TOEFL iBT Reading cheat sheet

Items test word recognition in context: the missing letters constrain the word, while grammar and meaning choose among candidates.

Count the visible letters and note hyphens or spaces: the answer must match the exact length and form shown.

Determine the word class required by the slot (noun, verb, adjective, adverb) before supplying letters.

Check subject-verb agreement: a singular subject requires a singular verb form, and plural subjects require plural forms.

Check noun number: articles and quantifiers such as a, many, or each indicate singular or plural.

Use collocations: common partnerships like make a decision or pay attention narrow the possible word.

Use transition words to infer meaning relationships: however signals contrast, therefore signals result.

Prefixes and suffixes reveal meaning and word class; -tion often marks a noun, -ly often marks an adverb.

The completed sentence must be grammatically complete and coherent with surrounding sentences.

Daily-life texts include emails, notices, schedules, advertisements, forms, and web pages; the task asks about practical information.

Identify the writer's purpose: inform, request, invite, warn, advertise, confirm, or apologize.

Identify the audience, since wording changes for students, customers, employees, or residents.

Scan for specific details such as dates, times, prices, locations, and names rather than reading every word equally.

Match answer choices by paraphrase, not by identical wording; identical wording can be a trap.

Check negation and exceptions: words like not, except, unless, and no longer reverse or limit meaning.

For schedule or fee items, compare all relevant conditions before choosing; one detail can disqualify an option.

Inferences must follow from stated details; do not add outside knowledge or assume unstated policies.

A text may contain extra information that is irrelevant to the question; answer only what is asked.

Academic passages are expository and often organized by cause-effect, comparison, chronology, or problem-solution.

Main-idea questions require the broadest claim supported by the whole passage, not a repeated detail.

Factual questions are answered by explicit text; the correct choice usually paraphrases the passage.

Negative factual questions ask which option is NOT supported; three options have textual support.

Inference answers must be logically required or strongly supported, not merely plausible.

Vocabulary-in-context items test the word's meaning in that sentence, not its most common meaning.

Rhetorical-purpose items ask why a sentence is included (example, contrast, concession, definition), not what it says.

Sentence-simplification answers preserve essential meaning and omit only nonessential details; choices that add or reverse meaning are wrong.

Prose summaries select main ideas and exclude minor details, examples, and unsupported claims.