Reading & Listening: tips that lift your score

Reading and Listening reward disciplined time management and a few task-specific tricks. Because these sections are tightly timed, knowing when to move on is as important as knowing the answer.

Reading

• Fill in the Blanks: read the whole sentence first, then let grammar and collocation guide the choice — the word before and after the gap usually decides it.
• Re-order Paragraphs: find the standalone opening sentence first (it introduces the topic without referring back), then chain the rest using pronouns and linking words.
• Multiple Choice (multiple answers): remember wrong picks can lose points — only select options you can justify from the text.
• Watch the clock: the Reading section is short, so don't sink several minutes into one re-order item.

Listening

• You hear each audio once, so start taking brief notes immediately — keywords, numbers and names, not full sentences.
• Summarize Spoken Text: capture the main point and two supporting details; write within the word limit and check spelling.
• Highlight Incorrect Words: read along and mark only the words that clearly differ — over-clicking is penalised.
• Select Missing Word: predict from the argument's direction; the final word usually completes the speaker's conclusion.

Write from Dictation

This small task carries real weight because it feeds both Listening and Writing. Type every word you're confident you heard — there's no penalty for extra attempts here, and each correct word earns credit. Practising Write from Dictation daily is one of the highest-return habits in PTE prep.

Sign up free to run these tasks with instant feedback, and build the daily rhythm that turns technique into a reliable score.