TOEIC Reading Overview

TOEIC Reading Format

The reading section of the TOEIC Listening and Reading Test consists of three parts, which vary slightly, depending on whether you are doing the old or new version of the test, as shown below:

Old Test	New Test
Incomplete Sentences 40 questions	Incomplete Sentences 40 questions
Error Recognition 20 questions	Text Completion 12 questions
Reading Comprehension 40 questions	Reading Comprehension 48 questions

Incomplete Sentences

In this multiple-choice section, you need to choose the best answer to complete a sentence. Your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary are both important in helping you understand the correct context of the sentence and in choosing the right answer. For example, you must be familiar with word forms such as nouns, adjectives, adverbs, etc. to know which one fits the sentence correctly.

Error Recognition (Old or Classic TOEIC Test)

This part has been eliminated in the New TOEIC Listening and Reading Test, but still remains in the older version, used in many parts of the world. It is the section which tests your knowledge of grammar and its impact on the meaning of the sentence.

Text Completion (New TOEIC Test)

Here, you will be asked to fill in the blanks, as in the incomplete sentences section above. The difference is that the blanks are part of longer pieces of writing such as a letter.

Reading Comprehension

The reading comprehension section presents texts taken from a wide variety of contexts such as bulletins, advertisements, reports, tables, announcements, memos, etc. A number of questions follow. Reading skills such as skimming, scanning and understanding vocabulary in context are all useful here.