The Most Valuable PTE Short Answer Advice The PTE test consists of 10–12 short answer questions, each of which must be answered in only one or two words. As part of a question, you might see an image or a video. There could be a diagram. You have 10 seconds to answer each question in this task, which assesses your listening and speaking skills. A question cannot be replayed, and you can only record your answer once. However, in comparison to other sections of the test, this section is rather simple because you just have to provide one or two word responses rather than extended answers or summaries. So, you should be able to score well in this section. The general knowledge questions in this portion of the PTE cover a wide range of topics. To answer the questions, you do not need to have specialized knowledge of any of the topics.