The TOEFL iBT Reading section assesses your ability to understand and analyze university-level academic texts. Passages are carefully selected excerpts from introductory-level textbooks that align with the type of reading material commonly encountered in an academic setting. The content is minimally adapted to maintain authenticity, ensuring the test accurately evaluates your reading skills in a real-world academic context.

Reading Section Structure

• Passages: 2 reading passages
• Questions: 10 questions per passage
• Duration: 35 minutes

The passages cover diverse topics across multiple disciplines, such as science, social sciences, arts, and business. Familiarity with the subject matter is not required, as all necessary information is included within the passage. Passages often present multiple perspectives or viewpoints, and at least one question will typically assess your understanding of the passage’s structure and organization.

When answering, the passage is displayed on the left side of the screen, and questions are shown on the right. You must read or scroll to the end of a passage before accessing the corresponding questions.

Question Formats

The Reading section includes three types of questions:

1. Multiple-Choice Questions: Four options, with one correct answer.
2. Insert a Sentence Question: Determine where a given sentence fits best within the passage.
3. Reading to Learn Questions:

• • These questions test your ability to understand how the passage is organized and analyze the relationships between ideas.
  • You may need to sort information into a category chart or complete a summary.
• Scoring:
  • Summary questions are worth up to 2 points.
  • Chart questions are worth up to 3 or 4 points.