PTE Listening - Select Missing Word task

Select Missing Word Task of the listening module is an interesting task. In this task, you will hear the audio recording of 20 - 70 seconds. In this audio, the last few words will be removed and instead of that you will hear a beep sound. You will have to select the missing words from the given options. You will get around 4-5 options. All the options will be grammatically correct but the meaning of each option will differ. So understanding the meaning is the key here. The scoring is pretty straightforward. For every correct answer, you get 1 point and for every wrong answer, you get 0 points. It tests your ability to understand the overall idea and decide which of the option fits best. You should build a strong vocabulary base and grammar during your PTE study so you can manage to get a good score on this task.

Try to solve this task on the PTE mock test to see how you perform on it. There are many strategies that you can follow to solve this task on the PTE exam. Use them while taking the mock test and see if these strategies help you in improving your score.

Understand the task

It is very important to understand the task and the skills that are tested. This is a quick task so you will not have to worry much about the time. In this task you either know the answer or you do not know. If you know the answer choose and move ahead and in case you do not know the answer, make a guess and move ahead. There is no point in wasting any time on this task. You need to understand the main idea. You should process the accent and the rate of speech. This task requires you to predict what will come next. This can only be done with a strong vocabulary base and strong grammar. Include vocabulary and grammar exercises in your PTE study improve them. 

Be attentive while listening

You should concentrate on the audio. Be ready to listen as soon as the audio begins to play. If you understand it properly then it will be easier to pick the right choice. If you feel you are losing concentration in the middle of the audio then there is a small trick. Pinch your hand to get back your attention on the audio. This trick works great. You can try it while taking the PTE mock test and check if it works for you. 

Read the instruction carefully

You should not skip the instruction as it will tell you the topic of the audio. Once you know the topic, you will have an idea about what the audio is referring to. This will help you to understand the audio. 

Read all the options before making a choice

If you come across an option that sounds or look perfect, don't be in rush to choose it. But read all the options once. Put each option one at a time in the missing part of the audio and see if it makes sense. If the meaning is correct and it sounds grammatically correct then you can go ahead with that choice. 

Do listening practice

You should do some listening practice before taking the PTE mock test so it is easy to tackle this task. Make a habit of listening to podcasts, talk shows or news. This will help you to improve your listening skills. Try to understand what is being said. Do this on a regular basis. Include listening exercises in your PTE study so you prepare yourself thoroughly for this task.