Boost PTE Academic Reading Skills with Expert Tips & Tricks

1. Skimming and Scanning Are Your Friends

In the PTE Reading section, you don’t always have time to read every word. 

That’s why mastering the techniques of skimming (quickly reading to get the main idea) and scanning (looking for specific information) is crucial. 

For instance, when faced with a long passage, skim through it to understand the gist. This will help you answer questions faster and more accurately.

Pro Tip: Practice skimming news articles or short stories in English daily to improve this skill!

2. Master Fill-in-the-Blanks Questions

One of the most common and scoring questions in the PTE reading section is the fill-in-the-blanks type. 

These questions test your grammar and vocabulary. The key is to focus on context. 

When reading the sentence, think about what kind of word (noun, verb, adjective) would fit. Look for clues in the surrounding sentences as well.

Mockmaster. AI offers some amazing practice exercises for fill-in-the-blank questions. Use these resources to identify patterns in the types of answers the test requires.

3. Pay Attention to Collocations

A big part of succeeding in the reading section is knowing collocations (words that commonly go together). 

For example, we say “make a decision,” not “do a decision.” This is especially helpful for both fill-in-the-blanks and reordering paragraph questions.

To master collocations, read articles, and blogs, or even watch English shows to get a feel of how native speakers pair words. Additionally, Mockmaster.AI provides targeted exercises that help you learn and practice collocations specific to the PTE exam.

4. Tackle Reorder Paragraphs with Strategy

In reordering paragraphs, the goal is to arrange a jumbled text into a coherent order. To do this, focus on transition words (like “however,” “furthermore,” and “finally”) and logical flow. 

Find the sentence that introduces the topic, and then look for the sentence that follows naturally.

A helpful trick is to identify sentences with proper nouns or dates—they often start the sequence. 

With Mockmaster.AI, you can practice this question type repeatedly, refining your approach each time.

5. Use Time Wisely

Time management is key in the reading section. You might feel tempted to spend more time on a particularly tough question, but that could cost you valuable points elsewhere. 

Set a time limit for each question type during your practice sessions. For example, don’t spend more than 2 minutes on reordering paragraphs.

Mock tests are essential for this, and Mockmaster.AI’s timed practice exams will help you simulate real exam conditions, improving your time management skills.

6. Practice More and More

This might sound obvious, but the more you practice, the more familiar you’ll become with the question types, time limits, and overall format. 

Consistency is key! 

Set aside time each day to practice with resources like Mockmaster.AI FREE PTE Reading Mock Test, which tailors exercises to your performance level and provides instant feedback.

7. Understand Synonyms and Paraphrasing

PTE Reading questions often test your understanding of synonyms or paraphrased sentences. 

For example, a question might ask about “important factors,” but the passage might refer to “key elements.” 

Train yourself to recognize synonyms and paraphrased ideas to avoid getting tripped up by different wording.

Mockmaster. AI’s vocabulary practice is excellent for boosting your understanding of synonyms, helping you tackle this tricky aspect of the reading section.