TOEFL iBT Reading Overview

Section
Reading

Content

Time

Score

35 700-word
passages

20 minutes per
passage

/30

1113
questions with
a total score of
14

60100 total
minutes

2. Reading Passages
Reading passages are from first-year college and
university textbooks.
academic content
information dense

12th grade reading level

Readings contain low-frequency vocabulary.
3673 very difficult words per reading

3. Reading Screen

4. Answers in Reading Passages

The order of the questions follows the order of the
information in the passage.
The answer for question one is before the answer for
question two.

5. Reading Toolbar Buttons

NEXT
see the next question

BACK
see the previous question

REVIEW
see a list of answered and unanswered questions

VIEW TEXT
view the entire passage

6. Review Screen
Click on REVIEW button in the Reading section to see
the review screen.
Review screen has a list of answered and unanswered
questions
GO TO QUESTION: see the question
highlighted in the list
RETURN: go back to before you
clicked REVIEW button

GO TO
QUESTION

RETURN

7. Multiple Choice Questions

Multiple Choice Questions have four answers.
Vocabulary Questions
identify meaning of words and phrases in context

Reference Questions
identify subject nouns

All Multiple Choice Questions are worth one point.

8. Multiple Choice Questions

Paraphrase Questions
recognize simplified and rephrased sentences with same
meaning as sentences from the passage

Factual Information Questions

identify true information

Inference Questions
draw a conclusion from stated facts

Negative Factual Information Questions

identify a fact that is not true or not mentioned in passage

Purpose Questions
identify why author included a highlighted word or phrase

9. Insert Text Questions

Click on one of four squares to indicate best placement
for new sentence.
worth one point

10. Prose Summary Questions

Drag and drop answers to one of three summary
positions.
You dont have to put answers in order.
worth two points
____________________
____________________
____________________

11. Schematic Framework Questions

Drag and drop answer choices into the correct
category.
more answers than slotssome answers do not fit under
either category
worth three or four points

12. Common Distractors

Distractors are incorrect answers.
Several types of distractors:
repeat words from the reading but incorrectly answer the
question
are not mentioned in the reading
contradict information in the reading passage
do not answer the question
are incomplete

13. Helpful Tips

Correct answers
are usually restatements from the reading passage.

If you dont know the answer,

use process of elimination.
select the most logical answer.

If time is running out,

answer the easy questions first.
guess for remaining questions.

You dont lose points for guessing.

14. More Helpful Tips

If you finish early,
continue checking your answers.

Your first choice is usually correct.

Answer all the questions in one passage before you
move on to the next.
focus will change when you read the second passage.