# PTE Select Missing Word: scoring, examples and practice A 20-70 second recording ends with a beep, and you choose the word or phrase that completes it. Scored right or wrong, with no penalty. ## The short answer Select Missing Word plays a recording of 20 to 70 seconds where the final word or phrase is replaced by a beep. You choose the option that completes it. There are only 1 to 2 in a test, scored correct or incorrect with no deduction. The whole item turns on the last few seconds of audio, so attention at the end matters more than notes. ## Key facts - **Items per test:** 1-2 - **Prompt length:** 20-70 seconds - **Skills scored:** Listening - **Scoring:** Correct or incorrect, no penalty Timings and scoring rules come from Pearson's task pages and the July 2025 Score Guide, checked 28 September 2026. ## How it's scored The answer is the speaker's conclusion, so the ending carries all the weight. A recording can wander for a minute and still be decided by its final clause. Options are usually grammatically possible, which means grammar will not save you. What decides it is the direction the speaker was heading: agreement or contrast, cause or consequence. > Listen for the turn: however, so, which means, in other words. The missing phrase almost always completes the thought those words set up. ## Select Missing Word examples Worked examples written for this page. Answer each one before you open the model response: memorizing a response is scored as an irrelevant answer in the real test. **Example 1 -- a contrast ending** Recording (played once), transcript: > The scheme has been popular with residents, and the waiting list for a permit is now longer than the number of permits we issue in a year. However, the costs of running it have... Prompt: The last words are replaced by a beep. Choose the option that completes the recording. - A. risen faster than expected - B. been shared with other districts - C. persuaded more residents to apply - D. made the permits more popular still Answer: A. Model response: A. "However" commits the sentence to a downside, and only one option supplies one. Why it scores: One connector rules out three options. Listen to the last full sentence for a word like however, so, or which means, then pick the ending it demands. **Example 2 -- a causal ending** Recording (played once), transcript: > Rainfall has dropped for three consecutive years across the catchment, and demand has not fallen with it, which means reservoirs are... Prompt: Choose the ending. - A. at their lowest level in a decade - B. receiving less rain than before - C. used by more people each year - D. measured every three years Answer: A. Model response: A. "Which means" demands a result; B and C simply restate the causes. Why it scores: Options that repeat the cause are the standard distractor. The ending has to be a consequence of the sentence before it. **Example 3 -- when you lost the thread** Prompt: You drifted in the middle of the recording and caught only the last sentence. What now? - A. Pick the option that follows from the last full sentence you heard - B. Pick the option with the most words from the recording Answer: A. Model response: The first. The ending follows from the sentence immediately before it, not from the whole talk. Why it scores: Nothing is deducted for a wrong answer here, and the final sentence carries almost all the information you need. **Three questions is a warm-up, not practice** 20,000+ PTE practice questions across all 22 task types, 20+ full mocks and 20+ sectional tests, with instant AI scoring on speaking and writing. One full PTE mock and one sectional test per skill are free, with question-bank practice and 100 AI scoring coins a month. No card required. [Start practicing free](https://app.testmigo.com/register) ## Common mistakes | What costs marks | Do this instead | | --- | --- | | Relaxing at the end of the recording. | The final clause is the question. Concentration should peak there. | | Taking detailed notes. | Notes are not needed. Follow the argument's direction instead. | | Choosing on topic rather than logic. | All options are on topic. The connector before the beep decides it. | | Leaving it blank. | No penalty applies. Always choose. | **Know the score you are aiming at** Put a target into the PTE score calculator to see the visa band it reaches, the points it is worth, and how far off you are. [Open the PTE score calculator](/pte/score-calculator) ## How to practice 1. Pause podcasts mid-sentence and predict the ending out loud. 2. Drill discourse markers: however, therefore, which means, in contrast. 3. Practice with recordings up to 70 seconds so your attention holds to the end. 4. Review errors by checking which connector you missed. ## Common questions ### How many Select Missing Word items are in PTE? 1 to 2 in a test, the fewest of any listening task type. ### Is there a penalty for guessing? No. It is correct or incorrect, so always answer. ### What is the best strategy? Follow the argument rather than the details, and listen hardest to the last few seconds where the connector sets up the missing phrase. **Sources** - [Pearson: PTE Academic Listening task types (checked 28 September 2026)](https://www.pearsonpte.com/pte-academic/test-format/listening) - [Pearson: PTE Academic Test Taker Score Guide, July 2025 (PDF)](https://www.pearsonpte.com/ctf-assets/yqwtwibiobs4/WUcBAMkYCC9Dj5vs2HfVA/941d88d07ba7c2a5007f7ce1b18eedbf/Score_Guide__Test_Taker__-_PTE_Academic_-_July_2025__web_.pdf) [Practice Select Missing Word free](https://testmigo.com/pte)