PTE Listening Multiple Choice Multiple Answer Tips
How the plus-one, minus-one marking works and why your score cannot fall below zero, plus seven tips on notes, meaning, timing and logic.
Lume Test
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Apr 25, 2025
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5 min read

Key Takeaways
- How the plus-one, minus-one marking works and why your score cannot fall below zero, plus seven tips on notes, meaning, timing and logic.
Multiple-choice questions are common in English tests, but the PTE exam takes a different path.
The PTE Listening Multiple Choice Multiple Answer task requires you to select not one but multiple options at once.
This novel approach takes the difficulty level to a new height.
But don’t stress out just yet!
The following tips from LUME Test will shorten your journey to achieving your dream score on the test.
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Key Takeaways
- The Multiple Choice Multiple Answer section is the second task in the PTE Listening test, comprising 2 to 3 questions.
- You will get 1 point for a correct answer and -1 for an incorrect response, and your mark won’t go below zero.
- Taking good notes and logical thinking are two of the seven proven tips to get high scores.
Related:
Overview Of The PTE Listening Multiple Choice Multiple Answer
The General Format
There are about 1 to 2 Multiple Choice Multiple Answer questions in the PTE Listening part.
You will hear an audio that lasts between 50 and 90 seconds.
Its topics could be various, including education, environmental matters, career paths, etc.
Once the recording stops, you are required to answer the question by choosing 2 or more options.
Don’t worry if you don’t have time to skim the answers and questions first; you are granted 7 seconds before the audio plays to do so.
Remember that you only hear the audio once, so pay close attention to the audio.
When finalizing your answers, you click on them using the mouse’s left button.
The Scoring Criteria
The particle scoring system is applicable.
You will get one point for a correct answer, while an incorrect response will take one point away from your score.
Don’t worry because the minimum score is zero, so you won’t get a negative mark.
7 Best Tips To Ace The PTE Listening Multiple Choice Multiple Answer Section
Here are 7 comprehensive strategies that you must put in your pocket.
Read The Text Carefully
As mentioned above, you have 7 seconds to prepare for your listening part.
Utilize this precious period to quickly read the questions and answers.
You don’t need to grasp their details; instead, focus on the overall meaning and their contextual clues.
Additionally, work on improving your reading speed.
Reading too slowly forces you to divide your attention between listening and reading, which might result in confusion and missed answers.
Take Good Notes
The good news is that you are allowed to take notes in the PTE Multiple Choice Multiple Answer task.
Hence, make the most of note-taking, which helps evoke your memory about important clues in the audio that you suddenly forget.
However, don’t jot down everything!
Focus on essential information, such as dates, names, places, main points, topic ideas, keywords, etc.
To enhance your pace, you can practice taking notes at home or use common abbreviations.
Focus On The Meaning
It’s good to understand the full information about the speech.
Yet, it is unnecessary, as you only get points for correct responses (PTE won’t assess your ability to capture details of the audio).
Besides, when paying too much attention to trivial details, you might easily miss the message of the whole conversation.
This leads to your misunderstanding and wrong choice of answers.
Manage Time Well
Note that there are at least 2 correct responses.
So, you must spend time listening to the whole conversation.
Don’t relax too soon when you have figured out one initial correct answer.
Stay focused throughout the audio to catch other potential answers.
Sometimes, the right answer might change in the end.
Apart from that, you must set proper timing during preparation.
If not, you might not familiarize yourself with the exam’s pace, struggle to keep up, and risk missing key details.
Apply Your Logical Thinking
If you are unable to find the answer, use logic, critical thinking, and common sense.
Attempt to create a sensible sequence of different events or information in the speech.
Once you understand the speech flow, you will likely spot the empty hole in that logical chain.
At this time, your mission is to find a perfect response to fill that hole.
Moreover, it’s highly recommended to rely on the context and gradually eliminate options.
Practice, Practice, And Practice
Practice makes perfect, which is old but gold.
Whether you have collected thousands of mock exams or materials, your score won’t improve without industrious practice.
It’s called virtual effort.
If you have fallen into this trap, you can’t dream of achieving higher outcomes on the PTE test.
Hence, stand up and head to the study table now!
Stay Calm
Many candidates often panic when the exam comes close.
And when they enter the testing place, all of their language know-how seems to be gone due to torturing worries and stress.
As a result, they don’t deliver up-to-expected performance.
To solve this, take a deep breath many times and imagine the wonderful scenario of getting high PTE scores.
FAQs
What Are The Common Topics In The PTE Listening Multiple Choice Multiple Answer?
The task topics often surround environmental sustainability, psychology, education, cultural diversity, economic policies, etc.
Sometimes, you will hear small talk focusing on academic subjects, such as history, literature, or geography.
Could You Change Your Answer After Selecting?
Totally yes.
Many candidates assume that they cannot change their answers, so they wait until the end to click on it.
But, many run out of time to input their response, leading to their loss of points.
Suppose you change your mind; left-click on your choice again to deselect it.
The Bottom Line
This article has offered deep insights into the PTE Listening Multiple Choice Multiple Answer section, including its format and scoring criteria.
To ace this task, you should get 7 tips in your pocket and start practicing now.
Always be disciplined, wake up, and head to your study journey now!
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Want to FINALLY Pass the PTE Core Test And Achieve Your Goals? Get Your FREE Lume Account Today to Unlock… ✅ 10,000+ PRACTICE QUESTIONS with detailed answers ✅ FREE MOCK TESTS with fast & accurate AI scoring ✅ Get BETTER SCORES with a PERSONALIZED study plan (Limited seats available!) |
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