Time vs Accuracy: Why Students Lose Marks in the PTE Reading

What PTE Really Tests in the Reading Section?

When we talk about the PTE Reading section, many of the test takers believe and often assume that it primarily checks how well you know and can read English. But the truth is, it goes beyond just checking your common language-related skills and ability.

Let’s take a look at what the PTE Reading section actually tests so that you can save time and avoid making accuracy mistakes.

1. Comprehension Skills: Yes, the PTE exam will check if you can understand the given passage or not. But the thing is, it is not just about reading and knowing every word. It is about whether you are able to grasp the main idea and theme of the passage. This includes tone, purpose, and implied meanings of a passage.
2. Vocabulary: Additionally, the Reading section also checks the kind of vocabulary range you have and if you are able to interpret words and phrases in context. In fact, in tasks like “Fill in the Blanks” or “multiple-choice questions”, a single misread word can cost you marks.
3. Strategic Time Management: This is where most students lose marks. Your speed matters just as much as accuracy does. Reading is a timed section. You can end up derailing the entire section if you spend too long on a single tricky question.
4. Logical Sequencing: Lastly, it also tests if you can follow the logical flow of ideas in a passage. And specifically how ideas develop and connect with each other. This includes knowing structural clues like connectors, pronouns, and articles that link paragraphs together.

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Where Students Commonly Go Wrong?

Now the main part, what exactly is it that most students get wrong in the PTE Reading section? Well, it's both time and accuracy. But more importantly, it is failing to find a balance between them.

In a lot of cases, students spend too much time on a single question and try to find a perfect answer. This in turn leaves them with not enough time for other tasks. And as a result, their accuracy drops dramatically by the end of the section.

However, some students rush through passages in order to save time. This increases the chances of careless errors and leads them to misinterpret the question. This imbalance of overthinking and rushing affects scores very differently. And in PTE Reading, your success majorly depends on knowing when to slow down for accuracy and when to move on to manage time.

Why Time Management Is Critical in PTE Reading?

Well, the reason why time management is such an important component of the PTE Reading is that this section is strictly timed. Because of this, every second counts. And as we mentioned above, if you spend too long on a single question, you will most probably risk running out of time for other questions. And you will eventually end up rushing through when this happens.

One thing you should note here is that the time pressure is bound to increase as you progress in the PTE Reading section. And this is precisely the reason why managing your pace from the very beginning is extremely important. But remember, the goal for you here is not to read every word perfectly, but to read strategically. Identify key information, answer accurately, and move on before the timer becomes your enemy.

Accuracy Mistakes That Waste Valuable Time

Now let’s talk about what are some of the accuracy mistakes that are making you lose valuable time. Take a look below:

1. Overthinking Simple Questions: The first and biggest mistake is that you are spending too much of your time making and finding the perfect choice. This is especially true of question types like multiple choice.
2. Misreading Keywords: This is an often-overlooked mistake. Due to the exam pressure, students rush a lot and often times end up misreading words like “not,” “only,” “always,” or “however”. While these might look insignificant, these words can significantly change the meaning of a sentence.
3. Ignoring Context in Vocabulary Questions: In question types like “Fill in the Blanks” or other vocabulary-based questions, it is common for students to choose a word based on its meaning and not context. This can at times result in a wrong answer.
4. Not Checking Grammar and Sentence Flow: This is another big mistake that leads to a loss of time. Students usually pay attention to the order of ideas and ignore sentence connectors and structure in tasks like “Reorder Paragraphs.” This leads them to waste time rearranging sentences.
5. Rereading the Entire Passage: Last but not least, students sometimes re-read the whole passage just to be sure if their answer is correct or not. This takes them too long and, in most cases, is not really necessary. Instead of this, they can focus on scanning for keywords.

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Time vs Accuracy: Which Should You Prioritise?

So here comes the biggest question that students face when it comes to PTE Reading. Which one should you prioritize? Is it speed? or is it accuracy? But the truth is, you cannot choose one over the other.

If you focus only on accuracy, you may end up spending too much time on difficult questions. This leaves little time for the rest. On the other hand, you might rush and make careless mistakes if you focus only on speed. And this can also cost you marks.

But what should you do?

In all honesty, you should prioritize accuracy first. But not at the cost of time. In the PTE Reading, your primary goal is to answer correctly within a reasonable time, not perfectly. And for this, the key is to build a strategy that can help you:

• Identify easy questions quickly
• Allocate time based on difficulty
• Avoid getting stuck
• Move on when the question is taking too long

In short, the best approach is to balance both. And for a start, you can go with accuracy. And after this, you can manage your pace so you can complete all questions without sacrificing quality. In PTE Reading, the students who score highest are the ones who can read smartly and not just fast.

Proven Strategies to Improve Both Speed and Accuracy

But how can you balance both? Especially when you are dealing with exam pressure? Well, there are some proven strategies that can help you:

1. Scan Before You Read: Our first tip is not start reading the passage line by line. Instead, you should quickly scan the passage to identify the keywords, topic sentences, and structure or flow. This will help you to understand the main idea of the passage faster and reduce the time spent re-reading.
2. Use the “Two-Pass” Technique: This includes quickly skimming the passage for the main idea and answering the easy questions first. In the second pass, you have to do a focused read to answer difficult questions.
3. Practice Time-Limited Reading: You can set a strict timer for each question type when you give a PTE reading mock test. This will train your brain to work under pressure and reduce any hesitation in the actual exam.
4. Learn to Identify Trap Words: Words like “always,” “never,” “only,” “however,” “despite,” and “unless” can change the meaning of a sentence. You can use PTE free mock test with score, which can help you identify them early on, help avoid mistakes, and save time.
5. Focus on Keyword Matching: A best practice for question types like multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blanks is to identify the keywords in the question and then find them in the passage. This will help you find the answer without re-reading the passage.

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Conclusion

Summing up, time management and accuracy are not two different skills that you need to choose between when it comes to acing the PTE Reading section. Both of them work together, and a key skill you need to master is to find the perfect balance. For this, you can read strategically, avoid getting stuck, and maintain a steady pace.

And this is where PTE online classes from Gradding can make a real difference. They provide structured training, expert guidance, and tools like PTE Score Calculator which can help you understand your current level.