Contrary to popular belief, PTE Multiple Choice Multiple Answer tasks are more challenging than single-answer questions, as most candidates struggle to utilize elimination strategies or similar techniques to narrow down their options.
Hopefully, PTE Magic’s guides and tips below can help you address this burning issue to achieve the highest score possible for these tasks.
Keep scrolling to learn more.
Related:
- PTE academic exam: A complete guide
- How to properly prepare for your next PTE test?
- PTE Reading practice – Everything to know about
An Overview of the Section
Multiple-choice multiple-answer is one of the five question types designed to assess reading skills in the PTE test.
1. What Reading Skills Are Tested?
In this reading section, test takers are given a written passage followed by multiple-choice questions with more than one correct option.
This differs from the traditional multiple-choice single-answer items, where candidates must choose one best answer.
As a result, test takers need to approach the passage more carefully to identify all relevant information and make informed judgments about the relationships and relevance between ideas.
Through this task, the PTE scorers assess a variety of related reading skills, including the ability to:
- Identify the central theme or message of the text.
- Locate and extract specific details that support the main idea.
- Draw appropriate conclusions or make inferences based on the information presented.
- Analyze and evaluate the given information by considering different perspectives.
2. How Is This Reading Section Scored?
PTE applies negative markings for this task, meaning your total score will be deducted for each incorrect option.
- +1 for each correct option
- -1 for each incorrect option
- Minimum points for the question: 0
PTE Reading Multiple Choice Multiple Answer Tips For Choosing Correct Answers
1. A Step-By-Step Guide
Step 1. Read The Questions And Options First
Do not read the entire text immediately. Instead, you should spend the first few seconds looking through all the questions and answer options. They usually provide lots of background and contextual clues for easier reading.
Step 2. Skim Through The Passage to Identify The Core Theme
Once you scan through the questions, it is time for actual reading; however, jumping into details instantly is a common mistake we do not highly recommend. The amount of information can be overwhelming, especially if you are a first-time test taker.
The wisest move is to skim through the passage to understand its overall theme. That way, you can pinpoint which part contains which kind of message.
Step 3. Scan The Passage to Spot Specific Information
After the first two steps, you now understand which information is required and where to find it. Scan the passage more thoroughly this time to spot all these details, and use the information given to validate each option.
Most importantly, make sure you have reviewed all options carefully.
Even when you are 100% confident in choosing options 1 and 2 as correct answers, it is still advisable to look at other options for confirmation (Why are they not fitting? Why shouldn’t you choose them?) before moving on to the remaining questions.
2. Reminders
a. Do Not Linger Too Long On One Question
While it is important not to rush through the questions, that does not mean you should stay on one for too long, either.
Remember that there is a time limit for reading tasks, just like any other section. Therefore, ensure you only give each question about 2 minutes at best. If you are still not confident in the answer, skip to other questions and return to that item later.
b. Be Aware Of The Negative Markings
Unlike multiple choice single answer tasks, PTE applies negative markings to multiple answer questions, meaning you will lose points for choosing the wrong options.
On another note, the total points for a question cannot be less than zero. Therefore, even when no options seem right to you, do not leave out the question entirely. Instead, try to choose one option based on educated guesses.
c. Do Not Let Your Background Knowledge Affect Your Answers
For this reading section, do not assume anything or choose a particular option just because “you have heard about it somewhere before.” Answer each question according to what is exclusively mentioned in the passage and nothing else.
You should also pay attention to the word choice to avoid careless mistakes. For instance, if the passage says “most of,” then options with “everything” or “100%” must be left out.
d. Read Everyday During Practice
Even just 10-15 minutes of reading time a day will do. Make it a habit to read at least one newspaper article, book chapter, or journal during your free time. This practice will enrich your vocabulary and grammatical knowledge.
Avoid scrambling to learn everything on the last days before your test. You are unlikely to get any good results!
PTE Multiple Choice Multiple Answer Practice
Use the mentioned strategies to complete this quick exercise in 2 minutes.
Water encompasses over 66 percent of the Earth’s surface area. Most of Earth’s water can be found in oceans and other saline bodies, with the remaining freshwater predominantly existing as frozen snow cover.
Accessible freshwater within waterways, wetlands, aquifers, and lakes constitutes less than 1 percent of the global water reservoir. Despite its limited quantity, this essential resource sustains a rich diversity of lifeforms and remains crucial for human survival.
The escalating global population has increased water demands, which are essential for various purposes such as agriculture, energy production, and sanitation.
However, at the moment, environmental changes and human activities are affecting water cycle shifts and placing significant pressure on freshwater ecosystems. Construction, mining activities, and pollution further exacerbate these issues.
Which statements are correct?
- Freshwater accounts for about 1% of the water supply in the world.
- Human survival does not require water
- Most water on Earth is solidified as snow.
- Demands for usable water have been steadily declining over time.
- Over ⅔ of the Earth’s surface is water-covered.
Answer Keys: c, e.
At PTE Magic, we equip you with tons of free practice questions and mock tests to practice yourself. If you find PTE preparation too challenging, enroll in our online training courses! We guarantee you can achieve your desired score!
Conclusion
The rule of thumb for the PTE Reading Multiple Choice Multiple Answer is to read the options first for contextual clues, then scan the passage to locate the related information.
Time management is just as crucial for reading tasks as your analyzing skills. Remember to spend 2 minutes or less on each question.
Also, before the test, remember to build your vocabulary steadily over the days by reading articles, books, or academic research. Do not scramble to cram everything in your head at the last minute!
