PTE Highlight incorrect words

One of the easier question types in PTE Listening, Highlight Incorrect Words, requires you to pick the wrong words from a transcript. You will see a transcript on the screen and listen to its corresponding audio at the same time. Some words in the transcript are different from the words in the audio.

Your task is to identify these words and highlight them by clicking on them.

Let’s look at the basic first:

In theory, as long as you can understand the audio and follow along with the text, you should be able to pick the words correctly. The key skill here is your ability to read while listening at the same time.

If you get stuck on a word or a sentence, you run the risk of missing out on rest of the audio. So, this question type requires plenty of practice. TED Talks have a useful interactive transcript feature which can help you practice listening while following a transcript.

After a short countdown, the audio will start playing. Once the audio ends you can take your time to finalize the answer and submit your response. Please note that in Listening section, there is only an overall timer. There is no time limit on a per question basis. Therefore, you need to develop your own time management strategy.

You don’t want to be in a situation where you spend so much time on Highlight Incorrect Words that in the end you don’t have any time left for the Write from Dictation questions.

Another key point to note here is the negative marking. Don’t think that you can just randomly click and get at least some words right. You can lose marks this way. Therefore, always be careful when clicking on a word.

You can also click on a highlighted word and remove it from the answers!

As long as you can follow along with the audio and continue reading the transcript, your chances of getting this question right, are quite high. This is one of the simpler question types in PTE Listening.

Follow these suggestions to maximize your score:

Keep your cursor ready

Make sure your cursor is at the beginning of the transcript and your hand is on the mouse, ready to move the cursor. As soon as the audio begins, your hand should move to take the cursor to each subsequent word in the transcript. When you find you have heard a word that is different from what is written in the transcript, click on it. Don’t think too much, don’t stop to verify your answer. If you do, you will miss out on the audio.

Keep moving

Your first goal should be to follow the audio. If you are unable to understand a word or suddenly find that the audio has moved ahead while you are still looking at an earlier world, quickly jump to where the audio is. If you lag behind, you will miss out on everything. This is a sure shot way of losing marks.

Don’t click randomly

If you are not sure of the answer choice, don’t click on the word. The Highlight Incorrect Words question type has negative marking. Don’t go on a random clicking spree.

Practice, practice, practice

Reading while listening is a different skill than just reading or just listening. Most people forget this point. You should make sure that you practice reading while listening at the same time.

Time for a Practice Test now! Find out how many Highlight Incorrect Words questions can you answer correctly!