TOEFL Reading Section: A Complete Guide On Scores & Format

Overview of TOEFL Reading Section

The TOEFL reading section assesses your ability to read and understand written English. The written material students get in this sub-section is mostly academic in nature. There are 2 such passages in the reading sub-section. Each of them is approximately 700 words, approximately. Moreover, each of these 2 passages has 10 questions each. You are required to answer all of them in 35 minutes.

Also Read: TOEFL Writing Section: All You Need to Know

TOEFL Reading Format

The TOEFL iBT reading format is one of the easiest to understand out of all language proficiency exams. The TOEFL reading section format is as follows:

This was the TOEFL reading format. As noted above, there are 10 types of questions in the TOEFL reading section. The next section talks about them in detail.

Also Read: TOEFL Exam Eligibility 2025

Types of Questions in TOEFL Reading

There are 10 TOEFL reading question types. These sections are explained in detail below:

Factual Information

Firstly, the most common question type in the TOEFL reading section is this one. This type of question contains factual information to assess your understanding of the topic. For this, you will need to focus on the facts and details in the passage.

Negative Factual Information

In the TOEFL exam, you will have the exact opposite question type of the first one. This question type will assess your capacity of judgment through the questions. In this, you are required to identify the false factors and you need to recognize them.

Inference

In this type, you have to deal with different arguments present in the article. Moreover, you must also look for strong arguments to support your answer.

References

This type of question establishes a relationship between the topics and questions by using two different words. To answer this type of question, you have to look for the word or data that connects these two.

Rhetorical Purpose

These types of questions describe the effect of a particular matter and the reader is expected to understand the actual view of the writer with the actual idea. If, as a reader, you succeed to understand the real idea behind this, you will be able to answer the questions well.

Reading Vocabulary

This is also one of the sections in TOEFL reading section. In this, you will deal with the questions to describe a certain word from the passage. Moreover, you have to make sure that you describe it within the context given in the passage.

Paraphrasing

In this one, you have to paraphrase the highlighted sentences of a certain passage. You have to select the right option by paraphrasing or re-phrasing the text properly.

Insert Text

This is a correction-type question. ETS expects you to find the grammatically correct parts of the passage. After finding the correct logical statement, you have to answer the question with that.

Summary

In this 9th type of question, ETS asks you to write the summary of the passage you just read. Moreover, it can also be that you have to write a summary based on the keyword or a set of keywords given in the question from the passage you read.

Fill in the Table

Lastly, this question type requires you to fill in the given blanks. These blanks need to be filled with missing information from the passage. You must find the correct phrases and words to answer these questions.

These are the 10 types of TOEFL reading questions. To know more about these and ace all of them, you must practice more. TOEFL practice test is one of the best ways to prepare for the TOEFL exam. Now, the next section will talk about the common topics of the TOEFL reading test that you can practice from.

Common Topics Covered in TOEFL Reading

Here are some of the common topics for your preparation to ace the TOEFL reading test in one go:

These are the topics that you can come across in TOEFL reading section. Furthermore, you can also refer to the score calculation in the section below for your TOEFL reading scores.

Also Read: How to Score 30 / 30 On TOEFL Speaking?

TOEFL Reading Score Calculation

While practicing on your own or with an TOEFL reading practice test, you will need to analyze your own scores. The table below can help you assess yourself in the TOEFL reading section:

The raw score is your correct replies recorded. The maximum score for this is 33.

The scaled scores are part of the final TOEFL reading scores. These are then converted from the raw score generated earlier. Refer to the formula below to understand how:

Scaled score= [Raw/33]*30 [ROUNDED FRACTIONS]

Also Read: TOEFL Exam Fees

Tips to Ace TOEFL Reading Section

There are several expert tips that can help you do better in TOEFL iBT reading section. A few of them are listed below:

1. Firstly, practice regularly with reading.
2. Upgrade by learning to skim and scan the passage well
3. You must also practice reading passages on various subjects.

To sum up, the TOEFL reading section is of 35 minutes. In this, there are 20 questions of different types. There are a total of 10 types of questions in the reading test of the TOEFL exam. However, the TOEFL syllabus is not that vast. You have to learn to communicate in English well. Gradding has several study modules, and experienced experts to help you clear the TOEFL exam in one go! Check out the newest offers on classes on the website and avail of them at the earliest!

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1. How Can I Improve My TOEFL Reading Speed?

You can get better in reading faster and skimming large texts well by using the following tips:

1. Focus on the keywords to become fluent. Practice reading complex information and try to remember all of it without backtracking.
2. Track your speed and progress with WPM and then analyse how much information you are able to remember.
3. Use your index finger or a pen to stay on the line without distractions.

Q2. What Are the Hardest Question Types in TOEFL Reading?

The most challenging questions in the TOEFL reading are:

1. Inference Questions
2. Summary Questions
3. Insert Text Questions

Q3. Can I Retake TOEFL If I Score Low in Reading?

You can take the TOEFL test as many times as you like as there is no limit to that. However, you cannot retake a single sub-section of the TOEFL exam. Besides, you only have to show the overall score to universities. Thus, if your overall score is acceptable, you don’t have to retake the test.

Q4. How to Score 30 in TOEFL Reading?

To score 30 on 30 in TOEFL reading, the best technique is practicing reading. You must have the ability to skim and scan through the passages as fast as you can. This means that you can obtain all the information while reading once.

Q5. What is a Good TOEFL Score?

A good acceptable TOEFL scores ranges between 108 to 112. Most universities require a score of 100 and 105 for PG programs and there is a minimum score for each sub-section as 22 out of 30.