1. TOEFL iBT Reading Overview
Section
Content
Time
Score
Reading
3─5 700-word passages
11─13 questions with a total score of 14
20 minutes per passage
60─100 total minutes
/30

2. 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.
36–73 very difficult words per reading

3. 3. Reading Screen
3. Reading Screen

4. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 9. Insert Text Questions
Click on one of four squares to indicate best placement for new sentence.
worth one point

10. 10. Prose Summary Questions
Drag and drop answers to one of three summary positions.
You don’t have to put answers in order.
worth two points
• ____________________

11. 11. Schematic Framework Questions
Drag and drop answer choices into the correct category.
more answers than slots—some answers do not fit under either category
worth three or four points

12. 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. 13. Helpful Tips Correct answers If you don’t know the answer,
are usually restatements from the reading passage.
If you don’t 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 don’t lose points for guessing.

14. 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.