Ask anyone who’s taken the PTE Academic, and they’ll tell you that the Listening section can be really challenging. It’s not that the questions are impossible; it’s that there’s no breathing room. One audio ends, another begins, and before you know it, you’re trying to remember what you heard ten seconds ago.
That’s exactly why mock tests matter so much. They’re not just for checking your score; they’re a way to train how your brain listens, reacts, and focuses under real exam pressure. When used the right way, mock tests don’t just boost your marks, they reshape how you process spoken English altogether.
Why Listening Practice Is So Important?
The Listening section is where the PTE tests your real-world understanding. You’ll hear lectures, short conversations, or news-style clips, and you’ll need to pull meaning out of them, quickly.
There are several question types, each with its own rhythm:
- Summarise Spoken Text
- Multiple Choice (Single or Multiple Answer)
- Fill in the Blanks
- Highlight Correct Summary
- Select Missing Word
- Highlight Incorrect Words
- Write from Dictation
Some focus on keywords; others test your memory and attention to tone or detail. The challenge isn’t just understanding what’s said, it’s staying sharp while doing it again and again for 45 minutes straight.
Start with a Full Mock Test
Before anything else, do one complete Listening mock test from start to finish, no pauses, no rewinds. The goal isn’t to get a high score, it’s to find out where you actually stand.
You might notice that longer lectures are fine but short dictations catch you off guard or maybe certain accents feel harder to follow. This first run gives you a clear baseline.
When you finish, take five minutes to reflect, jot down where your attention dropped, when you guessed, or when you ran out of time. Don’t skip this step as it tells you exactly where to focus next.
Go Back and Analyse the Details
Most people finish a mock test and move on. But the real learning happens when you slow down.
Replay each audio, read the transcript if it’s available and ask yourself:
- Did I misunderstand a word, or did I miss it completely?
- Was it the speed, or the accent, that threw me off?
- Did my notes help me, or did they slow me down?
You’ll start to notice small patterns like missing connecting words, tuning out after 20 seconds, or confusing similar-sounding words. Identifying these habits early makes a huge difference later.
Focus on One Question Type at a Time
Once you’ve reviewed your first test, don’t attempt full exams for a while, instead, work on one question type at a time.
- If you’re losing points in Write from Dictation, practise short dictation clips daily.
- If Highlight Incorrect Words feels tricky, try reading and listening to the same passage while marking differences.
- For Summarise Spoken Text, listen to a short podcast and write a one-sentence summary straight after.
Breaking it down this way trains your brain to handle each skill separately before combining them again.
Listen Beyond Mock Tests
One of the best things you can do is build the habit of active listening outside PTE material. That’s how your ear becomes sharper over time.
Try this mix:
- TED Talks for structured academic English.
- News or podcasts for natural, conversational tone.
- YouTube interviews or lectures for mixed accents.
Don’t just play them in the background, focus intentionally for 10 minutes at a time. After each clip, try summarising what you heard in one or two lines. It sounds simple, but it’s the same skill PTE Listening rewards, i.e., understanding meaning.
Watch the Clock
Timing is one of the biggest hidden challenges in the Listening section. You might understand every word but still lose marks if you hesitate.
When doing mock tests, use a visible countdown timer. Learn how long you can spend on each task type. For example, Write from Dictation is short, every second counts. Summarise Spoken Text gives you more time, but you still need to manage it wisely.
You’ll start to feel what “just enough time” actually means, and that awareness will help you stay calm during the real test.
Find Your Note-Taking Style
Some tasks, like Summarise Spoken Text, rely on good note-taking. But many students make the mistake of writing too much.
Keep it short and symbolic:
- Use arrows for relationships (→, ↑, ↓)
- Skip full words — jot just the first few letters
- Focus on names, numbers, and transitions like “however,” “as a result,” or “in contrast”
The aim isn’t to write everything, it’s to give yourself a quick visual trigger when the question appears. Over time, your notes will become faster and more useful.
Track Progress, Slowly but Steadily
Improvement doesn’t happen in a week. Give yourself two to three weeks between full mock tests. When you retake one, don’t just look at your new score. Notice how it felt.
- Did you stay focused longer?
- Were you calmer when new audio started?
- Are you catching more meaning without relying on the transcript?
Those are genuine signs of progress, even more than a few extra points.
Recreate the Real Exam Setting
Before your actual PTE date, do one or two complete tests in one sitting, including Speaking, Writing, and Reading before Listening. This simulates real fatigue and time pressure. By the time you reach Listening in the actual exam, you’ll already know how your concentration behaves after an hour. That awareness alone gives you an edge.
Use Feedback Wisely
If you’re using mock tests from a platform or training provider, don’t just glance at the report, look for patterns:
- “Missed keywords” means you need sharper attention.
- “Low oral fluency” may hint that you’re second-guessing or pausing too often.
If you study on your own, record your answers, especially summaries or dictations. Listening to yourself helps you hear the small gaps you miss while doing the task.
The Takeaway
Mock tests aren’t about memorising questions or chasing a perfect score. They’re a mirror, showing how well you can listen, process, and respond under pressure.
When you use them deliberately, they teach you much more than strategies. They build the habits that matter in the real exam like focus, rhythm, and calmness.
And that’s the point. By the time you sit for your actual PTE, you don’t want to feel like you’re practising anymore. You want to feel prepared because you’ve already trained your mind to do what the test expects.
At EnglishWise we offer comprehensive PTE training. From one-on-one sessions to feedback and mock tests, our PTE courses cover them all. For any guidance in your PTE journey, feel free to connect with us.
