What do you need to do?
- You read a passage of up to 350 words.
- The question asks you to select more than one correct answer.
- You may choose multiple options within the Reading section time.
Keep in mindPreparation: Section-timed. Response: No separate item timer. Scored skills: Reading.
What should your answer do?
Select each supported answer without adding unsupported options.
How to answer
- Identify the selection task
Read what the question asks and note that several answers may be correct.
- Evaluate options separately
Find passage evidence for each option. One correct option does not make another likely to be correct.
- Check scope and qualifiers
Compare words such as some, all, may and must with the source. Reject an option containing a correct fragment and an unsupported claim.
- Review before selecting
Choose the options supported by the passage. Incorrect selections deduct credit, so do not add an option just because it sounds plausible.
Practise each part of Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
Use these focused exercises to work on one part at a time, then bring them together in a complete attempt.
Multiple selections
Judge every option independently rather than assuming a fixed number of correct answers.
Negative marking
Practise leaving an unsupported option unselected even when it contains familiar passage words.
Sample-style multiple-answer task
A university trial found that students used extended library hours most heavily in the two weeks before exams. However, demand fell sharply during regular teaching weeks, leading administrators to consider a flexible schedule instead of a permanent change.
Which statements are supported by the passage?
Late library access was most popular close to exams.
Administrators are considering a flexible schedule.
Students used the library equally throughout the term.
The university has already made extended hours permanent.
This is an original PrepEx example designed to demonstrate the response format. It is not an official Pearson test item.
Common mistakes to watch for
- Selecting an option because it repeats passage vocabulary
- Choosing every plausible answer without proof
- Missing qualifiers such as mainly, only, always or may
- Forgetting that wrong selections carry a penalty
How to improve your next answer
Make an evidence table with one row per option: supported, contradicted or not established. Compare it with the answer explanation afterward. Count unsupported extra selections as well as missed correct answers.
- For each selection, point to the passage evidence and explain its scope.
- For each extra selection, identify what made it tempting and what the source actually says.
Change one thing, then try a new question. A better repeat on a familiar prompt is useful rehearsal; a fresh prompt shows whether you can apply the skill.
Try Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
Review previous attempts to see whether the same issue keeps returning.
What your response is scored on
Correct selections
Each correct selected option earns one point.
Incorrect selections
Each incorrect selected option deducts one point.
Floor zero
The item score cannot go below zero, but guessing can erase credit.
Read the feedback alongside the number and use it to choose your next exercise. A PrepEx score is a practice estimate, not an official PTE score. Only Pearson can issue an official result.
Check the rules before test day
Read the official Pearson task instructions before your test. Follow Pearson's current instructions if the format changes.
Task instructions and timing checked October 15, 2026. The exercises and study suggestions on this page are independent preparation guidance.