PTE Core Listening Test 3
PTE Core Listening Test 3 is a premium, timed set of 16 PTE Core listening questions, 2 of them extra PTE Academic questions, with natural neural-voice audio across every listening task type. Every objective question is scored the moment you finish, and the review shows your answer next to the correct one; the Summarize Spoken Text response is expert scored.
Unlock this test16 questions · 40 minThis is one of 8 PTE Core listening tests on PTEMock. For every listening task type explained, with tips, see PTE listening practice. All 40 Core tests, with the official format, are on the PTE Core practice test page, and the PTE Core score chart shows the CLB level each skill score converts to.
What's in this test
| Write from Dictation | 3 questions | Instant |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | 2 questions | Instant |
| Listening: Fill in the Blanks | 2 questions | Instant |
| Highlight Correct Summary (PTE Academic task) | 2 questions | Instant |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | 2 questions | Instant |
| Select Missing Word | 2 questions | Instant |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | 2 questions | Instant |
| Summarize Spoken Text | 1 question | expert scored |
Topics in PTE Core Listening Test 3
What each passage, recording and prompt is about, in the order the tasks appear.
- Summarize Spoken Text: Coral reef sensitivity to ocean warming
- Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers: Green infrastructure; Sleep science
- Listening: Fill in the Blanks: Industrial Revolution: overcrowding and job displacement; Volcano formation
- Highlight Correct Summary (PTE Academic task): Gig economy; Plant biology
- Multiple Choice, Single Answer: Behavioural economics; Printing press
- Highlight Incorrect Words: Animal migration across species; Brain's share of body energy use
Sample questions from PTE Core Listening Test 3
Two questions taken from this test, so you can see its level before you start. Answers are not shown here; your review shows them when you finish.
What is the main point of the talk?
- A.Human decisions are influenced by psychology, not just rational calculation.
- B.Traditional economic models accurately predict all human behaviour.
- C.People value gains far more than they fear equivalent losses.
- D.Emotions have no measurable effect on economic decisions.
In the real exam the audio plays once. The correct answer is shown in your review when you finish the test.
Which paragraph best summarises the recording?
- A.The speaker claims that plants absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide, which is harmful to the atmosphere and most living organisms.
- B.The speaker explains that photosynthesis lets plants turn sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water into glucose and oxygen, a process essential for the atmosphere and life on Earth.
- C.The speaker describes how plants survive entirely in darkness by storing energy in their roots without needing any sunlight at all.
- D.The speaker discusses how chlorophyll gives flowers their colour but plays no part in producing energy or oxygen for the plant.
In the real exam the audio plays once. The correct answer is shown in your review when you finish the test.
How hard is PTE Core Listening Test 3?
Compared with the other 7 PTE Core listening tests on PTEMock, PTE Core Listening Test 3 is easier than average. It ranks 2nd of 8, where 1st is the easiest.
| Measure | This test | Average of 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Speaking speed in the recordings | 135 words/min | 134 words/min |
| Transcript reading level | 11.9 | 12.5 |
| Long words (3+ syllables) | 21% | 22% |
| Total audio | 7 min 06 s | |
| Write from Dictation sentence length | 9.7 words |
How this is measured: Speaking speed comes from the actual length of every audio clip; reading level and long words are measured on the transcripts. It compares the material itself, not how other candidates scored.
For a step up, PTE Core Listening Test 6 is the next hardest. To warm up first, PTE Core Listening Test 8 is the next easiest.
How PTE Core Listening Test 3 is scored
Listening questions are scored instantly and objectively the moment you finish, no waiting and no email required. You get your band score plus a per-question breakdown showing exactly which items you missed and why. Summarize Spoken Text is the exception: it is expert scored on content, form, grammar, vocabulary and spelling, and included in your report.