How much time should I spend on each TOEIC Reading part?

Ten minutes on Part 5, eight on Part 6, fifty-two on Part 7, and five minutes in reserve for transferring answers and one review pass. Those four numbers add to 75, and the reserve is not spare time: it is the only part of the budget that protects marks you have already earned.

The split is an exchange rate, not a preference. Part 5 gives you thirty items for ten minutes because a single sentence can be settled without context; Part 6 gives you sixteen items for eight minutes because each blank needs the sentence before and after it; Part 7 gives you fifty-four items for fifty-two minutes because most of that time goes on locating evidence, not on reading. If you finish Part 5 early, the extra minutes belong to Part 7, never to another look at Part 6.

One warning about the reserve: it has to be spent on the answer sheet, not on reading. Move every answer across first, then use whatever is left for the marked items you can settle in under a minute.

TOEIC Reading Parts 5, 6 and 7: A 75-Minute Time Budget That Survives the Last Passage →