New TOEFL iBT Reading section adopts a concise, adaptive design that better reflects real academic and campus literacy. Instead of long, uniform passages, you will encounter three streamlined task families presented in multistage delivery. Complete the Words reconstructs partially spelled words inside meaningful sentences, capturing decoding skill and vocabulary familiarity. Read in Daily Life features short practical textssuch as notices, schedules, and brief emailsrequiring fast skimming and targeted detail checks.
New TOEFL iBT Reading Section
This block summarizes the post-2026 Reading section: task types, item counts, timing, contexts, and scoring display. No preparation advice is included.
Adaptive Delivery
Multistage design adjusts to the test takers performance.
Estimated Timing
About 18-27 minutes (varies slightly by path).
Item Count
35-48 items* including any pretest items.
Task Types in Reading (from Jan 21, 2026)
| Task | What You See | Focus | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete the Words | Words appear with missing letters inside meaningful sentences. | Decoding patterns, vocabulary form, context confirmation. | Academic & campus sentences. |
| Read in Daily Life | Short practical texts such as notices, menus, emails, schedules. | Skim/scan, detail retrieval, functional reading. | Campus & everyday settings. |
| Read an Academic Passage | Concise academic text followed by targeted questions. | Main idea, details, inference, vocabulary-in-context. | Humanities, social & natural sciences. |
* As the section adapts to performance, item counts and timing may vary slightly.
Score Display (Reading)
Reading is reported on a 1-6 band scale in 0.5 increments. The section band contributes to the overall band shown on the score report.
Tags:
#TOEFL#TOEFLiBT#TOEFL2026#Reading#NewTOEFL#AdaptiveTesting#CompleteTheWords#ReadInDailyLife#AcademicPassage#ReadingSection#ExamUpdate#ScoreBands#1to6Scale#CampusEnglish#AcademicEnglish#TestChanges#myTOEFLioFound this helpful?
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