The third and the final part of the PTE test will assess your listening skills which will take about 45 to 57 minutes and it consists of multiple question types that test up to 2 skills each. There are a total of eight question types in PTE listening and a brief introduction to these parts are given below.
- Summarize Spoken Text: The first question type you will need to complete is Summarize Spoken Text, which will test your listening and writing skills. You will have 10 minutes to write a summary of what you heard after listening to a recording that is 60-90 seconds long. In order to answer this question type, your response must be a minimum of 50 words but no more than 70 words. You can receive a maximum of 2 points for each of the following categories: content, form, grammar, vocabulary, and spelling.
- Multiple-choice, multiple answer: In this section, you will have 7 seconds to read the question, and then a recording will play that is between 40-90 seconds long. You can select all the response options that you think are correct. For each correct answer, you will receive 1 point, but you will lose 1 point for each incorrect answer and you cannot score below 0.
- Fill in the Blanks: Similar to the last task, in this task, you will have 7 seconds to read over some information before the recording starts. The recording will be between 30-60 seconds long, and as you listen, you will need to type each word into the blank spaces. You will get 1 point for each correct word that is spelled correctly.
- Highlight Correct Summary: In the fourth question type, Highlight Correct Summary, you will have 10 seconds to read the options before the recording starts. The recording will be between 30-90 seconds long. Select only one correct response and if you are unsure, choose the one you think is correct. You will not lose any points in this question.
- Multiple-choice, Single Answer: This task will require you to read some contextual information and then listen to a recording that is 30-60 seconds long. You will then need to choose the best option to answer the question. Your response will be marked as correct or incorrect.
- Select Missing Word: In the sixth question type, you will be tested on your listening skills. A recording 20-70 seconds long will be played, and you will need to predict the last word or words of the text to complete the task. You will be marked as either correct or incorrect.
- Highlight Incorrect Words: The seventh question type, Highlight Incorrect Words, tests your listening and reading skills. In it, you will be shown a piece of information, then have 10 seconds to read it. After that, a recording between 15-50 seconds long will play. Your task is to choose the words from the recording that are incorrect. For each correct word, you will get 1 point. If you choose a word that is incorrect, you will lose 1 point. However, you cannot score below 0.
- Write from Dictation: This question type tests both listening and writing skills. You’ll have 7 seconds to read the instructions before the recording starts. The recording is 3-5 seconds long. Each correct word you write gets you 1 point. You won’t lose points for incorrect words.
Hopefully this article will give you a better idea about PTE Listening and help you better prepare for your PTE journey. Be sure to keep an eye on Sydney PTE Centre for more important updates on PTE.
