PTE Reading Section: format, task types and scoring
Reading is Part 2 of the test and the only section run on a single countdown, so pacing is everything. Here is exactly how it works.
Reading section format
| Position in test | Part 2 of 3 (after Speaking & Writing, before Listening) |
| Section time | 22 to 30 minutes, on one single countdown for the whole section |
| Task types | 5 |
| Negative marking | Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers only |
| Navigation | Forward-only, no returning to a previous item |
Reading practice tests
Each test mirrors the reading section on the current PTE Academic format: 5 tasks, about 24 min, scored on the official 10 to 90 scale. All 5 tests are free.
Reading Test 1
Mixed academic topics across every item, like the real exam.
5 tasks · ~24 min · scored 10–90
Reading Test 2
Mixed academic topics across every item, like the real exam.
5 tasks · ~24 min · scored 10–90
Reading Test 3
Mixed academic topics across every item, like the real exam.
5 tasks · ~24 min · scored 10–90
Reading Test 4
Mixed academic topics across every item, like the real exam.
5 tasks · ~24 min · scored 10–90
Reading Test 5
Mixed academic topics across every item, like the real exam.
5 tasks · ~24 min · scored 10–90
PTE Academic Reading task types
Every reading task on the current Academic format. Click any one to start practising it.
Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks
Dropdowns that test reading and grammar together.
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
Negative marking applies, so don't over-select.
Re-order Paragraphs
Arrange jumbled text into a logical order.
Reading: Fill in the Blanks
Drag words from a bank into the gaps.
Multiple Choice, Single Answer
Choose the one best answer.
How Reading is scored
Four of the five Reading tasks use partial credit, so you bank a mark for each correct blank or option. Only Multiple Choice, Single Answer is all-or-nothing.
Negative marking applies to exactly one Reading task: Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers (plus one for each correct option, minus one for each incorrect one, with the item floored at zero). No other Reading task penalises a wrong answer, so you should never leave a blank empty.
One thing learners miss: your Reading score is also fed by a task in another section. Summarize Written Text, which sits in the Speaking and Writing part, is scored on Reading and Writing. So Reading-section practice alone does not fully build your Reading score.
Top tip: Time-box every item, and never leave a blank empty, since there's no negative marking except on multiple-answer questions. More Reading tips →
Browse all Reading questions
Practise any reading task type one question at a time, untimed.
Build your PTE vocabulary list
Topic-based academic word decks (Environment, Technology, Economy…) plus a 30-word high-frequency core — the words Reading passages keep drawing on.
The 30 most useful PTE academic words
Short-list of high-frequency words to learn first, with definitions and natural collocations.
Section strategy
Pace across the one timer
Reading is the only section with a single shared countdown. Budget roughly even time per item and move on, because an unfinished item scores nothing. Re-order Paragraphs and the long fill-in-the-blanks eat time, so do not over-invest early.
Never leave a blank empty
Both fill-in-the-blanks tasks have no negative marking, so a guess can only help. Fill every gap before the timer ends.
Treat Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers as the trap
It is the only Reading task with negative marking. Select an option only when the text justifies it, do not tick a few to be safe.
Skim for structure, then scan for the answer
Get the gist in one pass, then locate keywords and linking words rather than re-reading the whole passage, especially for Re-order Paragraphs.
Common mistakes
- Spending too long on Re-order Paragraphs and running the single timer down before the easier blanks.
- Leaving fill-in-the-blank gaps empty, when guessing carries no penalty.
- Over-selecting on Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers and triggering negative marking.
- Reading every word instead of skim-then-scan.
- Assuming Reading practice alone lifts the Reading score, forgetting Summarize Written Text feeds it.
- Expecting to return to a previous question, when navigation is forward-only.
Reading section FAQ
22 to 30 minutes, run on one single countdown timer for the whole section.
It uses 5 task types, and the exact number varies because the section draws a subset to fill the timer, typically in the mid-teens to around twenty items.
Yes, on one task only: Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers. Every other Reading task has no penalty for a wrong answer.
No. The in-section tasks are Reading-only since the 2025 update. Reading-plus-Writing scoring comes from Summarize Written Text, which sits in the Speaking and Writing part.
No. Navigation is forward-only, so you cannot return once you advance.
Practice the other sections
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