PTE sample reading test: five worked examples

PTE Academic reading has five question types. Below is one original worked sample of each, with the reason for every answer, next to Pearson's marking rules. They are our own questions, so for Pearson's real samples use its free Guided Practice Tests.

The whole reading part takes 23-30 minutes according to the PTE Academic Score Guide. Pearson's format page lists the time to answer as "Not applicable" for each question type and gives a time only for the whole part, so the clock is yours to manage.

These are Pearson's real task types. The samples below are not Pearson's questions. They are ours, written from scratch, and the studies and facts in them are invented. Pearson's own free Guided Practice Tests are the place for its real sample questions, and we say how to reach them at the end.

Our reading: in the question with more than one answer, a guess costs you. Choose an option only when you can point to the sentence that supports it.

One inconsistency to know about. Pearson's reading page says the part contains one item type, "Reading and Writing: Fill in the blanks", that also assesses writing. The note under the dropdown question itself says writing is not tested, and the Score Guide table lists the dropdown question under Reading. Treat the Score Guide as the scoring rule and prepare the dropdown question as a reading task.

Read the passage and choose the best word for each blank.

Rooftop farms are becoming a familiar sight in dense cities. They turn unused space into (1) _____ land, and the vegetables they grow travel only a short (2) _____ to the kitchens that use them. Because soil on a roof is thin, growers must (3) _____ their plants carefully, watering little and often. The main limit is weight: a roof can only (4) _____ so much soil before it needs extra support.

• Blank 1: productive / production / productively / produce.
• Blank 2: distance / distant / far / farther.
• Blank 3: monitor / monitors / monitored / monitoring.
• Blank 4: support / ignore / delay / resemble.

• Blank 1: productive. The gap sits between "into" and the noun "land", so you need an adjective. "Productive" is the only adjective in the list.
• Blank 2: distance. After "a short" you need a noun. "A short distance" is a set phrase. "Distant", "far" and "farther" do not work after "short".
• Blank 3: monitor. "Must" is followed by the base form of a verb. That rules out "monitors", "monitored" and "monitoring". The meaning also fits: growers must watch their plants carefully.
• Blank 4: support. This one is about meaning, not grammar. The next words, "before it needs extra support", tell you the roof has a limit on the soil it can hold up.

What this sample trains: skim for the main topic (rooftop farms), then check word class (blank 1), set phrases (blank 2), verb form (blank 3) and meaning in context (blank 4).

Pearson's own tips for this question ask for the same two habits:

Read the text, then choose all the statements that are supported by it.

A small survey of office workers compared two ways of holding meetings. In the first, staff sat around a table for an hour. In the second, they stood for fifteen minutes. The standing meetings were shorter, and managers reported that decisions were reached just as often. However, several workers said they found it harder to take notes while standing, and a few said that standing for longer meetings would be tiring. The authors note that the sample was small and drawn from one company, and they recommend repeating the study with more varied workplaces.

• A. The standing meetings were shorter than the sitting meetings.
• B. Managers said the standing meetings produced fewer decisions.
• C. Some workers found it harder to take notes while standing.
• D. The authors would like the study repeated in a wider range of workplaces.
• E. The survey proved that all meetings should be held standing up.

• Correct: A, C and D.
• A is stated directly: fifteen minutes against an hour.
• B contradicts the text. Managers said decisions were reached "just as often", not less often.
• C is stated: several workers found note-taking harder.
• D is stated in the last sentence.
• E goes further than the text. The authors call the sample small and from one company, so nothing is "proved", and the text never says all meetings should be standing.

Two distractor patterns to watch for: an option that contradicts the text (B) and an option that stretches a careful finding into a big claim (E). Both are common ways to make a wrong option look tempting, and neither earns points.

In the real question each correct option earns a point and each incorrect option you choose takes a point away, with a floor of 0. That is why a doubtful option is worth leaving out.

Put the four boxes in the correct order.

• A. Another is that a song heard just before a quiet moment has nothing competing with it.
• B. Whichever explanation is right, the effect is familiar to almost everyone.
• C. Why do some songs get stuck in our heads?
• D. One explanation is that simple, repeated tunes are easy for the brain to rehearse without effort.

Answer: C, D, A, B.

• C first. It is a question that names the topic and refers back to nothing.
• D second. "One explanation" answers the question.
• A third. "Another" only makes sense after "One".
• B last. "Whichever explanation" needs the explanations in D and A first, so it closes the paragraph.

What this sample trains: question and answer, "one... another", and a closing phrase. For three longer sets and a table of clues, see our guide to PTE reorder paragraph.

Drag the words from the box into the gaps. You will not use every word.

Public libraries have (1) _____ their role over the past decade. Alongside books, many now (2) _____ free computers, quiet study rooms and courses for adults who want to (3) _____ new skills. Staff say that the most (4) _____ change is that the library has become a place to meet as well as a place to read.

Word box: adapted, adaptable, offer, offered, acquire, require, noticeable, notice.

• Blank 1: adapted. "Have" needs a past participle: "have adapted their role". "Adaptable" is an adjective and does not fit.
• Blank 2: offer. After "many now" you need the base verb for the plural subject. "Offered" would need "have" before it.
• Blank 3: acquire. "Want to" needs a base verb, and "acquire new skills" is a natural pairing. "Require" would mean something else.
• Blank 4: noticeable. "The most ___ change" needs an adjective. "Notice" is a verb or a noun.

What this sample trains: decide the word class before you look at the box, rule out the wrong forms, then choose by meaning.

Pearson's tips for this question point the same way:

Read the text and choose the best answer.

When the city's tram line opened, planners predicted that it would reduce car traffic in the centre. Two years later, traffic counts showed little change. But the trams were full, and shop owners along the route reported more customers on foot. Researchers who studied the area concluded that the tram had mainly attracted people who previously stayed at home or walked, rather than drivers.

What does the passage suggest about the new tram line?

• A. It failed because nobody used it.
• B. It brought more people into the centre without greatly reducing car traffic.
• C. It caused shops along the route to lose customers.
• D. It was built mainly to help shop owners.

Answer: B. The counts showed little change in traffic, yet the trams were full and shops had more customers on foot. A is contradicted (the trams were full). C is contradicted (more customers). D is never claimed.

What this sample trains: read the question first, note its key words ("suggest", "tram line"), then check each option against the text.

Pearson advises the same order, and a fallback if you are stuck:

Our reading: that last sentence conflicts with Pearson's own rule for the multiple-answer question, where each wrong option costs a point. We follow the scoring rule, so guess on single-answer questions and tick only what you can prove in multiple-answer ones.

1. Reading the passage once, slowly, and then running out of time. Skim first for the topic, then read around each blank or option.
2. Choosing by sound. The words in a drop-down menu can look alike. Check grammar and meaning, not whether it "sounds right".
3. Ticking every option that might be true. In the multiple-answer question a wrong tick takes a point away. Tick what the text supports.
4. Ignoring words that reverse a meaning. "Just as often", "rather than" and "however" turn answers around.
5. Checking the answer key without the reason. A key tells you what, not why. If you cannot say why an answer is right, you will miss the next one that looks different.

1. Do one sample at a time, without looking at the reasons. Time yourself, but be kind: this is practice, not a mock test.
2. Check your answers. For every miss, write the reason in one sentence, in your own words.
3. Make your own version. Take a short paragraph from a news site, remove four words, and write four options for each gap, including two that fail on grammar and one that fails on meaning.
4. Move to Pearson's free Guided Practice Tests. Pearson says each skill-specific test has the same number of questions as the actual exam, with sample answers and feedback, and that you can see whether your Reading and Listening answers are correct.

For a plan that runs over a week or a month, see our guide to PTE reading practice and tips. If you sit PTE Core for Canada, read our PTE reading practice for Canada page instead, because some of the rules differ.

Common questions