1. TOEFL 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. 1. 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. 2. 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.

4. 3. 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.

5. 4. 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

6. 5. 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

7. 6. 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.

8. 7. 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.