PTE Academic Listening Section Tips and Tricks by Monika DEVI

PTE Listening is the final section (Part-3) of the test and takes approximately 45-60 minutes, depending on the combination of tasks you may be presented with. You will listen to a short recording in each task, related to academic subjects such as humanities, natural sciences and social sciences.
In this article, we will first discuss the various formats of listening questions and how to deal with them like a pro. Later, we will share some “secrets” to enhance the listening skills for PTE exam.

Pay attention when test is about to start:-
A)You hear each audio or video clip only ONCE, so listen carefully.
B)You are allowed to take notes.
C)For each question you have the opportunity to adjust the volume.
D)While the audio clip is playing, move the control bar to the right to increase the volume or to the left to decrease the volume.

Various types of questions being asked in PTE listening test are:

1.Summarize Spoken Text

2.Multiple-choice questions, choose multiple answers

3.Fill in the blanks

4.Highlight correct summary

5.Multiple-choice questions, choose single answer

6.Select missing word

7.Highlight incorrect words

8.Write from Dictation

Now, we will discuss in detail the tips to take the bull by the horns when it comes to tackling PTE listening questions.

Summarize Spoken Text
Make a note while listening to the text.
Use the words, “The speaker says….”
Concentrate on topic sentences and most repeated words.
Time management: 3min plan, 5min write, 2min check (Spellings, Grammar).

2.Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers
Multiple answers types have Negative marking.
Scan through all the options as quickly as possible.
It will become easy for you to select the relevant options this way.
Rate of speech is generally fast, so listen carefully.
You can find most of the answers towards the end of the audio, so listen until it finishes.
Pay close attention to the frequency words (always, often, sometimes, never many, all, never, only.. etc), eliminate those options and find the correct answer.

3.Fill in the blanks
Note the answers in the given erasable notepad and later fill the answers.
Check the spellings and plurals.

4.Highlight correct summary
Note keywords in question.
Skim the options within given time.
Answers are paraphrased.
Catch the end of words and listen to the ending of the topic, you can identify the correct answer.
Concentrate on repeated words.

5.Multiple-choice, choose single answer
You need to choose any one of the texts or sentences given.
Rest, keep in mind all the tips discussed under point 2.

6.Select Missing word
You will not hear the last word (or group of words) in the recording, instead, you will hear a beep.
You must decide which of the multiple choice options is most likely to be the final word(s) in the recording.
Understand the context of the listening so you can answer the correct option.

7.Highlight incorrect words
Move mouse cursor as the audio clip is played.
Be alert and immediately click the word that differs from the recording.
Even if you wrongly clicked one word, do not go back and deselect it immediately or else the speaker will finish several more words that you will completely miss.
At the end, remember those that you clicked incorrectly; you then deselect them all by again left-clicking on them.

8.Write from Dictation
Some prefer taking down the notes as the sentence is spoken.
Writing initials of the words may help.

Now, turn for the Strategies to Improve Your English Listening Skills:

First,don’t forget to be an active listener and focus on what you are hearing.

What should I listen to?
Try to listen to speakers from Britain, America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, as well as non-native English speakers from India, China and Europe.

As the speakers in PTE Academic have various accents, we recommend listening to a wide range of speakers from different backgrounds to learn the different pronunciations used.

While listening keep a diary to write down the titles of recordings along with notes. Listen for stressed upon words in the recordings as these are usually the most important.
The easiest way to take notes will be to use abbreviations and/or symbols as you will not have enough time in the test to write full words.

From your notes, you should be able to answer the following questions:

What was the topic and main ideas?
What accent did the speaker/s use?
Was it interesting?
What did you learn from it?
What vocabulary did you learn?
Do you want to listen to more texts from that site?
Did you need to slow the text down? If so, what speed?
How many times did you listen to the text? Do you want to listen again?
Do you feel your listening skills are improving?

Whenever you feel confident enough to take the test, make sure to practice various PTE mock test before you take the ‘original shot’.
Practice online at https://www.tcyonline.com/ and give your preparation a final boost.