Read for the proof.

Every right answer has a line in the text that proves it, in different words. Every wrong answer is built to look right at a glance. Learn how they are built.

The method

Read the question first, then hunt for the line that answers it. The right option almost never repeats the text's words; it paraphrases them. The wrong options often do repeat them. If you cannot put your finger on the sentence that proves an answer, you have not found it yet.

01Questions before text. Read the stem, pick out its keyword, then scan for it.
02Expect paraphrase. “The office will not reopen until spring” becomes “It is closed for the winter.”
03Prove it before you click. Find the sentence that makes the option true.
04For a blank, read the whole sentence, including the words after the gap. Grammar alone often removes two options.
05Each part has its own clock. Unused time does not carry over, so use it all on that part.
06A wrong answer costs nothing. Never leave a question blank: eliminate, then guess.

Part by part

PART 1

11 questions · 11 min

Reading Correspondence

A personal message, six questions about it, then a reply with five blanks.

Spend 60 seconds on the message for three things: who is writing to whom, why, and what they want.
The six questions mostly follow the order of the message. Work down the text with them.
Every blank in the reply is a fact from the first message, reworded. Go back and find it.
Attitude questions (“How does she feel?”) are answered by adjectives and softeners: unfortunately, I was hoping, to be honest.

TrapThe right fact about the wrong person. The message mentions several people; check who did what.

PART 2

8 questions · 9 min

Reading to Apply a Diagram

A flyer, schedule, map or price list, an email with five blanks about it, then three questions.

Read the email first to learn what the writer needs: cheapest, closest, weekends only. That need decides every blank.
Then read the diagram's small print. Asterisks, “members only” and “weekdays” are where the trap answers live.
Do the arithmetic on paper: prices with discounts, times, distances.
The last three questions usually ask what the writer will do next or why, based on the email.

TrapAn option that fits the diagram but breaks the writer’s condition, such as the cheapest class on a day they work.

PART 3

9 questions · 10 min

Reading for Information

Four paragraphs (A–D). Match each statement to a paragraph, or to E if none of them says it.

Read the first sentence of each paragraph first and note its topic in two words. Now you have a map.
In each statement, underline the specific detail: a number, a name, a comparison. Scan for that, not the general topic.
E (“not given”) is a real answer, usually once or twice a set. Choose it when a paragraph covers the topic but not that exact claim.
A paragraph can be the answer to more than one statement. Do not cross it off after using it.

TrapA paragraph that uses the same word as the statement but says something different about it.

PART 4

10 questions · 13 min

Reading for Viewpoints

An article with several opinions, five questions about it, then a reader’s comment with five blanks.

As you read, list each person named and their position: for, against or mixed. Thirty seconds of notes saves five minutes later.
Opinion signals tell you whose view it is: argues, critics say, supporters claim, the author believes.
Separate the writer’s own view from the views they report. Questions test exactly that difference.
Before the comment’s blanks, decide whether the commenter agrees or disagrees with the article. Every blank follows that stance.

TrapAn opinion that appears in the article, but belongs to a critic the author is arguing against.

The six trap answers

Wrong options are not random. They are built from a handful of patterns, and once you can name the pattern you stop falling for it.

Word match

Text:: The library will add evening hours once new staff are hired.
Trap:: The library has hired new evening staff.

Same words, different fact: the hiring has not happened.

True, but not the answer

Text:: The gym is open until 10. Members can bring one guest a month.
Trap:: Q: Why did she cancel? → “The gym closes at 10.”

A true detail that does not answer the question asked.

Too extreme

Text:: Many residents prefer the new route.
Trap:: All residents prefer the new route.

“Many” is not “all”. Watch always, never, only, every.

Reversed cause

Text:: Fewer people came because the price went up.
Trap:: The price went up because fewer people came.

Right facts, wrong direction.

Time shift

Text:: We used to deliver on Sundays.
Trap:: They deliver on Sundays.

Past habit read as present fact. Watch used to, no longer, from May onward.

Wrong person

Text:: Priya booked the hall; Tom ordered the food.
Trap:: Priya ordered the food.

Right action, wrong person.

Signal words

These words tell you where the answer is, or that an option is about to turn wrong. When you see one, slow down.

Contrast

howeveralthoughbutyetdespite

The important point usually comes after it.

Condition

unlessonly ifprovided thatas long as

The answer depends on a rule. Check whether it is met.

Exception

exceptexcludingapart fromnot including

Small print that turns a right-looking option wrong.

Change

no longerused tonowfrom … onward

What was true is not true now, or will change.

Certainty

maymightlikelydefinitelyalways

Matches or breaks extreme options.

Opinion

arguescritics saysupporters claimI believe

Whose view this is. Not always the writer’s.

Your time plan

Each part has its own clock. Spend it like this, and use the last minute to guess anything left blank.

Part 1 · 11 min: 1 min reading the message · 6 min on the questions · 4 min on the reply
Part 2 · 9 min: 1 min on the email’s goal · 5 min on the blanks · 3 min on the questions
Part 3 · 10 min: 1 min mapping the paragraphs · about 1 min per statement
Part 4 · 13 min: 3 min reading and noting who thinks what · 5 min on the questions · 5 min on the comment

Download the PDFs

Start with the cheat sheet: one page with everything you need to remember on test day.

Before you move on

Every question answered. A blank is a guaranteed zero.
Every answer has a sentence in the text that proves it.
Extreme options (all, never, only) checked against the text’s exact wording.
In Part 3, at least one statement considered for E.
In Part 4, the writer’s view kept separate from the views they report.

Reading Test 1 is free, with each part on one screen and its own clock, as on test day.

Start Reading Test 1