MET Listening: Real-Time Comprehension and Inference
What MET Listening tests
MET Listening measures comprehension of spoken English at CEFR A2–C1. Tasks include short conversations and longer talks, and questions target main idea, detail, inference, speaker purpose, and attitude. The challenge is real-time processing: you hear the text once, so you must predict, listen for signposts, and keep a mental map of who says what.
Core rules
- Read the question stem before the audio starts and predict the topic and likely vocabulary.
- Listen for discourse markers: however, actually, the problem is, what I mean is.
- Track speaker roles; a change of speaker often signals the answer.
- Note numbers, names, and dates in shorthand, not full sentences.
- Treat intonation as data: rising pitch can signal doubt, surprise, or a question.
Worked example
Audio: 'I'd love to join the trip, but I've already promised to help my sister move that weekend.' Question: Will the speaker join the trip? Reasoning: 'I'd love to' is positive, but 'but' introduces a contrast, and 'already promised' names a prior commitment. The answer is no. Choosing 'yes' because you heard 'love' is the classic trap.
Traps
- Matching a word in the audio to an option with the wrong meaning.
- Missing negation: not, never, hardly, unless.
- Confusing similar numbers (fifteen/fifty) or names.
- Following only the first speaker and ignoring the response.
- Answering from general knowledge instead of the text.
Practice method
Use short clips with transcripts. First answer without the transcript, then check. Mark why each wrong option is wrong; this builds discrimination faster than repeated listening alone.