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Test preparation

IELTS, PTE, Duolingo & Japanese Language Classes in Kathmandu

Compare every exam format, target score and course method, then prepare in small batches at our Bagbazar office.

4
Exams taught in-house
12
Students per batch
Weekly
Full-length mocks
Free
Repeat until target
IELTSPTEDuolingoJapaneseCompareHow we teach

Start here

Which test should you take?

The right exam is worth about half a band on its own. Find the line that sounds like you, then confirm it with a free diagnostic before you pay any registration fee.

You want the widest acceptance

IELTS

No university, embassy or professional body will turn it away.

You need a score fast

PTE or Duolingo

Both return results in about 48 hours; IELTS on paper can take two weeks.

Speaking to a person makes you freeze

PTE

You speak to a computer, so nerves about an examiner's reaction disappear.

Budget is tight

Duolingo

A fraction of the IELTS or PTE fee, and cheap enough to retake if needed.

You are going to Japan

JLPT

English tests are irrelevant for a language school. N5 is what they ask for.

Your grammar is weak but you read well

IELTS

Half-band scoring is more forgiving than PTE's integrated marking.

Every section, every timing, every score scale

Most students walk into the test centre knowing the name of the exam and very little else. Read this properly and you will already be ahead of the room.

Exam 01

IELTS Academic

The most widely accepted test, and the safest choice for a visa file.

IELTS classes in Kathmandu
6 weeks course Morning · Day · Evening

What the paper looks like

  1. 01Listening

    30 min · 40 questions

    Four recordings (two conversations, two monologues) played once only. On paper you get 10 extra minutes to transfer answers.

  2. 02Reading

    60 min · 40 questions

    Three long academic passages from journals, books and newspapers. No extra transfer time, so answers go straight onto the sheet.

  3. 03Writing

    60 min · 2 tasks

    Task 1 describes a chart, graph, map or process in 150 words. Task 2 is a 250-word argument essay and carries twice the weight.

  4. 04Speaking

    11-14 min · 3 parts

    A face-to-face interview with a real examiner: introduction, a 2-minute long turn from a cue card, then a two-way discussion.

Total time
2 hours 45 minutes
Score scale
Band 0-9, in half bands
Results
3-5 days on computer, ~13 days on paper
Valid for
2 years

Scores you need

Most bachelor's programs
6.0 overall, no band under 5.5
Most master's programs
6.5 overall, no band under 6.0
Nursing, teaching, law
7.0 overall and above
U.K student visa (below degree)
IELTS UKVI 5.5 in each skill

Best for

Anyone applying to the U.K, Australia or New Zealand, and anyone who wants one score that no university or embassy will question.

Test centre (Kathmandu), IELTS on Computer or on paper

In our class

  • Speaking practised one-to-one with a teacher, never in a group of thirty
  • Writing Task 2 marked against the four official band descriptors, returned with a band
  • Full four-skill mock every Saturday under real timing
Join the IELTS batch

Exam 02

PTE Academic

Computer-scored, fastest results, and predictable if you learn the templates.

PTE classes in Kathmandu
4-6 weeks course Morning · Day · Evening

What the paper looks like

  1. 01Speaking & Writing

    76-84 min

    Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image, Re-tell Lecture, Answer Short Question, Summarise Written Text and Write Essay, plus the newer Summarize Group Discussion and Respond to a Situation tasks.

  2. 02Reading

    23-30 min

    Fill in the blanks, re-order paragraphs and multiple choice. Several tasks are scored for listening or writing as well as reading.

  3. 03Listening

    29-36 min

    Summarise Spoken Text, Highlight Correct Summary, Write From Dictation and more. Dictation alone carries a large share of the listening score.

Total time
About 2 hours
Score scale
10-90 on the Global Scale of English
Results
Typically within 48 hours
Valid for
2 years

Scores you need

Most bachelor's programs
50-58 overall
Most master's programs
58-65 overall
Competitive universities
65-79 overall
Rough IELTS equivalence
PTE 58 ≈ IELTS 6.5, PTE 65 ≈ IELTS 7.0

Best for

Students who freeze in front of a human examiner, anyone who needs a score inside a week, and Australia and New Zealand applicants.

Pearson test centre, computer with headset

In our class

  • Every class on scored practice software, so you see the machine's marking, not ours
  • Write From Dictation bank drilled daily, because it feeds both listening and writing
  • Template discipline for Describe Image and Re-tell Lecture, then timed repetition
Join the PTE batch

Exam 03

Duolingo English Test

One hour, taken at home, and cheap enough to sit twice.

Duolingo classes in Kathmandu
3 weeks course Morning · Day · Evening

What the paper looks like

  1. 01Setup & ID check

    5 min · not scored

    Identity verification to camera, an interface walkthrough and checks on your microphone, camera and connection.

  2. 02Adaptive test

    45 min · scored

    Read and Complete, Interactive Reading, Interactive Listening, Speak About the Photo and interactive speaking. Difficulty rises when you are right and drops when you are wrong, so there is no fixed question count.

  3. 03Writing & speaking sample

    10 min · ungraded

    Open prompts that are not scored but are sent to every university with your result, so they still get judged, just by a person.

Total time
About 1 hour
Score scale
10-160 overall, plus four subscores
Results
Usually within 48 hours
Valid for
2 years

Scores you need

Many U.S bachelor's programs
105-115
Many U.S master's programs
115-125
Competitive universities
130+
Rough IELTS equivalence
DET 115 ≈ IELTS 6.5, DET 125 ≈ IELTS 7.0

Best for

U.S.A and Canada applicants working to a deadline, and students who need a score before the next IELTS date in Kathmandu.

At home on your own laptop, webcam and ID required

In our class

  • We check your room, laptop and internet against the rules before you book
  • Adaptive strategy: how the engine reads an early wrong answer, and why rushing costs you
  • The ungraded video sample rehearsed properly, because admissions officers do watch it
Join the Duolingo batch

Exam 04

Japanese (JLPT N5 to N3)

The language first, then the language school placement.

Japanese classes in Kathmandu
3-6 months course Morning · Day · Evening

What the paper looks like

  1. 01Language knowledge: vocabulary

    20-30 min

    Kanji reading, orthography, word formation and usage in context. At N5 the reading is hiragana, katakana and around 100 basic kanji.

  2. 02Language knowledge: grammar & reading

    40-70 min

    Sentence grammar, sentence composition, text grammar and comprehension passages that get noticeably longer at N3.

  3. 03Listening

    30-40 min

    Task comprehension, point comprehension, verbal expression and quick response, played once, at natural conversational speed.

Total time
N5 about 90 min · N4 about 115 min · N3 about 140 min
Score scale
0-180 total, with a minimum in every section
Results
About two months, via the JEES portal
Valid for
No expiry

Scores you need

Language school in Japan
N5, the standard entry expectation
Vocational college
N3 or above
Part-time work with confidence
N4 to N3
Sectional rule
Every section must clear its own minimum to pass

Best for

Students heading to a Japanese language school or vocational college, where N5 is the usual entry expectation.

Official test centre, held in July and December

In our class

  • Kanji drilled by stroke and radical, not by rote lists
  • Conversation practice with the keigo you need at a part-time job
  • Culture and etiquette orientation before departure, taught alongside the grammar
Join the Japanese batch

Compare

Four exams on one screen

Length, scoring, turnaround and where each one is taken, so you can rule out the ones that do not suit you.

Comparison of IELTS, PTE, Duolingo, Japanese by format, duration, score scale, result turnaround and course length
ExamFormatLengthScore scaleResultsOur course
IELTSFour skills, paper-based or computer-delivered2 hours 45 minutesBand 0-9, in half bands3-5 days on computer, ~13 days on paper6 weeks
PTEThree timed parts, fully computer-basedAbout 2 hours10-90 on the Global Scale of EnglishTypically within 48 hours4-6 weeks
DuolingoAdaptive computer test taken at homeAbout 1 hour10-160 overall, plus four subscoresUsually within 48 hours3 weeks
JapaneseMultiple choice, paper-based, twice a yearN5 about 90 min · N4 about 115 min · N3 about 140 min0-180 total, with a minimum in every sectionAbout two months, via the JEES portal3-6 months

Exam boards change formats and fees without much notice. Pearson revised the PTE Academic pattern in August 2025 and Duolingo replaced two of its speaking tasks. We confirm the current format, fee and university requirement for your intake before you register.

How we teach

Six things we do that a cram school does not

None of this is complicated. It is just the difference between a class that fills a room and a class that moves a band.

01

Diagnostic before enrolment

You sit a full timed mock in your first week. We show you the band you would get today and the realistic band for your target date, before you pay for a course you may not need.

02

Batches capped at 12

Small enough that every student speaks in every class. Speaking is the skill Nepali students lose marks on most, and it cannot be taught to a room of forty.

03

Weekly full-length mock

Every Saturday, full timing, real conditions. Your score is tracked on a chart so you can see the trend rather than guess at it.

04

Writing returned with a band

Every essay is marked against the official descriptors and handed back with the band and the two things to fix. Not a tick and a smiley face.

05

Repeat free until you hit target

If you complete the course, attend the mocks and still miss your target band, you repeat the next batch at no cost. We would rather teach you twice than send a weak file.

06

Teachers and counsellors share your file

Classes run in the same office that files your application, so your counsellor knows your mock scores before shortlisting universities for you.

Class questions

What students ask us before enrolling

IELTS if you want a score that nobody questions, especially for the U.K. PTE if you want computer marking and results in two days, which suits Australia and New Zealand well. Duolingo if you are applying to the U.S.A or Canada on a deadline and want a cheaper, one-hour test at home. Sit our free diagnostic and we will tell you which one your current level suits best. The right test can be worth half a band on its own.

From a genuine 5.5 to a 6.5 takes most students six weeks of daily classes plus homework. From 6.0 to 7.0 takes longer, because the last half band is grammar range and vocabulary precision, not test tricks. If you are starting below 5.0 we will tell you that you need a foundation month first rather than selling you the exam course.

Morning batches from 6:00 AM, day batches through the working day, and evening batches after 5:00 PM, Sunday to Friday. Most students take a 90-minute class five days a week. Japanese classes run morning and day only, because they need longer sessions.

No. Plenty of students take classes with us and apply somewhere else, or apply directly themselves. There is no bundling and no pressure. If you do choose to apply with us your counsellor gets your mock scores, which makes the shortlist sharper, but that is a benefit rather than a condition.

If you completed the course and attended the mocks, you repeat the next batch free. We also sit down and read your actual score report with you: a 5.5 caused by writing needs a completely different plan from a 5.5 caused by listening, and most students never get that analysis.

Batches are capped at 12 students. Every mock test is included in the course fee: weekly full-length papers plus sectional practice during class. For PTE, mocks run on scored practice software so the score comes from the machine rather than from a teacher's estimate.

Sometimes. Many universities accept a Medium of Instruction letter from your college, or run their own internal English test. We will tell you which of your shortlisted universities allow it. But be clear about the trade-off: it narrows your choices, it rarely helps at visa stage, and a good IELTS or PTE score strengthens the whole file.

Test fees are paid to the test owner, not to us, and they change. IELTS and PTE sit in a similar range, Duolingo costs a fraction of either, and the JLPT is the cheapest of the four. We show you the current fee in writing before you register, and we never add a markup on it.

Sit the free diagnostic first

A full timed mock, marked properly, with the band you would score today and a realistic date for the band you need. It takes an afternoon, it costs nothing, and it is the difference between a plan and a guess.

  • Full four-skill paper under exam timing
  • Marked against the official descriptors
  • Written plan with a target date
Book a free diagnostic

New batches open every two weeks

Morning, day and evening timings, Sunday to Friday. Evening batches fill first, so tell us your target score and date and we will hold you a seat.

Reserve a seatSee student results