The tasks and their timing
Highlight Incorrect Words: a transcript is on screen while you hear a recording of 15 to 50 seconds, once, and you click each word on screen that differs from what the speaker says (Pearson). There are two or three items per test, counting towards Listening and Reading.
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers comes twice. In Reading you answer a question on a text of up to 350 words (Pearson); in Listening the question is about a recording of 80 to 120 seconds. Each has two or three items per test, and more than one option is correct. Neither task has an item clock: Reading is timed at roughly 23 to 30 minutes and Listening at roughly 31 to 39 minutes.
The scoring rule and item counts are from Pearson's PTE Academic Test Taker Score Guide (the post-August-2025 edition, copyright 2025, PDF dated 4 March 2026), read on 4 October 2026. The explanations and examples are our own.
The scoring rule: plus one, minus one, floor of zero
The guide uses the same rule for all three: one point for each correct word or option you select, one point off for each incorrect one, and 0 as the minimum score (pages 40 and 44). Pearson's Highlight Incorrect Words page confirms these are the three types where a wrong choice costs a point. It does not publish how many correct answers an item has or how the points are weighted into skill scores.
| What you select | Points | What usually causes it |
|---|---|---|
| A word that really differs from the audio, or a correct option | +1 each | Following the text closely and only clicking on a clear mismatch |
| A word that matches the audio, or a wrong option | −1 each | Clicking on a word you simply did not catch, or an option that repeats words from the text |
| A real difference or correct option you do not select | Nothing gained, nothing lost | Losing your place in the transcript, or playing safe on a genuine doubt |
| More wrong selections than right ones | Item scored 0, not negative | Selecting everything that looked possible |
Know your target? Check where you stand
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Take a free scored PTE mock →A worked example
Suppose a transcript contains three words that differ from the recording. The number is our own example; Pearson does not publish it.
| Your selections (example) | Calculation | Item score |
|---|---|---|
| All 3 real differences, nothing else | 3 − 0 | 3 |
| 2 real differences and 1 wrong word | 2 − 1 | 1 |
| All 3 real differences and 2 wrong words | 3 − 2 | 1 |
| 1 real difference and 3 wrong words | 1 − 3 = −2, raised to the floor | 0 |
| Nothing selected | 0 − 0 | 0 |
Practical advice for negatively marked items
This is our advice, not Pearson's rules. Select only what you are confident about. Pearson's Reading page warns that clicking every option when you are unsure loses points, and the same logic applies to clicking words in Highlight Incorrect Words.
In Highlight Incorrect Words, skim the transcript in the few seconds before the audio starts, then move your cursor along with the speaker and click as soon as a word sounds different. Do not go back to guess at words you missed.
In Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers, choose for meaning, not for matching words: options that reuse wording from the text or recording are often the traps. An extra doubtful option can lose a point as easily as it gains one.
BandLadder's PTE mock tests apply the same plus-one, minus-one rule with a floor of zero, but only Pearson's score is official.
Frequently asked questions
Which PTE Academic questions have negative marking?+
Three: Highlight Incorrect Words, Reading: Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers and Listening: Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers.
Can my score on a question go below zero?+
No. The Score Guide sets the minimum at 0 for each item, so wrong selections cannot pull other items down.
Should I select all the options in Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers?+
No. Each wrong option costs a point, and Pearson warns that selecting everything when unsure loses points.
Which skills does Highlight Incorrect Words count towards?+
Listening and Reading. The Reading multiple-answer item counts towards Reading only and the Listening one towards Listening only.
How many Highlight Incorrect Words questions are in PTE Academic?+
Two or three per test, in the Listening part.
Keep reading
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- PTE Academic scoring criteria overview
- PTE Write from Dictation scoring criteria
- Free PTE mock test
- PTE to IELTS score converter
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Verified against the linked official sources on 4 October 2026. Rules change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.
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