CELPIP reading: tips for each part and a study plan

The CELPIP Reading Test has four parts and Paragon, the test owner, gives its time as 43-56 minutes. Its advice is to skim for the main idea, scan for key words, expect paraphrase, answer every question and watch the clock. Below are Paragon's tips, a timing guide for each part, our own tips and a one-week and a four-week study plan.

The Reading Test comes second in the CELPIP General test, after Listening. Paragon's format page gives its time, and the Reading Pro study pack says something different. We show both.

Paragon's study pack lists the skills that the questions call for. These five matter most for speed:

Paragon lists nine reading tips on its Tips & Resources page. Here they are, each with the line Paragon gives to explain it.

The Reading Pro study pack gives a suggested set of steps for every part, with a time against each step. The times are approximate. They add up to the time for the part, so treat them as checkpoints for your own timed practice.

Two things to take from this. The first is that previewing is built into every plan. In Part 1 the preview is 30 seconds, and in Part 4 it is 3 minutes plus a minute on the questions. Skipping it feels faster and is slower. The second is that the review is only 30 seconds. It is for making sure every question has an answer, not for rethinking all of them.

• In each Reading part, you can change your answers as many times as you like until your time is up.
• When your time is up, the test will automatically move forward to the next part. You can't go back to a previous part.
• You will receive paper and a pen at the test centre to take notes. You will not be able to make notes, highlight, etc. on the computer screen.
• Points are not deducted for incorrect answers.
• For each question, choose the best answer from four options.
• The reading passages and questions increase in difficulty from Parts 1 - 4.

Our reading of these facts: you can answer fast and come back to a hard question while the clock runs, but only inside the same part. Nothing from one part is needed in the next, because the test moves on by itself and Paragon says you will not need to use the information from one section later in another section of the test. And because the passages get harder through Parts 1 to 4, the early parts are where you can bank time.

1. Preview before you read. In the first 30 seconds of a part, find out who wrote the text, who it is for and what it is about. Say it to yourself in one line. It is a small habit that pays off in every part.
2. After your preview, read the questions before you read closely. The questions tell you which key words to scan for. This is the order in Paragon's own tips: skim for the main idea, then read the questions and find key words.
3. Match ideas, not words. If a choice repeats the words of the text exactly, be suspicious. The test writes the right answer as a paraphrase, so train yourself to restate the line in your head.
4. Use the pen and paper for structure, not for copying. In Parts 3 and 4, write three or four words next to each paragraph or speaker. You cannot highlight on screen, so your notes are your highlighter.
5. Set checkpoints. Part 1 gives about 11 minutes, Part 2 about 9, Part 3 about 10 and Part 4 about 13. Decide where you should be at the halfway point of each part, and move on if you are behind.
6. In Part 2, treat the diagram as the main text. The short email is about the diagram, so check each blank against the diagram, not against what you remember of the email.
7. In Part 3, find the paragraph first and the line second. When a statement matches nothing, choose E. Do not talk yourself into a paragraph.
8. In Part 4, make a who, what and why list for each opinion before you answer anything. Inference questions are easy once the list exists.
9. Answer every question before time ends. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so a guess beats a blank. Do your guessing in the final 30 seconds, not in the first minute of a hard question.
10. Practise inside the real conditions: a screen, a pen, a timer and no dictionary. The test is computer based, so reading a printed passage with a highlighter is not the same skill.

If you have more than a week, use the four-week plan. If you have only a week, the one-week plan covers the essentials. In both, the free practice tests are the main material. Our CELPIP reading practice test page shows how to reach them.

One week

Four weeks

The error log from our practice test page is the tool that makes both plans work: date, part, minutes used, questions right and the types you missed. After a week, the pattern in the log tells you where to spend the next session.

Paragon also offers a daily-routine idea in its reading tips blog: “As we've outlined in our previous blog, creating a daily study routine is your best path to ensuring your success.” Even ten minutes of English reading a day fits that. Choose articles on everyday subjects, such as local news, notices, product pages and community posts.

The Reading Pro study pack is a PDF on celpip.ca that covers the format, the scoring, the question types and the useful skills. It is a guide. It says where the practice material is:

It also suggests ways to use a practice test beyond just scoring it: untimed practice, identifying question types, taking notes, learning new vocabulary, summarizing and paraphrasing, and reading aloud. Paragon says you will not be asked to read aloud in any CELPIP Reading or Speaking question, but that the practice can help you identify sentence structures, remember vocabulary and improve your intonation and pronunciation. Our CELPIP reading samples page works two examples through step by step.

Common questions