The section, quickly
Reading runs about 30 minutes across roughly 50 items and three task types: Complete the Words, Read in Daily Life, and Read an Academic Passage. It's adaptive — difficulty can shift based on your performance — and fully auto-scored.
Complete the Words
You'll type in words that are missing letters, using context and the letter hint together. This is the most format-specific task on the whole exam — see our 20 worked examples and the strategy guide for the full breakdown.
Read in Daily Life
Practical, everyday texts — notices, messages, ads, schedules — with comprehension questions. The skill here is scanning for the specific piece of information a question asks about, not reading top-to-bottom for full comprehension. Read the question first, then scan the text for the relevant section.
Read an Academic Passage
A traditional academic passage with multiple-choice questions — the closest task to the pre-2026 Reading section. Standard strategies still apply: read for the main idea first, don't get stuck on unfamiliar vocabulary (context usually clarifies it), and eliminate obviously wrong answer choices before comparing the remaining ones closely.
General tips across all three
- Don't over-read. Since it's adaptive and time-limited, spending too long perfecting your understanding of one passage costs you time on the next.
- Answer what you're sure of first. Skip and return to items that need more thought, if the interface allows it.
- Build reading speed through volume, not intensity. Regular timed practice sets build pacing instincts that last-minute cramming can't replicate.
Practice the real 2026 format
Reading tips only go so far — the fastest way to internalize pacing and task-specific instincts is timed practice against real exam-format sets.