TOEFL iBT · Reading
TOEFL iBT Reading Section (2026 Format)
The TOEFL iBT Reading section is the first of four sections in the January 2026 format. It lasts about 30 minutes, has about 50 items and is adaptive in two stages. It contains three task types: Complete the Words, Read in Daily Life and Read an Academic Passage. Reading is scored on a 1–6 band scale.
- Time
- About 30 minutes
- Items
- About 50 (varies with the adaptive route)
- Task types
- Complete the Words, Read in Daily Life, Read an Academic Passage
- Delivery
- Two-stage multistage adaptive
- Score
- 1–6 band scale, reported in half-band steps
How TOEFL iBT Reading works
Reading opens the test. Complete the Words checks spelling, grammar and vocabulary inside a short academic paragraph. Read in Daily Life uses short practical texts such as notices, menus and emails, each with two or three questions. Read an Academic Passage gives you an original text of about 200 words followed by five questions.
The section is adaptive: your performance in the first stage decides the difficulty of the second, so the exact number of items can vary. Every item has one correct answer. You can go back only within the current stage.
The Reading score is reported on the 1–6 band scale introduced in January 2026. During the 2026–2028 transition, ETS also reports a comparable 0–120 total for the whole test.
TOEFL iBT Reading tasks
Tips that work
- Budget time by task: move briskly through Complete the Words and daily-life texts to leave room for the academic passages.
- Read questions before scanning short everyday texts; read academic passages fully once before answering.
- Check word endings and spelling in Complete the Words before moving on.
- Practice with short, timed sets rather than long passages; the 2026 texts are much shorter than the old test's.
Questions candidates ask
How long is TOEFL Reading in 2026?
About 30 minutes with about 50 items. Because the section is adaptive, the exact number of items can vary from one test taker to another.
Are the long TOEFL reading passages gone?
Yes. The academic passage is now about 200 words with five questions, and two shorter task types were added.
How can I practice TOEFL Reading on EnglishHub?
Each task type has exam-style practice sets, and full mock tests combine all three. EnglishHub offers 200 practice sets and 50 full mock tests for TOEFL.
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