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PTE Multiple Choice Multiple Answers (Listening): Complete Guide | PTE Academic

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Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers in the Listening part of PTE Academic is one of the few tasks where a wrong choice costs you a point. You listen to a recording, then select all the options that are correct, and there can be more than one. Knowing when to select and when to hold back matters as much as understanding the audio.

The task tests careful listening and good judgment. With a method that checks each option against what you heard and only selects the ones you can support, you can score well without taking risks. This guide explains how it works, how the scoring deducts points, and how to choose safely.

Table of Contents

What is the "Multiple Choice Multiple Answers (Listening)" question type?

Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers is a listening task in PTE Academic. You hear a recording, then a question with several options, and you select every option that correctly answers it. More than one option is correct. According to Pearson, the recording is about 80 to 120 seconds long and plays only once.

The official Pearson score guide states that a test includes 2 to 3 of these questions, and they count toward your Listening score. The key difference from the single-answer version is that this task deducts a point for each wrong option you choose.

Here is a real example from our practice set. The recording contrasts closed innovation, where a company keeps all ideas internal, with open innovation, where firms license patents, spin off unused technologies, share research risks, and bring products to market faster by using outside expertise.

Which two options does the recording support?

a) It relies on the assumption that all the smartest employees work internally
b) It allows companies to monetize technologies they do not use themselves
c) It can shorten the timeframe needed to launch new products
d) It ensures that organizations maintain complete control over their brand
e) It eliminates the financial risks involved in developing new ideas

Answers: b and c. Both are stated about open innovation. Options a, d, and e each contradict the recording, so selecting them would cost a point.

For more worked examples like this one, see our Multiple Choice Multiple Answers (Listening) practice questions with answers, which cover the full range of contexts and patterns you may face.

How "Multiple Choice Multiple Answers (Listening)" is scored

Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers uses partial credit with a penalty. The official Pearson score guide states that you get 1 point for each correct option you select, but a point is deducted for each incorrect option you choose.

This is the key feature of the task. Selecting a wrong option does not just miss a point, it removes one. The lowest total for the question is 0, so you cannot score below zero, but careless selecting can cancel out the points you earned from the correct options.

This task counts toward your Listening score, and it is marked automatically by the computer.

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This task deducts a point for each wrong option. So select an option only when you clearly heard the recording support it. When you are unsure about an option, it is often safer to leave it unselected than to risk losing a point.
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Tips to do well on "Multiple Choice Multiple Answers (Listening)" questions

Take notes as you listen

The audio plays once, so note the main points the speaker makes. Because more than one option is correct, you need a record of several ideas, not just one. Short notes give you the evidence to judge each option afterward.

Only select what you can support

Because wrong choices cost points, select an option only when your notes confirm the recording said it. If you cannot recall clear support for an option, it is safer to leave it unselected. Confident, evidence-based choices protect your score.

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An option can be wrong because it contradicts the recording, was not mentioned, or overstates a point. All three would cost a point if selected, so judge each one against what you actually heard.

Check each option one by one

Go through the options individually and decide yes or no for each, based on your notes. Treating every option as a separate decision stops you from selecting a tempting but unsupported choice. Careful, one-by-one checking is what keeps wrong clicks out.

Beware of options that overstate

Watch for options that take a true idea too far, using words like "all," "eliminates," or "complete." The recording might say open innovation shares risk, but an option saying it "eliminates" risk goes beyond that. Match the strength of the option to what the speaker said.

Do not feel you must pick many

There is no fixed number of correct options. Selecting extra options just to be thorough is risky, since each wrong one loses a point. Choose exactly the options the recording supports, whether that is two or three, and no more.

Weigh the risk on uncertain options

For an option you are truly unsure about, remember the trade-off: a correct guess gains a point, but a wrong one loses a point. When you cannot recall clear support from the recording, leaving that option unselected is often the safer choice.

How to practice "Multiple Choice Multiple Answers (Listening)" questions

This task improves when you practice taking notes on several points at once and judging each option against them. The useful feedback is seeing which options were correct and which would have cost you points.

On Arno you can practice real Multiple Choice questions for Listening and get instant scoring on each option, showing exactly which choices cost you points so you can avoid them and score higher. You learn to select only what the recording proves.

Click here to create your free account and start practicing Multiple Choice questions.

Frequently asked questions

How is PTE Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers (Listening) scored?

You get 1 point for each correct option you select, but a point is deducted for each incorrect option you choose. The lowest total for the question is 0. It counts toward your Listening score.

Is there negative marking on this task?

Yes. This is one of the few PTE tasks with negative marking. Each wrong option you select removes a point, so only choose options the recording clearly supports.

How many times does the audio play?

Only once. The recording, about 80 to 120 seconds long, plays a single time, so take notes on the main points as you listen.

How many options are correct?

There is no fixed number. More than one option is correct, but the exact count varies, so select only the options your notes support rather than aiming for a set number.

Should I guess if I am unsure about an option?

Be careful. A correct guess gains a point, but a wrong one loses a point. When you cannot recall clear support from the recording, leaving that option unselected is often safer.

How many of these questions are on PTE Academic?

A PTE Academic test includes 2 to 3 Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers listening questions, according to the Pearson score guide.

Conclusion

Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers for Listening rewards careful, evidence-based choices. Take notes as you listen, check each option against them, and select only the ones you can support. Because each wrong choice deducts a point, restraint is part of the skill, and overstated options are common traps.

Do not aim for a set number of answers; choose exactly what the recording supports. Practice note-taking and judging options against the audio, and this higher-risk task becomes one you can handle with confidence.

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