The key to boosting your PTE Reading scores is to read the online resources available on the official website and the ones available to you offline as well with focus and understanding. For difficult words and spellings, you may check their pronunciations online and then try to repeat them.
PTE-A full form is Pearson Test of English - Academic. It is one of most sought after English tests to study abroad. It is also one of the fastest-growing standardised English tests that is accepted by over 3900+ universities worldwide. The exam tests four basic skills of communicating in English, i.e. reading, listening, speaking and writing and in this article, we are going to focus on the PTE Reading section of the exam.
PTE Reading requires fast and accurate comprehension - focusing on grammar (collocations, prepositions, verb forms) and time management (approx. 2 minutes per question). The easiest and most efficient way of scoring high on the PTE Reading section is to attempt the fill in the blanks questions carefully with utmost precision. For scoring high on the multiple choice questions (MCQs), you must go by the elimination technique - in which you eliminate the absolutely wrong options first before guessing the right answer. This trick narrows down your options and make it easy to select a correct response. Read on as we talk about the most commonly followed PTE preparation tips and practices for its Reading section.
- All About the PTE Reading Section
- Top PTE Reading Practice Tips and Tricks
- PTE Reading Test Module
- PTE Reading Section Strategies from the Experts
- PTE Reading Section Exam Pattern
- PTE Exam Preparation Tips
- Best Books to Prepare for PTE Academic and PTE App
- PTE Reading Tips & Tricks FAQs
All About the PTE Reading Section
This section will give you a brief about the PTE Reading section to understand the preparation tips in a better way. Part 2 of the PTE exam is PTE Reading which is 29-30 minutes long. Since PTE is an integrated skills assessment test, in this section, test takers are also assessed for their writing skills along with their reading skills in one of the questions (fill in the blanks). The PTE Reading section consists of 5 different types of questions. Note that PTE Reading - fill in the blanks tasks have been renamed in 2025. The all 5 tasks of PTE Reading are given below:
- Fill in the Blanks: Dropdown
- Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer
- Re-order Paragraphs
- Fill in the Blanks: Drag and drop
- Multiple Choice. Single Answer
Top PTE Reading Practice Tips and Tricks
To ace your PTE reading test, we have provided some of the top PTE Reading preparation tips and tricks for the benefit of the PTE test taker.
- Ability to read quickly while understanding the meaning of the text simultaneously.
- Build on your Vocabulary
- Don't ignore technicalities
- Time management is crucial to ace the Reading section
- Grammar is extensively important in this section
- Opt for an elimination strategy
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Predict your IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE in just 4 steps!
PTE Reading Test Module
PTE Reading Practice: The table below shows us the current and new PTE Reading Section Question Topics and the number of questions per topic that would be tested during the PTE exam.
| PTE Reading Section Question Topics |
PTE Question Format |
|---|---|
| Fill in the blanks -dropdown |
5 - 6 |
| Multiple choice, multiple answers |
2-3 |
| Re-order paragraph |
2 - 3 |
| Fill in the blanks - drag and drop |
4 - 5 |
| Multiple choice, single answer |
2-3 |
| Total Questions |
15 - 20 |
| Time Allocation |
29 - 30 minutes |
PTE Reading Section Strategies from the Experts
This article has been solely dedicated to understanding how to perform better in PTE reading test. Read on as we take our PTE aspirants step-by-step to best PTE test strategies that need to be followed for tackling the PTE reading test of the PTE exam.
PTE Reading Tips | Multiple choice - Choose Single Answer
- Understand the main message of passage and focus on keywords to find the correct answer.
- Focus on the frequency words (for example - always, sometimes, never many, all, often, never, only) eliminate those options and maybe you will find correct answer.
- Since there is no negative marking for this question - answer question and don’t leave it blank.
- Make use of rule of elimination. Limit your options as much as possible
- Read question before you read text to understand what kind of information to look for
- 60% answers can be found in first or last two lines of passage.
- Remember information in passage as questions will not be asked in chronological order and you will find answer anywhere in passage.
- Learn to paraphrase which means conveying meaning using different words.
PTE Reading Tips- Multiple-choice, Choose Multiple Answers
- Since this question has negative marking - don’t select options if you are not entirely sure. If you are not sure - leave it.
PTE Reading Tips- Re-order paragraphs
- First search for headline including major idea from paragraph.
- Sentences starting with pronouns like he, she, her, they, them, those, etc will never be first sentence.
- Look for contradictory phrases with, however, but, although additional phrases like also, moreover, furthermore, besides. Find sentence before it.
PTE Reading Tips- Fill in blanks
- There is no negative marking so answer all questions even if you are not sure.
- Concentrating on parts of speech before and after blank - it will help in finding missing words.
- Most of time missing words will have synonym in text provided.
Also read-
PTE Reading Section Exam Pattern
In the PTE exam, Part 3 of the PTE test will assess your PTE Reading skills. The total time allotted for the PTE Reading section is between 32 - 41 minutes. Note: Part 3 contains a single timed section
PTE Reading Section - Overview
| PTE Reading Section | Task / Skills assessed | Word length |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple-choice, choose a single answer | After reading the text, answer a multiple-choice question on the tone or content of the text by selecting one response (Reading) |
text up to 300 words |
| Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers | After reading the text, answer a multiple-choice question on the tone or content of the text by selecting more than one response (Reading) |
text up to 350 words |
| Re-order paragraphs | Several text boxes appear on the screen in random order. Put the text boxes in the correct order (Reading) |
text up to 150 words |
| Fill in the blanks - drag and drop | A text appears on the screen with several gaps. Drag words from the box below to fill the gaps (Reading) |
text up to 80 words |
| Fill in the blanks - dropdown | A text appears on the screen with several gaps. Fill in each gap from a drop-down list of response options (Reading) |
text up to 300 words |
Also read- PTE Exam Dates 2026
PTE Exam Preparation Tips
PTE Study Material: Often students start the preparation by either joining a coaching centre or simply signing up for free practice tests. What a student forgets is that, like any exam, even language proficiency exams have to be dealt with a methodology. Here are the most important PTE study tips that would help you perform in the PTE Academic Exam. It is, however, important to note that no amount of tips, tricks or tools can outwit the dedication and efficiency of the practice. So, improve these skills and practice them over and over again to succeed.
PTE Study links
What are the best PTE Books and Resources?
Candidates can prepare for their PTE Academic using a range of official course books. Candidates can choose from the below-mentioned study material to excel in their PTE test. For a list of the best books and resources, click here.
Best Books to Prepare for PTE Academic and PTE App
Books for PTE Reading Section: Candidates looking for the best PTE test material can refer to the Expert PTE Academic Coursebook B1 & B2. Often touted as one of the best books for PTE preparation, the Expert series is a great way to prepare for PTE Academic if you have more time to study. This follows a preparation course structure and takes you through lessons designed to prepare you for PTE Academic. Choose from level B1 or B2, depending on your language level. PTE Academic Expert contains access to MyEnglishLabs – digital practice for all students.
PTE Prep: Offline Practice Test
A lot of times candidates may opt out of buying books. They could simply refer to the official Pearson PTE Academic to download a full version of the PTE Academic test in pdf format. Candidates would be able to solve this exam in the offline mode allowing them to understand the exam much better.
PTE Exam Preparation: PTE Official Practice App
Candidates can now practice for their PTE Academic examination on the go. All they would be required to do is download the PTE Academic Official Practice App. The app is available on multiple platforms and this would allow students to practice for their PTE Exam on the go. The app provides students with a study planner, practice activities, and useful information about the test.
We would love to hear from you. Do get in touch with us in the comments below and for assistance with university admissions request a call back from our Shiksha Study Abroad Counsellors.
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PTE Reading Tips & Tricks FAQs
It is not hard if you know the computer tricks. Unlike IELTS, there is no human examiner to judge you. It is fully AI scored. If you practice the templates for speaking and writing, you can get high score easy.
Those who are preparing for the UK Class 10 exam 2026 should read the tips below.
- Know the exam pattern.
- Make a proper time table as per the syllabus.
- Solve previous year question papers.
- Make short notes of important formulas and theorems.
- Revise regularly.
- Figure out weaker areas and learn them well.
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Comments
(2)
R
4 years ago
Often useful in Speaking tasks and the tasks that you require you to enter your response by using the microphone, the 3 second rule in PTE states that you must start speaking within 3 seconds of hearing the prompt.
If the test taker delays more than 3 seconds in recording their task, then the recording will stop and be marked as complete within its due time whether you answered it completely or not. The test takers cannot re-attempt these tasks, hence, responses should be recorded carefully.