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 the 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 PTE 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 makes 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
- Which are some of the High-Yield Question Strategies?
- 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. 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
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 Format |
|
|---|---|
| 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 the PTE reading test. Read on as we take our PTE aspirants step-by-step to the 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 the 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 the correct answer.
- Since there is no negative marking for this question, answer the question and don’t leave it blank.
- Make use of the rule of elimination. Limit your options as much as possible
- Read the question before you read the text to understand what kind of information to look for
- 60% of answers can be found in the first or last two lines of the 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 a headline including the major idea from the paragraph.
- Sentences starting with pronouns like he, she, her, they, them, those, etc will never be the first sentence.
- Look for contradictory phrases with however, but, although, additional phrases like also, moreover, furthermore, besides. Find the 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 the blank - it will help in finding missing words.
- Most of the time, missing words will have a synonym in the text provided.
You may also check the following related topics -
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 practice. So, improve these skills and practice them over and over again to succeed.
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 website to download a full version of the PTE Academic test in PDF format. Candidates would be able to take this exam in 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.
Which are some of the High-Yield Question Strategies?
Here are some strategies to score high on the PTE Reading section -
- Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks: These contribute heavily to both your Reading and Writing scores. Look for collocations (words that naturally go together) and use grammar rules (like parts of speech or subject-verb agreement) to eliminate wrong choices quickly.
- Reading: Fill in the Blanks: Use a "bottom-up" approach. If you aren't sure about the first blank, keep reading to grasp the overall context of the passage before making your selection.
- Reorder Paragraphs: Spend at most 1 to 1.5 minutes on this. Look for clues like pronouns (he, she, they) or articles (a/the). Sentences introducing a subject with "a" usually come before sentences detailing it with "the".
- Multiple Choice (Choose Multiple Answers): This section has negative marking. Only select answers you are absolutely certain of; if you are unsure about an option, leave it blank.
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PTE Reading Tips & Tricks FAQs
Commonly asked questions
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.
To score 80 or higher in the PTE Reading section for the 2026 intake, you must master the integrated scoring system, as your Reading score is heavily influenced by tasks in the Speaking and Writing modules.
Use techniques like Skimming and Scanning. Don't read every word first. Skim the first and last sentences of paragraphs to grasp the main idea. Always narrow down your choices by ruling out obviously incorrect distractors first.
Improving your PTE Reading from a baseline to an 80+ level in just 7 days requires a "hacking" approach rather than deep linguistic study. Since PTE is an integrated test, you must focus on the tasks that carry the most points.
The Fill in the Blanks are the most important tasks in the entire PTE Reading section. So make sure to learn a few tricks to answer them correctly - such as -
- If the blank is after "has/have/had," look for a V3 verb.
- If it's between "a" and a "noun," it's likely an adjective.
Candidates are advised to appear for the PTE Academic exam after having prepared well for the exam. Candidates are advised to refer to online/offline study material available on the official PTE website and also go through our preparatory guide.
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Priya Garg is an Assistant Manager in the Editorial Team of Shiksha Study Abroad (Shiksha.com, InfoEdge India Ltd), where she has served as the primary content owner on studying in the UK, Ireland, France, Spai
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