Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers at a glance
How Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers works
- You hear or watch a recording lasting about 80-120 seconds.
- The question asks you to select more than one correct answer.
- You choose all answers you can support after the recording plays once.
What your response is scored on
Each correct selected option earns one point.
Each incorrect selected option deducts one point.
The final item score cannot be negative, but guessing can reduce it to zero.
Pearson does not publish the complete scoring algorithm or raw-to-scale conversion. PrepEx feedback and 10-90 scores are practice estimates, not official PTE results.
Sample-style listening options
The lecturer says the project succeeded because residents helped collect local data.
The lecturer notes that costs were reduced by reusing existing equipment.
The lecturer argues that community projects should avoid public participation.
The lecturer says the study was cancelled before any data was collected.
This is an original PrepEx example designed to demonstrate the response format. It is not an official Pearson test item.
How to improve at Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
- Note the speaker's main claim and the key supporting points, not every word.
- After listening, match options to your notes and reject options that distort the relationship.
- Select only answers that are clearly supported by the recording.
Learn the strategy here, then practise filtered Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers items in the Practice Hub.
A 15-minute Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers practice loop
Preview the rules
Re-read the timing, scoring traits and common mistakes on this guide before opening practice.
Run focused attempts
Open the filtered Practice Hub view and complete several Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers attempts without switching task types.
Review and repeat
Use your activity history and target plan to decide whether to repeat this task or move to the next weak family.
Stay on this task for a short focused set, then review whether it should remain your priority.
Common mistakes
- Choosing options because they contain words heard in the audio
- Selecting too many answers to be safe
- Missing contrast signals such as however, although and instead
- Ignoring the penalty for incorrect selections
Checked against Pearson's current format
Task format, timing and published scoring traits were checked against Pearson's current PTE Academic test-format guidance on June 23, 2026. Pearson remains the final authority and may update the test.
Primary source: Pearson PTE Academic test format.