FREE PTE Reading Practice Questions And Answers
All five Reading tasks, from Fill in the Blanks to Re-order Paragraphs, with instructions, practice items and five mistakes that lose marks.
Lume Test
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Apr 4, 2025
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5 min read
Key Takeaways
- All five Reading tasks, from Fill in the Blanks to Re-order Paragraphs, with instructions, practice items and five mistakes that lose marks.
Looking for a way to boost your performance in the PTE Reading section?
LUME Test offers a variety of practice questions to sharpen your reading speed and comprehension.
We’ll also guide you through the common mistakes students make.
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PTE reading practice means working through the five task types in the Reading part of PTE Academic: Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks, Multiple Choice Multiple Answers, Reorder Paragraph, Fill in the Blanks, and Multiple Choice Single Answer. The part takes 23 to 30 minutes. Try one question for each task below, then read the mistakes to avoid.
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Instructions
Reading & Writing: Fill In The Blanks
Test-takers need to complete a text of up to 200 words in this fill-in-the-blanks section.
Each blank has multiple choices.
Your task is to pick the most suitable word from drop-down menus based on meaning, grammar, and context.
To do this effectively, you can first skim the text to understand the main idea.
Next, you should read the text before and after the blank to ensure the word fits grammatically and logically.
Some choices may look familiar but have different meanings or usage.
Also, it’s necessary to pay attention to collocations and common phrases to choose correctly.
Practice question:
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Related:
- All about the PTE Academic test
- Practice with free PTE Academic mock exams
- Proven ways to prepare for the PTE Academic
Multiple-Choice, Multiple-Answer
In this section, you need to choose more than one correct response after reading a text of up to 350 words.
You can start by carefully reading the instructions.
Note that more than one option is correct, and choosing the wrong answer will reduce your score.
However, your score cannot go below zero.
This task is different from single-answer questions, so do not stop at the first correct option you find.
It’s best to read the question stem and options carefully before scanning the passage.
During the task, you should look for repeated words in the options, especially key nouns or adjectives.
If a phrase appears multiple times, the correct answers are likely related to it.
Moreover, scan the text for these words and read around them to find the relevant information.
Practice question:
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Re-Order Paragraphs
Re-order paragraphs requires arranging text boxes in the correct order to form a coherent passage.
First, you should skim all the text boxes to understand the main idea.
Identify keywords in each box to determine how they connect.
Next, find the topic sentence.
It introduces the main idea and does not start with a pronoun or refer to previous information.
All other sentences should relate to the main idea.
While reading, you can look for cohesive devices such as linkers, pronouns, and verb tenses to understand relationships between sentences.
Also, pay attention to articles and logical order to arrange the text meaningfully.
Practice question:
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Fill In The Blanks
Fill in the blanks is a task where you complete a short passage by dragging words from a given list into the correct gaps.
To begin, you need to look for common word pairs (collocations).
Some words naturally go together, like “general public” or “strong argument.”
Recognizing these patterns can help you choose the right word.
Next, use grammar rules to narrow down choices.
It’s essential to read around the blank to determine the missing word’s part of speech.
It should be a noun, verb, or adjective.
Finally, check for meaning after placing the word.
If a word doesn’t fit logically, you can try another option.
Practice question:
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Multiple-Choice, Single Answer
In this task, you need to read a passage and select the best answer from multiple options.
You can begin by carefully analyzing the prompt.
Also, highlight keywords to understand what information you need to find in the text.
Then, evaluate the answer choices before reading.
It’s best to eliminate any options that seem unlikely based on general knowledge.
To finish, you should verify your choice after reading.
Practice question:
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Mistakes To Avoid
Focusing Only On Word Matching
A common mistake is scanning the passage for exact words that appear in the answer choices.
However, the correct answer is usually paraphrased or expressed using synonyms.
Instead of looking for matching words, you should focus on the overall meaning of the text.
It’s essential to develop the ability to recognize different ways the same idea can be expressed.
Poor Time Management
The PTE Reading section lasts about 23-30 minutes, covering 5 different tasks.
Spending too much time on one question can reduce the time available for others.
Pearson sets no time limit for individual questions in this part, so decide your own pace and keep moving.
To improve efficiency, practice skimming for the main idea and scanning for key words.
Also, train yourself to process chunks of text rather than reading word by word.
Ignoring Context Clues Or Unknown Words
Since you cannot use a dictionary during the test, encountering unfamiliar words is inevitable.
Instead of panicking, use context clues from the surrounding sentences to determine their meaning.
Understanding how words function in a sentence may help you narrow down possible meanings.
Not Checking Answers Carefully
You cannot go back to previous questions to change your answers, so it’s essential to check each answer inside the current question before you move on.
Many test-takers lose points due to careless mistakes, such as selecting an answer too quickly without fully analyzing it.
Thus, double-checking your answers may help you avoid mistakes.
Leaving Questions Blank When Not Necessary
For gap-filling tasks, you should never leave a blank, as there are no penalties for incorrect answers.
Always make an educated guess if you’re unsure.
On the other hand, for multiple-answer questions, incorrect selections lead to score deductions.
Even so, your score for the question cannot go below zero, so if you are unsure, choose the options that seem most likely rather than selecting every option.
FAQs
How To Practice PTE Reading?
Focusing on active reading with skimming and scanning techniques may improve your reading score.
These skills are important for tasks like reordering paragraphs and answering multiple-choice questions.
Additionally, practice identifying and highlighting keywords in the text to locate answers quickly and improve comprehension.
Also, regular practice will boost accuracy and speed.
How Many Tasks Are There In PTE Reading?
The PTE Reading section has five tasks and takes about 23-30 minutes.
It includes texts on academic subjects. The five tasks are
- Reading & Writing: Fill in the blanks
- Multiple choices, multiple answers
- Re-order paragraphs
- Fill in the blanks
- Multiple choice, single answer
What Are The Topics In PTE Reading?
The reading section in the PTE test uses texts on academic subjects.
The passages use authentic material and test different reading skills.
How Many Fill-In-The-Blank Questions Are In PTE Reading?
There are 5 to 6 Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks (dropdown) questions and 4 to 5 Fill in the Blanks (drag and drop) questions in the PTE Reading part.
In the drag and drop task, each item shows a text of up to 80 words.
You need to select the correct words from a given list to complete the text accurately.
Is There A Time Limit For PTE Reading Multiple Choices And Multiple Answers?
No, the multiple-choice, multiple-answer task in the PTE reading section does not have a specific time limit.
However, as the entire PTE Reading section lasts 23-30 minutes, you should manage your time efficiently across all tasks.
How Many Questions Are There In PTE Reading?
Pearson’s Score Guide lists 5 to 6 Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks, 2 to 3 Multiple Choice Multiple Answers, 2 to 3 Reorder Paragraph, 4 to 5 Fill in the Blanks (drag and drop) and 2 to 3 Multiple Choice Single Answer questions, about 15 to 20 in total.
How Is PTE Reading Scored?
Most Reading questions use partial credit: one point for each correct blank, each correct option or each correctly ordered pair of paragraphs. Multiple Choice Multiple Answers also takes a point off for each wrong choice, with a minimum of zero. Multiple Choice Single Answer is either right or wrong.
Conclusion
In short, succeeding in PTE reading requires a combination of speed, accuracy, and strategy.
Skimming and scanning help you navigate passages quickly.
Meanwhile, understanding grammar, context, and keywords ensures correct answers.
Also, regular practice strengthens comprehension and boosts your confidence.
By refining your approach and staying consistent, you can improve your accuracy and complete tasks efficiently.
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