PTE Academic, Core, and Home have different test durations, with PTE Academic lasting for up to 43 minutes. Questions come in audio and video formats that play only once.
PTE Listening’s Academic, Core, and Home formats also vary in terms of number of question types. PTE Academic and PTE Core have 8 and 7 question types, respectively.
Using comprehension techniques such as focusing on central concepts, identifying transitional phrases, utilizing context clues, adapting to accent variations, and analyzing speech elements can help you improve your PTE Listening score.
Some effective note-taking methods used for PTE Listening are the outline method, the mind mapping technique, and the keywords and symbols method.
There is a free PTE Reading preparation material called Smart Prep, and paid practice materials like Scored Practice Tests, Bronze Package, and Silver Package.
What is the Test Duration and Content of PTE Listening?
PTE Academic is 30-43 minutes long, PTE Core approximately lasts for approximately 30 minutes, while PTE Home just takes 22 minutes. There are audio or video clips that serve as the questions, and they play automatically for only one time. You are allowed to take notes.
What are the PTE Listening Question Types?
Question types for PTE Listening section have specific structures for Academic, Core, and Home. PTE Academic has 8 and PTE Core has 7 question types, each having distinct duration and time to answer.
What are the PTE Academic Listening Question Types?
Detailed information about task formats, prompt lengths, and assessed skills for each PTE Academic Listening question type is presented below.
| Question Type | Task | Prompt Length | Skills Assessed | Time to Answer |
| Summarize Spoken Text | You will listen to a recording, then write a 20-30 word summary about it. | 60–90 seconds | Listening | Not applicable |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | You will listen to a recording, then answer a multiple-choice question where you can choose one answer or more. | 40–90 seconds | Listening | Not applicable |
| Fill in the Blanks | You will see a transcript of a recording with several gaps. Your task is to listen to it and type the missing words. | 30–60 seconds | Listening | Not applicable |
| Highlight Correct Summary | You will listen to a recording, then select the paragraph that best summarizes the recording. | 30–90 seconds | Listening and reading | Not applicable |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answers | You will listen to a recording, then select the paragraph that best summarizes the recording. | 30–90 seconds | Listening | Not applicable |
| Select Missing Word | You will listen to a recording, then select the missing word that completes the recording from a list of options. | 20–70 seconds | Listening | Not applicable |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | You will listen to a recording, then click the words that are spoken differently. | 15–50 seconds | Listening and reading | Not applicable |
| Write from Dictation | You will listen to a recording, then type the sentence. | 3–5 seconds | Listening and writing | Not applicable |
What are the PTE Core Listening Question Types?
The table below outlines the complete structure of PTE Core Listening components and their specifications.
| Question Type | Task | Prompt Length | Skills Assessed | Time to Answer |
| Summarize Spoken Text | You will listen to a recording, then write a 20-30 word summary about it. | 45-75 seconds | Listening and writing | 8 minutes |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | You will listen to a recording, then answer a multiple-choice question where you can choose one answer or more. | 50-90 seconds | Listening | Not applicable |
| Fill in the Blanks | You will see a transcript of a recording with several gaps. Your task is to listen to it and type the missing words. | 30-60 seconds | Listening | Not applicable |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answers | You will listen to a recording, then select the paragraph that best summarizes the recording. | 30–60 seconds | Listening | Not applicable |
| Select Missing Word | You will listen to a recording, then select the missing word that completes the recording from a list of options. | 20–70 seconds | Listening | Not applicable |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | You will listen to a recording, then click the words that are spoken differently. | 15-50 seconds | Listening and reading | Not applicable |
| Write from Dictation | You will listen to a recording, then type the sentence. | 3-5 seconds | Listening and writing | Not applicable |
What are the PTE Home Listening Question Types?
PTE Home Listening question types have specific structures for each test type which include PTE Home A1, PTE Home A2, and PTE Home B1.
What are the PTE Home A1 Listening Question Types?
The table below outlines the complete structure of PTE Home A1 Listening components and their specifications.
| Question Type | Task | Skills Assessed |
| Repeat Sentence | You will listen to a short sentence and need to repeat the exact sentence. There are 22 ‘repeat sentence’ questions. | Speaking and Listening |
| Conversation: Listen and Answer | You will hear a short conversation and then a question about the conversation. There are 5 ‘listen and answer’ questions. | Speaking and Listening |
What are the PTE Home A2 Listening Question Types?
Key details regarding PTE Home A2 Listening question types and their requirements are summarized in the following breakdown.
| Question Type | Task | Skills Assessed |
| Repeat Sentence | You will listen to a short sentence and need to repeat the exact sentence. There are 22 or 23 ‘repeat sentence’ questions. | Speaking and Listening |
| Retell story | You will listen to a story, then retell it. | Speaking and Listening |
What are the PTE Home B1 Listening Question Types?
The comprehensive breakdown of PTE Home B1 Listening question types appear in the following table.
| Question Type | Task | Skills Assessed |
| Repeat Sentence | You will listen to a short sentence and need to repeat the exact sentence. There are 17 ‘repeat sentence’ questions. | Speaking and Listening |
| Retell story | You will listen to a story, then retell it. | Speaking and Listening |
| Story: Listen and Answer | You will listen to a story, then you will be asked 3 questions. There are 4 or 5 ‘Story: Listen and answer’ questions. | Speaking and Listening |
What Are Advanced PTE Listening Comprehension Techniques?
Level up your PTE Listening score by using these comprehension techniques such as focusing on central concepts, identifying transitional phrases, utilizing context clues, adapting to accent variations, and analyzing speech elements.
- Focus on Central Concepts: Concentrate on the main ideas and important themes while you practice listening.
- Identify Transitional Phrases: Listen carefully for connecting words such as “however,” “therefore,” and “in contrast” to understand logical relationships between ideas.
- Utilize Context Clues: Use recognized grammar and word styles to make assumptions about unknown words and note when explanations are given with different terms nearby.
- Adapt to Accent Variations: Expose yourself to British, Australian, and American English pronunciation differences through regular practice with diverse audio sources. Every accent type appears in the PTE exam, so you need to get used to all of them to succeed.
- Analyze Speech Elements: Listen to how the speaker’s voice changes, as it adds meaning to what is being said and greatly helps your understanding.
What Are Effective Note-Taking Methods for PTE Test Success?
Effective note-taking methods for PTE Listening are the outline method, the mind mapping technique, and the keywords and symbols method.
- Outline Method: Write out the main ideas and additional details, as this guideline helps you keep important topics in sight.
- Mind Mapping Technique: Use Mind Mapping method to show complex information, mainly for understanding sections where different concepts link up.
- Keywords and Symbols Method: Make up a special set of symbols and keywords to remember the main ideas briefly, allowing you to save time by not taking full-sentence notes during the test.
Which Official PTE Listening Preparation Materials Should I Use?
The official PTE website contains free PTE Reading preparation materials which include Smart Prep, and paid practice materials like Scored Practice Tests, Bronze Package, and Silver Package.
The following are the contents of Smart Prep.
- Guided practice tests
- Online courses
- Test tip documents
- Test format video
- Free Taster Test
The following are examples of paid parasite websites
- Scored Practice Tests
- Bronze Package: 2 scored practice tests and a PTE Academic Question Bank
- Silver Package: 4 scored practice tests and a PTE Academic Question Bank
- Gold Package: 5 scored practice tests, a PTE Academic Question Bank, and the Official Guide to PTE Academic