Using Podcasts to Improve Your PTE Listening Score

Are you tired of listening to the same scripted, robotic audio clips in your PTE practice? While practice tests are essential, one of the best ways to train your ears for the real exam is to step into the real world of English. And the most powerful tool for that is something you can access for free, right on your phone: podcasts.

The PTE Listening section is challenging because it uses a variety of accents, natural speaking speeds, and complex topics. Podcasts are the perfect training ground for this. They expose you to authentic conversations and academic discussions, building the skills you need to handle anything the exam throws at you.

This guide will show you how to turn passive podcast listening into active, score-boosting practice. You will learn not just what to listen to, but how to listen, with specific, task-based drills you can use to improve your score in key areas like Summarize Spoken Text and Write from Dictation.

Why Podcasts Are a Secret Weapon for PTE Listening

Unlike the clean, slow audio in many language-learning apps, podcasts mirror the reality of the PTE exam.

• They Feature Diverse Accents: The PTE uses speakers from the UK, USA, Australia, and more. Listening to global podcasts like BBC Global News or This American Life trains your ear to adapt quickly to different accents, so you’re not surprised on test day.
• They Use Natural Speech: Podcast hosts use natural intonation, hesitations, and varying speeds. This is perfect practice for understanding the flow of real human speech, a key skill for the entire Listening section.
• They Build Your Vocabulary in Context: You will hear academic and topic-specific vocabulary used naturally in sentences. This is a far more effective way to learn words than just memorizing a list.

The Best Podcasts for PTE Preparation (Categorized by Skill)

While public podcasts are great for general skills, you also need to train on audio that is specifically designed to mimic the PTE exam.

Step 1: Build Your General Skills with Public Podcasts

Start by training your ear on a variety of real-world English.

Best for Beginners & Building Foundational Skills

These podcasts use clear, simple language and often provide transcripts.

• BBC 6 Minute English: Short, topical conversations in British English. They speak clearly and provide vocabulary lists, making it a perfect starting point.
• Luke’s English Podcast: An engaging podcast hosted by a British teacher. It covers a huge range of topics and is great for getting used to a conversational style.

Best for Learning Academic Vocabulary & Structure

These podcasts use the kind of language and structure you’ll find in Retell Lecture and Summarize Spoken Text.

• TED Talks Daily: Short, powerful talks from experts around the world on science, technology, and culture. The speakers are excellent communicators and use clear, well-structured arguments.
• NPR Science Friday: A fantastic resource for the scientific and environmental topics that often appear in the PTE. It will rapidly expand your academic vocabulary.

Best for Training on Different Accents & Complex Narratives

These podcasts feature interviews and stories with a wide range of speakers.

• This American Life: A very popular US podcast that tells stories around a theme. It exposes you to a huge variety of natural American accents and speaking styles.
• Criminal: A true-crime podcast that involves many interviews. It’s excellent for training your ear to follow different speakers and pick out details from a complex narrative.

Step 2: Focus Your Training with Curated PTE Audio

Once you have improved your general listening, you need to practice with audio that is specifically tailored to the length, speed, and topics of the PTE exam. Public podcasts are random; you need focused material.

For this, the OnePTE Audio Practice MP3 Page is your perfect training ground. It’s like a podcast feed designed exclusively for PTE students, with a collection of academic lectures and conversational audio clips that perfectly match what you will hear on test day. You can use this resource to perform all the drills mentioned in this guide with highly relevant material.

4 PTE Drills for Any Podcast

This is the most important part of the guide. Don’t just listen; use these drills to turn any podcast into a powerful PTE practice tool.

Drill #1: The “Summarize Spoken Text” Drill

This drill trains your note-taking and summarizing skills.

1. Choose any podcast episode.
2. Listen to a 60 to 90-second segment without stopping.
3. As you listen, take notes on the main idea and 2-3 key supporting points using our PTE Note-Taking Techniques.
4. Pause the podcast and immediately write a 50-70 word summary based only on your notes.
5. Bonus: If a transcript is available, compare your summary to the original text. Did you capture the main points accurately?

Drill #2: The “Write from Dictation” Drill

This drill trains your short-term memory and typing accuracy.

1. Play any sentence from the podcast.
2. Immediately pause the audio.
3. Try to type the sentence out perfectly in a blank document.
4. Replay the sentence to check your accuracy. Pay close attention to small words, plurals, and articles (‘a’, ‘the’).

Drill #3: The “Retell Lecture” Drill

This drill trains your ability to listen, take notes, and speak a structured summary.

1. Listen to a 60-second segment of the podcast.
2. Take structured notes on the main topic and a few key points.
3. Pause the audio, and start a 40-second timer on your phone.
4. Use your notes to deliver a spoken summary of what you just heard. Record yourself on your phone.
5. Listen back to your recording. Was your speech fluent? Was your summary logical?

Drill #4: The “Shadowing” Drill for Fluency & Pronunciation

This is a powerful technique for improving your speaking skills.

1. Play a sentence or two from the podcast.
2. Pause the audio.
3. Immediately try to repeat what the speaker said, mimicking their pace, rhythm, and intonation as closely as possible.

A Smart Way to Integrate Podcasts into Your Study Plan

Podcasts should supplement, not replace, your core PTE practice. Here is a sample weekly schedule:

• Monday & Wednesday: Focus on core skills. Do 20 minutes of the podcast drills above (e.g., 10 minutes of WFD drill, 10 minutes of SST drill).
• Tuesday & Thursday: Focus on exam tasks. Spend 20 minutes on targeted practice using the PTE Listening practice section on our platform.
• Friday: Put it all together. Take a full PTE Listening Sectional Mock Test to test your skills under timed conditions.

By integrating these active listening strategies into your daily routine, you can turn podcasts from simple entertainment into one of your most powerful tools for achieving a high score in the PTE Listening section.

Ready to test your improved listening skills? Take a free, full-length PTE mock test with a complete score report.

Frequently Asked Questions About Using Podcasts for PTE

Q1. How long should I listen for each day?

Consistency is more important than duration. 15-20 minutes of active, focused listening using one of the drills above is far more effective than an hour of passive listening while you are doing something else.

Q2. Should I use the transcript while I listen?

It’s best to use a “listen first” approach. Try to understand as much as you can just by listening. Afterwards, use the transcript to check your understanding, learn new vocabulary, and analyze the sentence structures. Then, listen one final time while reading along.

Q3. What if the speakers in the podcast talk too fast?

Many podcast apps (like Spotify or Apple Podcasts) have a feature that allows you to slow down the playback speed to 0.75x. You can start with this slower speed and gradually work your way back up to 1x as your comprehension improves.