What Does It Entail?
This segment of the PTE Exam involves passages and questions that assess your reading skills. It’s essential to carefully read the instructions for each question before responding.
Important Notice:
The time allotted for this section ranges from 32 to 41 minutes. Please keep an eye on the timer displayed on the screen. While the individual items don’t have specific time limits, you must manage the entire section within the allocated time.
Section overview
Items | Task | Number of Items | Prompt length | Scoring | Skills assessed |
Multiple choice, choose single answers | Only one response is correct from many options given. Choose the correct response after reading the passage. | 1 – 2 | text up to 300 words | Partial credit (+1 For correct response) | reading |
Multiple choice, choose multiple answers | More than one response is correct from many given. Choose the correct ones after reading the passage. | 1 – 2 | text up to 300 words | Partial Credit ( +1 for Each Correct Response. Point Deducted For Incorrcet Option Chosen ) | reading |
Reorder paragraphs | On the left hand side, many sentences or paragraphs will be placed in a random order. Drag and drop them to the right side in a correct order. | 2 – 3 | text up to 150 words | Partial Credit ( +1 for Each Correctly Ordered Adjacent Pair ) | reading |
Reading Fill in the blanks | The passage appearing on the screen will have several gaps. Below the passage you have different words. Drag and drop the words that you think are correct and fill the blanks. | 4 – 5 | text up to 80 words | Partial Credit ( +1 for Each Correctly Completed Blank ) | reading |
Reading and writing Fill in the blanks | From a drop down box, choose the correct word that you think should be the correct answer for the sentence with the gap. | 5 – 6 | text up to 300 words | Partial Credit ( +1 for Each Correctly Completed Blank ) | reading and writing |
Multiple-choice question, single answer
What Does It Involve?
In this section, you’ll encounter a passage that requires careful reading. Below the text, there will be a question with multiple options. Your task is to select (by clicking) the one option you believe is the correct answer.
What’s the Length of the Prompt?
The text can contain up to 110 words.
How Will You Be Assessed?
Your reading skills will be evaluated.
Tip:
To better focus your reading, start by reading the question before delving into the text. After glancing at the question and the options, proceed to read the text. Choose only one option that you believe is correct.
Important Note:
On average, you should aim to spend no more than 2 minutes on each question.
Multiple-choice, multiple answers
What’s Involved?
You’ll encounter a passage in this section that requires thorough reading. Below the text, you’ll find a question with multiple options. Your task is to select (by clicking) more than one option that you believe are the correct answers.
What’s the Prompt Length?
The text can contain up to 300 words.
How Will You Be Evaluated?
Your reading skills will be assessed.
Tip:
Begin by reading the question to understand what you should focus on. After a quick review of the question and the options, proceed to read the text. Choose more than one option that you believe are correct.
Important Note:
On average, try to limit your time to no more than 2 minutes for each question.
Re-order paragraphs
What Does It Involve?
This task will present you with several paragraphs in a random arrangement on the left-hand side, alongside a blank space on the right-hand side. Your objective is to rearrange the paragraphs from the left side and place them in the correct order within the blank space on the right side.
What’s the Prompt Length?
The text may comprise up to 150 words.
How Will Your Performance Be Assessed?
Your reading skills will be the basis of assessment.
Tip:
Thoroughly examine all the paragraphs. Typically, paragraphs containing connectors and adverbs are unlikely to be the initial paragraph. If your paragraphs contain references to ‘years,’ arranging them chronologically may assist in correctly ordering the paragraphs.
Reading - fill in the blanks
What Does This Entail?
Displayed on your screen will be a passage or one or more paragraphs containing multiple blanks. Beneath the text, you will find several words. Your task is to select and place the appropriate word in the corresponding blank. You will earn points for each correctly positioned word.
What’s the Prompt Length?
The text may consist of up to 80 words.
How Will Your Performance Be Evaluated?
Your reading skills will be the basis for assessment.
Tip:
Attempt to comprehend the entire sentence that contains a blank. Determine whether the blank requires a noun, verb, or adjective, and choose words accordingly.
Reading and writing - fill in the blanks
What Is This Task?
You will encounter a passage or paragraphs on your screen, each containing multiple blanks. For each blank, a dropdown menu will offer several word options. Your task is to choose the word that best fits in each blank.
How Long Are the Passages?
The text can be up to 300 words in length.
How Are You Evaluated?
This task assesses both your reading and writing skills.
Useful Tip:
Effective reading skills are essential for this task, as they will make it easier to select the correct words for the blanks. Additionally, a strong vocabulary is crucial because often, the word choices are synonyms, requiring a deep understanding of which word is the most suitable for each blank.