Reading: Self-Improvement

PTE Author
PTE Author
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Reading time: 3 minutes

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.

Multiple-choice, choose single answer

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.

Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers

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.

Re-order paragraphs

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.

Fill in the blanks and reading & writing: fill in the blanks

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.

Want more prep ideas?

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.

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