Most Common & Classic TOEFL Reading Topics
TOEFL Reading encompasses a diverse array of academic subjects such as science, social science, humanities, and current events. Although specific topics may differ, typical areas include astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, medicine, and physics. Each TOEFL reading passage covers a topic and is around 700 words in length, with test-takers given 35 minutes to respond to the reading prompts.
In this article, we are going to discuss the Most Common and Classic TOEFL Reading Topics in detail.
Check The Most Common and Classic TOEFL Reading Topics
TOEFL Reading Section
The TOEFL reading section aims to assess the candidate’s comprehension skills. Effective preparation for TOEFL reading involves enrolling in coaching classes, studying TOEFL books, and practicing with sample papers. Many resources offer TOEFL reading samples with answers to aid in preparation. Joining coaching centers provides access to updated TOEFL reading questions and answers, as well as expert guidance.
TOEFL scores range from 0 to 120 overall, with subsections scored from 0 to 30. A TOEFL reading score of 25 or higher is typically considered favorable and is widely accepted by leading universities worldwide. TOEFL reading passages often cover academic subjects, occasionally incorporating current events related to the main topic. Regular practice with TOEFL reading passages helps familiarize candidates with different question types.
New Format of TOEFL Reading Section
As of 2024, ETS has updated the TOEFL exam pattern. Previously, the section consisted of 3 to 4 academic passages which were around 700 words long and contained 10 multiple-choice questions. The particular paragraphs were taken from university textbooks that cover a variety of subjects. At present, ETS has cut down the question number to 9 to 10 for every reading passage. If your set contains a fourth paragraph, the question number may increase. Generally, the tenth question of the topics contains a table that you need to fill up.
The section is designed to evaluate the ability of a candidate how he/she understand and interprets the different academic texts. The total score of TOEFL ranges between 0 to 120 points and individually the reading section points range between 0 to 30. If you get 25 + in this segment, it will be considered as a good score.
Sources for TOEFL Reading Topics
A diverse range of TOEFL reading topics is covered in passages, easily accessible online due to the internet. These topics include business, environment, science, economics, and everyday life, each presenting essential questions relevant to the TOEFL exam.
Methods for Enhancing TOEFL Reading Skills
Candidates should engage in active reading for approximately 20 minutes daily to improve TOEFL reading scores. They should gather reading material from articles, news, stories, and books, practicing reading comprehension questions based on these texts. Allocating about 1 minute and 25 seconds to each TOEFL reading question is advised. Developing a robust vocabulary, particularly focusing on academic word lists, is crucial for all TOEFL sections. Thoroughly reading entire sentences is essential for understanding their meaning.
Practicing with TOEFL Reading Books
Effective preparation involves utilizing TOEFL books containing comprehensive study materials. Books like “Official TOEFL iBT Tests” offer around 15 official TOEFL reading passages for practice. Candidates can strengthen their comprehension and analysis skills by practicing passages from such books. Other beneficial resources include “The Official Guide to TOEFL” and “The Propell Workshop Teacher’s Book,” along with TOEFL reading practice test papers available for free or as PDF sets on ETS.org. Practicing passages from these sources enhances reading proficiency.
Reading Non-TOEFL Articles for Practice
While TOEFL reading primarily assesses English language proficiency, candidates with prior experience in reading academic English passages tend to perform better. Thus, practicing TOEFL reading topics is essential, akin to developing proficiency in academic English. Candidates aiming for TOEFL scores above 90 should engage with challenging study materials to increase speed, accuracy, and comprehension. Such practice enables candidates to infer the author’s perspective in passages more adeptly.
List of TOEFL Reading Topics
The quality practice for the TOEFL Reading is related to variety of the articles you consider for the practice session. You need to remember that these sections are written in a general way to educate the readers. Most of the time you will get those topics, on which you do not have any knowledge. You have to be prepared for the situation to grasp the broad concept of the given articles. The main work is to just grab that concept. You do not have to go for any explanation at all. Just go with the flow of the topic and answer the questions.
Let us tell you about the Most Common and Classic TOEFL Reading Topics domains as mentioned below in the table.
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Most Common and Classic TOEFL Reading Topics |
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|---|---|---|---|
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Science |
Humanities |
Profession Oriented |
Social Science |
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Physics |
History |
Marketing |
Psychology |
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Astronomy |
Art |
Public Relations |
Sociology |
|
Chemistry |
Art History |
Architecture |
Anthropology |
|
Biology |
Music |
Communication |
Political Science |
|
Geology |
Literature |
Technology |
Economics |
|
Meteorology |
Philosophy |
||
|
Medicine |
North American Art |
||
|
Anatomy |
World History |
||
|
American Literature |
|||
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American History |
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Crutial Tips For TOEFL Reading:
The given passages and the questions are correlated with the small details and, it is the main thought of TOEFL reading which you need to learn. If you practice more and learn the process the TOEFL Reading section will be an easy and scoring section for you.
TOEFL Reading Topics Question: Types and Strategies
Understanding the question patterns of TOEFL Reading Topics is important to solve the questions effectively. The question types decide the difficulty level of the question paper and there are ten different types of questions ETS can give you. Let us discuss this in detail.
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TOEFL Reading Topics Question: Types and Strategies |
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|---|---|---|
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Question Types |
Explanation |
Attached Steategies |
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Factual Information |
The most common and important question type in the TOEFL Reading section. The questions contain factual information and ETS sets the paper to know your understandability towards the topic with this. |
Focus on the facts and points present in the article. No need to focus on the details and destructive contents. |
|
Negative Factual Information |
It is the opposite type of question setup of the factual topics. Here ETS wants to know your judgment capacity through the questions. |
Candidates need to focus on those particular facts that show the false factors and you need to recognize them. |
|
Inference |
It is a type of question where different arguments are present in the article. |
You need to search for the attached arguments which are strong enough to support the question. |
|
Reference |
This type of question establishes the relationship between the topics and the questions by using two different words. |
You need to find the words or the small important connecting data to answer the question. |
|
Rhetorical Purpose |
These questions and topics describe the effect of a certain matter and the reader needs to understand the view of the writer with the actual idea. |
As a candidate, you have to understand the idea of the writer and need to detect them to answer the questions. |
|
Reading Vocabulary |
The section questions the candidate to describe a particular word that is present in the topic. |
As a candidate, you need to understand the meaning and describe it properly. For this type of question, you need to practice more and have to have a great vocabulary base. |
|
Paraphrasing |
These type of questions asks you to paraphrase the highlighted sentences of the particular passage. |
As a candidate, you need to select the right option by paraphrasing the highlighted texts properly to answer the questions. |
|
Insert Text |
It is the correction type question i.e. ETS asks you to find the logical and grammatically correct parts of the topic. |
You need to find the right statement which is logical and grammatically correct to answer the question. |
|
Summary |
In these questions, ETS asks you to summarize the options based on the given article. |
You need to identify the section of the article with the keywords and write a summary for that given keyword in a suitable manner. |
|
Fill in the Table |
The last question type is mandatory for all TOEFL exams. It is a sure-shot question segment where ETS asks you to fill the table with the available information from the sources. |
As a candidate, you need to find the perfect words or phrases to fill the table against the available information in the questions. |
Things to Read for TOEFL Reading Topics
TOFEL reading segment is just like an open source knowledge segment because you do not know what and which type of questions you are going to encounter. To boost your knowledge and understanding, you should read the different types of articles on the Most Common and Classic TOEFL Reading Topics. For this, the good sources can be different types of online blogs, journals, and English newspapers. In India, you can follow The Hindu, Times of India, or Indian Express. Indian Express is recommended because the language is simple and the price is lower than the others.
Ways for Practicing TOEFL Reading Topics
As a candidate, you must practice the reading in 20 minutes. You need to do it daily because with that you will be able to decrease the reading time. It also helps you to grab the important points from that particular source which can be the core idea or the facts. For the TOEFL Reading practice, you need to break your sources into two parts as mentioned below.
Practice for Reading TOEFL Books
The best way to increase the efficiency in the TOEFL reading is to practice the TOEFL books. There are different TOEFL preparation books and study materials which you can find on the official ETS website. The “Official TOEFL IBT Tests” consists of 15 different TOEFL reading passages which will strengthen your analyzing skills and understanding of the topics. You can also follow the TOEFL Practice paper of the previous years to practice the reading.
Non-TOEFL Articles Reading Practice
For the practice of Non-TOEFL Articles Reading, the newspaper can be a good source. This type of content will increase your knowledge and help you to learn and understand academic English. If you practice with the hard sets, it will help you to get high scores. Here are some other sources that you may follow to gain insight into Non-TOEFL Articles Reading Practice as mentioned below.
- Mental Floss
- Smithsonian Magazine
- National Geographic
- Time Magazine
- Duolingo
Time-Management Tips for TOEFL Reading Topics
Before sitting the TOEFL exam you need to create a plan of action on your own. Remember that, the plan and the action depend on your ability and capacity. You need to focus on the question keywords to answer the questions properly. Here are some dos and don’ts for your upcoming time-management TOEFL reading as mentioned below.
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Time-Management Tips for TOEFL Reading Topics |
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|---|---|
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You Need To Do |
Do Not Do These Things |
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Read the questions first and mark the important potential keywords. |
Do not read the full passage as it will consume so much time. |
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Read the first line of the paragraph to get an idea about the whole topic. |
You should move on to the next question if you are unable to find the answer. |
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Answer the questions where you do not need to go through the full article. |
Easier questions you need to do first which are less time consuming. |
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You can answer the definition-related questions and the vocabulary-based questions without reading the whole article. |
Focus on the hard questions at last. |
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You must go through the other questions because the TOEFL reading questions are interconnected with each other. |
Don’t keep any void place because it will not help you to get points so it’s better to use the prediction technique. |
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If you find the keyword or the related synonym or antonym, you need to the whole paragraph. |
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You can use the prediction technique to answer some questions if you do not find the answer properly with the referace present in the passage. |
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Expert Tips For TOEFL Reading Topics:
Do not waste your time by roaming around here and there in the given passage in search of the answers. Keyword filtering is a must and foremost thing for the TOEFL Reading Topics. Remember, you have only 1.75 minutes for each question and in reading there is no place for revision. So be careful.
Final Thoughts
The TOEFL reading section consists of two different passages that are almost 700 words long and you need to answer 10 multiple choice questions from each in 35 minutes. It means you will get only 1.75 minutes per question to answer them. As of 2024, ETS has updated the TOEFL exam pattern. Previously, the section consisted of 3 to 4 academic passages which were around 700 words long and contained 10 multiple-choice questions. The particular paragraphs were taken from university textbooks that cover a variety of subjects. In India, you can follow The Hindu, Times of India, or Indian Express. Indian Express is recommended because the language is simple and the price is lower than the others. You can also follow the TOEFL Practice paper of the previous years to practice the reading. Do not waste your time by roaming around here and there in the given passage in search of the answers. Keyword filtering is a must and foremost thing for the TOEFL Reading Topics.
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Most Common and Classic TOEFL Reading Topics- FAQs
What is the most common TOEFL score?
The average total TOEFL iBT score for undergraduate programs is approximately at 84, and 88 for all graduate programs. TOEFL PBT test takers are too few to indicate a percentile score.
What is the most difficult part in TOEFL?
For students in high school, reading is the hardest section, with a mean score of 18.0. For undergraduates reading is also the hardest section, with a mean score of 20.1. For graduate students not applying to business schools, speaking is the hardest, with a mean score of 21.1.
Is 23 a good reading score in TOEFL?
The study goal is to get between 22 – 30 points for TOEFL reading section scoring. This particular score range will help give you a high level of the TOEFL reading section.
Is 92 a bad TOEFL score?
Having a score between 90-100 in TOEFL exam is pretty decent with a variety of college options to explore. These requirements differ from university to university, from course to course, and occasionally even from section to section.
Is TOEFL hard for Indian students?
The TOEFL reading section evaluates students’ knowledge and abilities in reading comprehension. The TOEFL exam is challenging for students from India as well as Americans. This is due to the fact that academic vocabulary and the exam’s topic matter differ from what Americans typically encounter.
Which TOEFL is the easiest?
On the other hand, the TOEFL Essentials tests your English in general and academic settings. It’s 50-50. Due to this, TOEFL Essential is shorter and may feel easier for some students.
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