Exam Pattern
PTE Academic Exam Pattern
Pearson Test of English Academic: Reading
This is a subset rather than the Reading section. PTE Academic runs Reading across 32 to 41 minutes and several task types; what is built here is the multiple-choice part alone, 12 single-answer and 8 multiple-answer questions inside a 25-minute practice window set on this site. Nothing is deducted in this set. The multiple-answer questions repay deliberate practice, because choosing among several correct options is a different task from picking one, and the official scoring rules for that task type are not reproduced here.
Reading
Official 2026 pattern| Questions | 20 |
| Total marks | 20 |
| Duration | 25 minutes |
| Negative marking | 0 per wrong answer |
| Sections | Multiple Choice: Single Answer, Multiple Choice: Multiple Answers |
| Test | Qs | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Choice: Single Answer | 12 | 12 |
| Multiple Choice: Multiple Answers | 8 | 8 |
Timing: Single composite 25-minute timer for both task types combined: no sectional lock. This is a TakeMockTest-defined duration for this multiple-choice-only subset, not the official 32-41 minute full Reading section time.
The official PTE Academic Reading section is a single 32-41 minute timed block with 15-20 questions across five task types: Multiple Choice (Single Answer), Multiple Choice (Multiple Answers), Re-order Paragraphs, Reading: Fill in the Blanks, and Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks. Re-order Paragraphs uses drag-and-drop sequencing and both Fill in the Blanks types use dropdown word selection, formats this practice engine cannot render, so this mock covers only the two multiple-choice task types. PTE scores the full test on a 10-90 scale with its own proprietary partial-credit formula; this practice mock shows a raw score using this site's own partial-marking model instead (see each Multiple Answers test's scoring note), not PTE's official scaled score.
Official source · checked 14 August 2026The PTE Academic Reading exam pattern is 20 questions carrying 20 marks, to be answered in 25 minutes. That works out to about 75 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. The 2 sections are Multiple Choice: Single Answer and Multiple Choice: Multiple Answers. Multiple Choice: Single Answer carries the most, 12 marks of the 20 or about 60%, against 8 marks for Multiple Choice: Multiple Answers. All sections share one composite timer, so you are free to move between them and spend your time where it earns most.
PTE Academic Reading marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 1 mark.
- There is no negative marking, so leaving a question blank can only cost you: an unattempted question and a wrong one score the same zero. Attempt everything.
- Worked example: attempt 16 of the 20 questions and get 12 right and 4 wrong, and you score 12 out of 20.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 75 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free PTE Academic mock test to see where your time actually goes.
PTE Academic exam pattern: frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking in PTE Academic?
PTE Academic has no negative marking. An unattempted question always scores zero, so the choice is only ever between guessing and leaving it blank.
How many questions are there in PTE Academic?
PTE Academic has 20 questions. That leaves about 75 seconds per question in PTE Academic.
What are the total marks in PTE Academic?
PTE Academic is out of 20 marks, which works out at 1 mark a question.
How long is the PTE Academic exam?
PTE Academic runs for 25 minutes.
Does PTE Academic have a sectional time limit?
No. PTE Academic runs every section on one composite timer of 25 minutes, so you can move between sections freely and give the slower ones more of your time.