For basic comprehension

Reading to learn

To comprehend

To learn

There are 9 question types divided into 3 categories:

1. Basic Information – answers are directly in the text. These include:

   
   

   • Factual information (finding specific details),

   • NOT/EXCEPT questions (identifying what is not mentioned),

   • Vocabulary (understanding word meanings from context),

   • Reference (identifying what words like “it” refer to),

   • Sentence simplification (choosing a shorter sentence with the same meaning).

   
   

2. Inference – require logical thinking. These include:

   
   

   • Inference (figuring out what is implied),

   • Author’s purpose (understanding why an example is used),

   • Text insertion (deciding where a new sentence fits best).

   
   

3. Summary – choosing key ideas to summarize the passage.

• The objective is to assess your understanding of academic level texts and passages in different settings.

• The purposes of academic reading are :

  • Reading to find information : ability to skim effectively and read quickly

  • Basic comprehension : understanding of the main idea and major points, vocabulary in context and pronoun references. The ability to make inferences.

  • Reading to learn : 

    • ability to recognize the organization and objective of a passage, 

    • understand relationships between ideas, 

    • summarising while recalling major points and important details, 

    • inferring how ideas throughout the text connect

• Description

  • There are two reading passages (approx. 700 words long)

  • 10 questions per passage

  • 35 minutes to read and answer all the questions for both passages (your are allowed up to 36 minutes)

  • Reading passages are excerpt from college essays and other books that are of academic level

  • The passages can be divided into three categories : exposition, argumentation, and historical and biographical narrative

  • Often passages will present informations on more than one point of view which you should note as you read

  • At least one question will be about the organization of the passage 

Common organization are : classification, compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution

• You must read through/scroll on the full text in order to see the questions. Once they appear the text will be on the left and the questions on the right

• All the informations required to answer the questions are available in the text

• Reading questions format

There are four question format

• Questions with four choice and a single right answer

• Multiple choice questions with more than one right answer

• Four choice question with a single right answer asking the test taker to “insert a sentence” where it fits best in the passage

• Reading-to-learn questions which have more than four choices and require more than one correct answer

• Features

  • Reading-to-learn questions test your ability to recognize the text’s organization and the relationship between facts and ideas in the passage.

  • You are asked to organize information with summaries which are worth up to 2 points each.

  • A glossary is available for special-purpose words and phrases by selecting them.