5 PTE Reading Strategies to Score 79+

PTE Reading is fast-paced and unforgiving. These 5 strategies will help you manage the time pressure, avoid common traps, and push your score to 79 or above.

PTE Academic Reading is different from IELTS Reading in one critical way: time is shared across all tasks in the section, and there is no per-question timer. Most test-takers underestimate how fast they need to move. Here's how to stay ahead.

1. Know the Question Types Before You Sit the Exam

PTE Reading has 5 question types. Each requires a different approach:

| Question Type | What It Tests | Time to Spend | |---------------|--------------|---------------| | Fill in the Blanks (Reading) | Grammar + vocabulary in context | ~1 min per blank | | Multiple Choice (Single) | Detail comprehension | ~2 min | | Multiple Choice (Multiple) | Detail comprehension | ~2–3 min | | Re-order Paragraphs | Text structure and logic | ~2–3 min | | Fill in the Blanks (Reading & Writing) | Grammar + vocabulary | ~1 min per blank |

Going in blind is the fastest way to waste time. Know what each task looks like so you can start immediately.

2. Re-order Paragraphs: Find the Topic Sentence First

Re-order Paragraphs is the task most people find hardest. The trick:

Find the opening sentence — it introduces the topic without referring to anything before it. It won't start with "However", "This", "They", or "These."
Find the closing sentence — it often summarizes, concludes, or refers back to the opening idea.
Chain the middle paragraphs — look for pronouns and connectors that link to the previous sentence.

Practice this as a standalone skill. It significantly boosts your score.

3. Fill in the Blanks: Read the Whole Passage First

For both Fill in the Blank types, read the entire passage before filling any blanks. This gives you:

Context for each gap
An understanding of the tone and register (formal/informal)
Clues from surrounding sentences

Then eliminate wrong options by checking grammar. Does the word fit grammatically? Does it match the verb tense? Does it collocate with the words around it?

4. Multiple Choice Multiple Answer: Expect to Lose Marks for Wrong Answers

PTE deducts marks for wrong answers in Multiple Choice Multiple Answer. This is unlike most other exam formats. The rule:

Only select options you are confident about
If you're unsure between two options, only select the one you're more confident about
Leaving a checkbox unchecked is safer than a wrong guess

This is the most penalty-heavy task in PTE Reading. Be conservative.

5. Manage Your Total Section Time

The Reading section is 32–41 minutes for the full exam. Roughly allocate:

Fill in the Blanks (R): 6–8 minutes
Multiple Choice (single): 4–5 minutes
Multiple Choice (multiple): 5–6 minutes
Re-order Paragraphs: 8–10 minutes
Fill in the Blanks (R&W): 8–10 minutes

If you're running over time on Re-order Paragraphs, make your best guess and move on. One unfinished task can cascade into lost marks on all remaining tasks.

The Skill That Ties It All Together

All PTE Reading tasks test the same underlying skill: reading for meaning in context, not word-for-word translation. If you're translating in your head, you're too slow. Practice reading English texts every day — news articles, opinion pieces, academic summaries — and train yourself to understand paragraphs as units, not sentences.

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