PTE Academic · Guides · October 24, 2026 · 6 min read
PTE Answer Short Question: tips, examples and practice (2026)
In PTE Answer Short Question you hear a short question, usually a few seconds long, and answer it with a single word or a short phrase, with about 10 seconds to respond. It is scored simply as right or wrong: the system checks whether you gave the correct word. It counts toward Speaking and Listening. The questions test everyday and general academic vocabulary, so there is no trick to learn. You need to hear the key words and answer at once.
How the task works
| Answer Short Question | |
|---|---|
| What you hear | one short question, played once |
| Preparation | none: the tone follows the question |
| Answer time | about 10 seconds |
| Number in the test | usually 5–6, the exact number varies from test to test |
| Part of the test | Speaking & Writing |
| Skills | Speaking and Listening |
| Scoring | right or wrong |
The microphone opens after the tone. If you are silent for 3 seconds, it closes. With 10 seconds in total and no preparation, this is the fastest task in the test: hear, think, answer.
How Answer Short Question is scored
Each answer is either correct or not. There is no separate score for fluency or pronunciation on this task, so a slightly hesitant “a microscope” still counts if the word is right and clear. What does matter:
- The right word. The answer must be the expected word or an accepted form of it. A near-synonym that changes the meaning does not count.
- Clear enough to recognize. The system has to recognize the word. Mumbled or cut-off answers risk being marked wrong.
- Within the time. Start before the 3-second silence closes the microphone.
Because the task is right or wrong, the effect of each item on your overall score is small, but 5–6 quick points in Speaking and Listening are worth collecting.
Practice examples from Nomto
Here are practice tasks from the Nomto bank, grouped by the kind of knowledge they test. Try to answer each one in your head within a couple of seconds.
| Type | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Simple maths | If you have two pairs of gloves, how many gloves do you have? | four |
| Time and calendar | How many minutes are there in a quarter of an hour? | fifteen |
| Time and calendar | Which season comes directly after winter? | spring |
| Everyday objects | What small kitchen machine makes bread brown and crispy? | a toaster |
| Body | Which part of the body joins your head to your shoulders? | the neck |
| Science and nature | Which part of a plant usually grows under the ground and takes in water? | the root |
| Science and nature | What is the name of the star that the Earth travels around? | the sun |
| Study tools | What instrument do scientists use to see very small things such as cells? | a microscope |
| Study tools | When you look up a word in a printed dictionary, in what order are the words arranged? | alphabetical |
Notice the pattern: the key information is usually in the last few words of the question (“…to see very small things such as cells?”), and the question word at the start tells you what kind of answer to give: how many needs a number, which season a season, what instrument a noun.
Tips that actually help
- Listen for the question word and the last phrase. “How many…” means a number. The final words (“…a quarter of an hour?”) hold the information you need.
- Answer with one word or a short phrase. “Fifteen” or “fifteen minutes” is enough. A full sentence (“There are fifteen minutes in a quarter of an hour”) wastes time and gives you more chances to say something wrong.
- Answer at once. Thinking time is short. Say your best guess within a second or two after the tone.
- Guess rather than stay silent. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, and silence scores nothing.
- Say the word clearly, with its ending. “Roots” vs “root” rarely matters, but a swallowed or cut-off word may not be recognized.
- Do the maths simply. Questions like “two pairs of gloves” or “three bananas, eat one” are easy, but under pressure people overthink them. Picture it and answer.
- Build everyday vocabulary by topic. Household objects, body parts, time and dates, shapes, weather, basic science, school and university words, jobs and places. Most questions come from these areas.
- Do not answer with two options. “Spring or summer” is not a correct answer.
Common mistakes
- Answering with a long sentence and running out of time or changing the key word.
- Freezing when the word does not come immediately, letting the 3-second silence end the answer.
- Mishearing a key word (fifty vs fifteen, weeks vs days) because attention dropped at the end of the question.
- Answering a different question: “How many hours are in two days?” needs “forty-eight”, not “twenty-four”.
- Giving a description instead of the word (“the thing you cut paper with” instead of “scissors”).
Templates and tricks: the honest answer
There is no template for Answer Short Question. Lists of “repeated questions” or “predictions” circulate online. Learning someone’s list of questions is a poor use of time: you cannot know what will appear, and the questions are designed to test general vocabulary. Building vocabulary by topic, and practicing fast recall with audio, prepares you for any question.
Practice Answer Short Question in the Nomto trainer
The Answer Short Question task in the Nomto PTE trainer plays each question once, sounds the tone and gives you 10 seconds, with the microphone closing after 3 seconds of silence, as on the test. Each answer is marked right or wrong, and you see the question and the accepted answers afterwards. Questions come in a range of English accents and cover numbers, time, everyday objects, the body, nature and study tools. The quick-response habit also helps in Repeat Sentence and Respond to a Situation. For how all the speaking tasks fit together, see the PTE exam pattern.
Common questions
How many Answer Short Question items are in the PTE exam? Usually 5–6. Pearson gives a range, and the exact number changes from test to test.
Is there negative marking in Answer Short Question? No. The answer is either right or wrong, so always give your best guess.
Should I answer in a full sentence? No need. One word or a short phrase is enough, and it leaves less room for mistakes.
Does pronunciation matter in Answer Short Question? There is no separate pronunciation score for this task, but the word must be clear enough to be recognized.
Is there a list of PTE Answer Short Question questions to learn? There is no official list, and “repeated question” lists are guesswork. Learn everyday and basic academic vocabulary by topic instead.
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