Listening · Question type
PTE Select Missing Word
Select Missing Word plays a passage that ends with a beep replacing the final word or phrase; you choose the option that best completes it.
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Watch Select Missing Word run.
This is the real sequence, sped up: the clock, the audio and the recording window. Press play, then read how to beat it.
Recent research suggests that, in addition to using the sun and landmarks, migratory birds can sense the Earth's magnetic ______.
Choose the word that completes it
What it is
What you actually do.
You listen to a short academic excerpt. Near the end, a beep replaces the missing concluding word or phrase. You then select the best completion from the options.
The task trains predictive listening: grammar, collocation, and logical closure based on where the speaker was heading.
You must stay attentive through the whole clip; the answer depends on the setup in the final sentences.
How it’s scored
What the computer marks.
Correct option earns credit; incorrect earns none.
Success depends on both comprehension and anticipating a natural ending.
Confirm any official details in Pearson’s documentation.
How to do it well
The moves that hold up.
Under the clock, these are the habits that keep you calm and on task.
Track the speaker’s argument arc so the ending is constrained.
In the last 5–8 seconds, heighten focus. Do not relax early.
Predict a word class before looking at options (noun phrase, verb, adjective).
Use signal phrases: “in other words,” “the result is,” “this leads to.”
Eliminate options that break grammar at the beep point.
Eliminate options that contradict the established stance.
If two options fit grammar, choose the one that best matches meaning and tone.
Common mistakes
What costs marks.
Most people lose points the same way. Know these before test day.
Daydreaming in the middle and waking up only at the beep.
Choosing a word related to the topic but not to the final logic.
Ignoring grammatical fit (e.g., plural vs singular).
Picking an extreme conclusion the speaker did not prepare.
How to practice
Make it automatic.
Volume under exam conditions is what moves the score. Do this, not more reading.
Practice completing lecture sentences from educational videos with the ending muted.
Build sensitivity to English cadence that signals closure.
Drill free Select Missing Word items on Wobzzy for beep timing familiarity.
Keep going
Related tasks.
Answers
Frequently asked questions
It may be a word or short phrase depending on the item. Options will show the scope. Match both meaning and structure.
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