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The short answer is: yes! You might think that in order to do well in an exam you have to answer all of the questions, but that’s not the case for the PTE Academic. You just have to know which questions to skip!
How many important questions are there?
There are in total 20 questions in the PTE Academic. However, only 14 of them are truly important for your score. The other 6 have minimal impact on your punctuation and will only take up time and distract you from the questions that can actually elevate your score in all the bands.
Skip this Speaking question!
At the end of the Speaking test, you have a question titled “Answer Short Question”, which you can skip right over. Even though Speaking is one of the most important PTE Academic modules, this question won’t impact your score. Leave time for Speaking questions that actually matter.
Skip these Reading questions!
These are some of the questions you should skip in the Reading module. Don’t worry about answering “Multiple Choice – Choose Multiple Answer” and also “Multiple Choice – Choose Single Answer”. You can skip right over them, they take up time and don’t add many points.
Skip these Listening questions!
In the Listening module, you also don’t have to worry about the multiple-choice questions. However, you can’t actually skip them in the exam, you have to wait for the audio to finish before you go to the next question. Don’t worry about studying for these questions though.
Don’t skip these Speaking questions!
The two most important questions in the Speaking module are “Read Aloud” and “Repeat Sentence”. Be sure not to skip these and to study really well for them, so you can get them right. These are the questions that will actually boost your Reading score.
Don’t skip these Reading questions!
There are two very important questions in the Reading, and both of them are relatively similar. You should be studying hard for these questions: “Fill in the Blanks – Reading and Writing” and “Fill in the Blanks – Reading”. Be sure to practice them well!
Don’t skip these Listening questions!
The most impactful questions in the Listening module are “Write from Dictation” and “Fill in the blanks – Listening”. You should definitely keep an eye out for them and make sure you answer them attentively.
Bonus tip: the Essay
Truth is, if you’re not aiming at a very high score, you can even get away with not writing the essay. We know how scary this part of the test can be, so if a low score is all you require, you can skip it. You should definitely write it if you’re aiming at a higher score though.
Consult with a specialist
When it comes to PTE Academic, it’s always a good idea to look for help from an expert. These are the types of counterintuitive strategies that someone with extensive knowledge of the test can provide you with, and they can make all the difference in achieving your desired score.