The TOEIC reading comprehension task is the final part of the reading section. You must answer 48 multiple choice questions.
Reading Passages
This section tests your ability to read and understand a variety of passages. The types of passages you may see on this section of the TOEIC test include:
- Letters, Emails
- Notices
- Charts, Tables
- Advertisements
- Bulletins
You will see single and double passages.
Single Passages
This is one reading passage. It could be an article or a notice for example. You see 28 multiple choice questions for the single passages.
Double Passages
You will also see some readings with two passages. For example, you could see a letter and a response. You will have 20 questions for the double passages.
Reading Comprehension Question Types
Main Idea
These questions ask you about the overall ideas in the reading. You may see questions like these:
- What is the purpose of this text?
- What is the main idea of this text?
- What is the topic of this text?
- What is the article mainly about?
Audience
These questions are about the readers. You must think about who would read the passage on the test. For example, an email to the customer service department is for a business audience, more specifically people working at the company. Look for these questions:
- Who is the intended audience of this advertisement?
- Who would most likely read this article?
Details
These are the specific facts you will find in the readings. This could be dates, names, etc. Look for questions like these:
- What will happen on March 23?
- How many people attended the concert?
- Who is responsible for sales?
- Who is NOT a member of the committee?
Vocabulary in Context
These questions ask you for the meaning of a difficult vocabulary word. Here is an example:
- The word incredulous in paragraph 3 line 2 is closest in meaning to
Inference
An inference is an educated guess based on the information you have in the passage. The answer is NOT directly in the reading.
TOEIC Reading Comprehension Strategies
Follow these strategies for an improved reading comprehension score on the TOEIC.
Use active reading skills.
Survey and question before reading. Use skimming and scanning to read quickly and find the answers you need.
Recognize synonyms.
Many of the answers are synonyms of the words you will find in the passages. Understand you won’t always find the exact word, and use your knowledge of synonyms to help you.
Don’t take too much time on a question.
Even if you find a difficult question, you should only spend a few seconds on each. If you can’t find the answer, move on to a new question.