PTE Reading is the second section of the test and will take approximately 30-40 minutes. It includes 5 tasks in total. The reading materials for this section are all authentic texts about a variety of academic subjects, including humanities, natural sciences and social sciences.
Don’t worry, you won’t need to be particularly knowledgeable about these subjects, as all of the information needed to answer the questions can be found in the texts.
PTE Reading Tasks
The text will be less than 110 words, which isn’t much at all! You definitely have time to read it all deeply. You also make sure you read the question prompt for that is the most important part of the question – if you don’t get that then you won’t be able to answer correctly. Remember, in PTE Reading you must manage your own time. You can spend 20 minutes on this particular question if you like, but that would be nuts! It would eat into the time for the other questions, so spend only about 2-3 minutes answers this question type. This question type is similar to choose single answer but there will be more than one answer (maybe 2, maybe 3, maybe even 4!). The key to this task is to read the question prompt — understand it fully — then read the statements. You then need to find the statement in the passage; it’ll be written in different words to A) say the same thing or B) say something different. If it says the same thing (in different words) then select it! You should spend no more than 3-4 minutes on each of these questions. The sentences in the text will have been placed in a random order. By “dragging and dropping” an item, or by using the arrow buttons on the screen, you must organize the sentences into the correct order by clicking on each one and dragging it into the empty text box. It must be noted that there is only one correct order. It is also important for you to know that none of the reading tasks are timed individually. This means that you will have a set amount of time (30-40 minutes) to complete the entire reading section, and you must use your time wisely for each task. At the bottom of the screen, you will see a group of individual words contained in small boxes. You must use your mouse to drag the correct word to its corresponding blank space in the text. You will receive credit for every correct word you insert into the paragraph, so it’s better not to leave anything blank, even if you are unsure about your answer. It must be noted that there are more word options than there are blank spaces, so you will not use all the words provided. It is also important for you to know that none of the reading tasks are timed individually. This means that you will have a set amount of time (30-40 minutes) to complete the entire reading section, and you must use your time wisely for each task. For the “Reading & writing: Fill in the blanks” task you will be presented with a reading text containing 300 words or less. The text will be missing some keywords, represented by blank text boxes. When you click a blank box, a drop-down menu will appear with a list of words. You must select the correct word to complete each sentence. You will receive credit for every correct word you insert into the paragraph, so it’s better not to leave anything blank, even if you are unsure about your answer. It is also important for you to know that none of the reading tasks are timed individually. This means that you will have a set amount of time (30-40 minutes) to complete the entire reading section, and you must use your time wisely for each task. Here is what you will see on the screen: Need more PTE Reading tips and strategies?Multiple-choice, choose single answer
Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers
Re-order paragraphs
Fill in the blanks
Reading & Writing: Fill in the blanks