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Part 2 of PTE Academic will take 32-41 minutes and will test your reading skills. This single-timed section contains 15-20 questions that test both independent and integrated skills.
The sections within part 2 are designed to test your ability to read and write in English. PTE Academic is an integrated skills test, therefore, one question type in this part of the test also assesses writing skills.
There are five questions types in the reading section. Below, we will break down each part of this section of the test.
For the first question type, you will need to complete is Multiple-choice, Choose Single Answer question, which is designed to test your reading skills.
You will be shown a text prompt for this assessment that will be up to 300 words. Possible response options will be given, with only one being correct.
For this question, you need to read the text and answer a multiple-choice question by selecting one response based on the content or tone of the text.
In this question type, you will earn 1 point for correct answers and 0 points for incorrect answers.
The second question type will be similar to the previous. Multiple-Choice, Choose Multiple Answer will test your reading skills.
In this question type, you will be given a text prompt of up to 300 words. Like the previous questions, you will need to answer the question by selecting the most suitable responses from the list of options, based on the content or tone of the text.
For each correct answer you will earn 1 point, however, you will lose -1 point for each incorrect answer. Don’t worry, you cannot score below 0 in this assessment.
The third question type to test reading skills will be to re-order paragraphs.
You will be provided with a text prompt of up to 50 words and will be shown some text boxes on the screen in a random order.
To complete the question, read the paragraph, then drag and drop or click the arrows on the screen to put your chosen responses in the correct order.
You will earn 1 point for every pair of sentences that you place in the correct order and receive full marks if the whole paragraph is in the correct order.
Your reading skills will be tested in the fourth question type, Reading: Fill in the Blanks. You will do 4-5 of these questions.
For this question, you will be provided with a text prompt of up to 80 words. There will be 3-5 missing words from the text.
You will need to select a single correct answer from the 6-8 words given to fill the blanks. Not all words in the box will be used.
You will earn 1 point for every blank that is filled in correctly for this question.
The last question type will test your reading and writing skills. Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks is an integrated skills question type.
You will be shown a text prompt of up to 80 words with up to five blank spaces.
To complete the question, select one of the five options in each drop-down list to fill in the blank spaces.
You will earn 1 point for every blank space that is filled in correctly.
To do well in the reading test there are many core skills you will need to learn to ensure a good score.
If you have already attempted PTE Academic, were not happy with your score, and would like to improve, we recommend reviewing your test performance to see where you can improve.
You can also read more about Part 3: Listening Test Introduction to learn everything you need for PTE Academic.
Plus, explore Smart Prep, which combines all our practice materials in one place, so it's easier for you to stay on track with your PTE preparation.
Smart Prep is a clear path to test day, guiding you through the official paid and free resources available for your test
It can be accessed whether you’ve booked a test or not – just create, or sign in to your myPTE account
Preparation materials include guided practice tests, introductory videos, video courses and test tips.
Ready to get started?
PTE Academic is completed on a computer, including the speaking part of the test.
So make sure you are prepared by familiarizing yourself with the equipment you will use during your test. Reading these test tips and you will be fully prepared.
There are many ways you can improve your chances of gaining points in Part 2: Reading during PTE Academic.
To improve your reading skills, practice increasing your reading speed and comprehension at the same time. In turn, you will improve your writing, grammar and vocabulary skills.
To do well in this part of the test, you need to be able to read quickly, using effective reading strategies, as there is a limited time to answer all questions.
Speed reading tasks will help improve your reading speed. Practice speed reading every day and:
Aim to be reading at least 220 words per minute
Reading short articles of around 300 words
Read often for short periods of time
You can also try this as a challenge with your friends to help keep motivated. Once you are happy with your comprehension and speed, focus on chunks (groups of words) rather than individual words.
When your reading skills reach a level you are happy with, you will feel more confident to answer the questions.
In the Multiple-Choice, Single Answer question type, some test takers make the mistake of scan reading and matching the words in the text to the words in the answer. Generally, the words in the text are not used in the correct answer, therefore it is important to learn how to use synonyms and paraphrasing as it will be used in the test.
Learn how to improve your grammar in our Reading: Core Skills part 1 article.
In this question type, you will need more time than in the Multiple-Choice, Choose Single Answer question type, as you need to intensively read the stem (the part before the options) as well as the options, then scan read the text on the screen until you find the part of the text that contains information that was in the stem.
Read the options very carefully and match the meaning of the option with the text. Do not match the words – this is something test takers may make errors with.
You should also make sure not to choose all the options since you lose one point for each incorrect choice. However, you cannot score below zero.
To do well in the Re-order Paragraphs questions, you will need to have a strong understanding of cohesive devices and how they work. You will also need to understand how articles work, as well as the logical and chronological order of information.
In this question type, skim-read the text to get the ideas of the topic of the text. From there, you should read all the sentences carefully.
For both Fill in the Blanks and Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks question types, you will need to understand a range of vocabulary, collocations, grammar, pronouns, and cohesive devices, as well as being able to identify when plural nouns are needed.
You will also need to be able to skim read to get an idea of the meaning of the text, then read intensively before and after each blank. If unsure, you should guess based on the context.
Make sure you do not leave any spaces blank. You do not need to correctly fill in all spaces to get points.
To go back and review the question types within the reading test, we suggest learning more about the reading questions.
Explore Smart Prep, which combines all our practice materials in one place, so it's easier for you to stay on track with your PTE preparation.
Smart Prep is a clear path to test day, guiding you through the official paid and free resources available for your test
It can be accessed whether you’ve booked a test or not – just create, or sign in to your myPTE account
Preparation materials include guided practice tests, introductory videos, video courses and test tips.
Ready to get started?
Do you have your heart set on studying in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland? The UK is a wonderful place to live and learn, but you’ll most likely need to get a UK study visa before you start packing your bags.
This comprehensive guide covers who needs a UK student visa, the requirements for getting one, how to apply, how much it costs, and how long it takes.
If you’re an international student hoping to study in the UK, you’ll most likely need a student visa. The only exceptions are nationals of Switzerland and countries in the European Economic Area (EEA), who don’t need a visa to enter the UK. *
* Please note: The outcome of Brexit may alter this after 2020. Check the UK government’s website for up-to-date information about this.
There are several UK study visa requirements you’ll need to meet to successfully apply. These include:
You’ve been offered a place in a full-time course from an eligible university (i.e. the school must be a licensed Student route visa*Tier 4 sponsors)
You can understand English (both written and spoken)
You have enough funds to support yourself and any dependants, while also paying for the course.
These requirements apply to students from all over the world. This means the UK student visa requirements for Indian students and American students are exactly the same for Chinese students and Australian students (and so on).
