PTE Core Select Missing Word
You listen to a recording of 20 to 70 seconds that stops before its final word, and you choose the option that completes it. You will see 1 to 2 of these items. It is a short, self-contained task with no deduction attached, and the skill it tests is prediction: whether you have followed the argument well enough to know where it was going.
At a glance
| Detail | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Items on your test | 1 to 2 |
| Recording length | 20 to 70 seconds |
| What you do | Select the missing word that completes the recording from a list of options |
| Skills scored | Listening |
| Scoring method | Correct or incorrect |
| Penalty for a wrong answer | None |
| Section time | 22 to 37 minutes for the whole Listening section |
Why this is a prediction task
The options are usually all grammatically possible in the final sentence. If they were not, the task would be a grammar exercise and the recording would be redundant. Because they all fit the frame, the decision has to come from the content: which completion is consistent with the case the speaker has been building.
That has a concrete implication. Listening hard to the last five seconds is not enough. By the time the recording cuts off, the information that decides the answer has usually already been given, in the speaker's stance and the direction of their argument. So the task rewards following the whole recording, then applying that understanding to the final sentence.
The method
- Read the options before the audio starts. As with every Listening task, this converts the item from recall into recognition. It also tells you what kind of word you are listening for: a noun completing a list, an adjective carrying a judgement, or a phrase resolving a contrast.
- Follow the argument, not just the words. Track whether the speaker is building a case, qualifying one, or contrasting two positions. That direction is what the ending has to be consistent with.
- Note the speaker's stance. If they have been sceptical throughout, an ending that endorses the idea enthusiastically is unlikely, even where it fits grammatically.
- Hold the final sentence in mind as precisely as you can. The grammar of that sentence still filters the options: singular against plural, a preposition that demands a particular kind of complement, a comparison that needs a second term.
- Test each option in the final sentence. Ask whether it is grammatically possible and whether it fits the direction of the argument. You usually need both to separate the last two candidates.
- Choose, always. Correct or incorrect scoring with no deduction means a blank and a wrong answer score the same. Never leave it.
What separates the last two options
- Direction of the argument. An ending that reverses the case the speaker was making is almost always the distractor, unless they signalled a turn.
- Strength. Options often differ by degree. Match the speaker's level of confidence rather than choosing the strongest wording.
- Consistency with the examples given. If the recording built toward a particular kind of conclusion through its examples, the ending should be the kind of thing those examples support.
- Repetition of a striking word. An option that reuses a memorable phrase from the recording is not thereby correct. Distractors are frequently built that way.
How to practise it
The useful drill is prediction rather than recall. Work items in the question bank and, before you look at the options, pause and say aloud what you think the recording was about to conclude. Then compare. Getting into the habit of forming an expectation while you listen is exactly the skill the task measures, and it is trainable in a way that raw listening stamina is not.
Away from the app, the same habit works on any short talk or podcast segment: pause a few seconds before the speaker finishes a point and predict the ending. Use AI Coach when you cannot see why an option was right, and check your pacing on a full practice test.
Related guides
- Listening: Multiple Choice, Single Answer, the other correct-or-incorrect Listening task
- Highlight Incorrect Words
- Listening: Fill in the Blanks