against CEFR levels; IELTS reports a 0 to 9 band. Take whichever your institution accepts, and prepare for the format of that specific test.
Can I use the MET instead of IELTS?
Only the institution or programme you are applying to can answer that. Ask them which tests they accept and what minimum they set before you book anything.
What is the difference between IELTS Academic and General Training?
Academic uses academic reading passages and a Task 1 that asks you to describe a graph. General Training uses everyday workplace and notice texts, and its Task 1 is a letter. They are different papers for different purposes, on the same 0 to 9 band scale.
Does Lexis prepare me for both?
Yes. Lexis has original material, a test-specific runner, and exam-appropriate scoring for MET, for IELTS Academic and General Training, and for PTE Academic and PTE Core.
Do I get a human-marked review on both?
No, and we will not blur this. An examiner-rated Writing and Speaking review is part of the IELTS Mock Package, on one designated mock. MET and PTE packages are AI-scored, as are the Success Packages.
Keep reading
- The complete MET guideWhat the test is, how it is structured, and how to prepare.
- MET scores explainedThe 0–80 scale and the CEFR cut scores.
- IELTS mock examsAcademic and General Training, with one examiner-rated review.
- PTE Academic and PTE CoreComputer-based mocks scored on the Pearson-calibrated curve.
Prepare for the test you are actually sitting
Compare every Lexis package for MET, IELTS, and PTE in one place.
Compare packagesMET® is a trademark of Michigan Language Assessment. Lexis is an independent preparation provider and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, Michigan Language Assessment.
Projected scores are estimates, not official MET results.