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PTE Academic listening: eight question types

PTE Academic listening is Part 3: about 31 to 39 minutes, eight question types, and each recording played only once. Pearson’s handbook says you’ll hear international English speakers with a variety of accents. Several tasks make you type, so they score your writing too.

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Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

The listening question types

In Select Missing Word, the end of the recording is replaced by a beep and you choose from three to five options. In Highlight Incorrect Words you click the words in the transcript that differ from what the speaker says.

Question type	How many	Recording	Also scores
Summarize Spoken Text	1	60-90 seconds	Writing
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers	2-3	80-120 seconds	-
Fill in the Blanks (Type In)	2-3	30-60 seconds	Writing
Highlight Correct Summary	2-3	30-90 seconds	Reading
Multiple Choice, Single Answer	2-3	30-60 seconds	-
Select Missing Word	1-2	20-70 seconds	-
Highlight Incorrect Words	2-3	15-50 seconds	Reading
Write from Dictation	3-4	3-5 seconds	Writing

Two tasks take points off

In Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers and Highlight Incorrect Words, each wrong choice loses a point, down to 0 for the question.

How every task is scored →

Which PTE Academic listening tasks are in Part 1?

Your listening score isn’t only Part 3. Repeat Sentence, Retell Lecture and Summarize Group Discussion in Part 1 count for listening and speaking, and Answer Short Question counts for listening.

The speaking tasks →Write from Dictation and spelling →

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Everything else, in one place

OverviewPTE Academic ScoringHow PTE Academic scoring works BookingHow to book your PTE test CostPTE exam fee in Australia Online testCan you take PTE Academic online?Test formatPTE Academic test format: three parts, 22 question types SpeakingPTE speaking: the tasks and how they’re scored WritingPTE writing: the essay, the summaries and the marking ReadingPTE Academic reading: five question types ResultsPTE results: when they come and how long they last Australian visasPTE Academic for Australian PR and other visas PTE vs IELTSPTE Academic equivalent to IELTS scores PTE CorePTE Core: the PTE test for Canada Types of PTEPTE General test vs PTE Academic, Core and Home Test centresPTE test centres in Australia Test datesPTE Academic dates and test availability HandbookPTE Academic handbook and official guides Practice testPTE mock test: 20 free practice questions Where to learnWhere to do your PTE preparation Study plannerHow to prepare for PTE Academic: your study planner

Sources: Pearson PTE and 2 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.