The test is divided into three sections. You are given a reading passage with questions in each section. The questions can be both before and after the passages. The topics of the passages are of general interest and come from magazines, journals, books and newspapers. At least one of the passages will present a logical argument. The texts increase in difficulty as the test progresses. There may be a glossary of technical words.

There are 40 questions in total. Each of the three sections has around 10-15 questions and there are at least two types of questions in each section.

Time management is the most important factor in IELTS Reading examination. Do not spend much time on a single question or a single a single section or else you may loose time to answer the questions that may be easier for you.

Take time to read the instruction carefully before you start the actual exam; by doing so you can avoid silly mistakes in your examination. For example a student can mix up true/false with Yes/No. If the question asks for one word answers give only one word as answer. If the question asks for no more than 3 words, use no more than 3 words. Writing 4 words or more is wrong.

Should you read the questions first and then read the passage or read the passage first and then the questions?

There is no correct way doing the Reading section. There are many constraints in selecting the way you want to answer the section. If you are a good, fast reader, then you can read the text quickly, getting good knowledge of the contents without using up too much precious time. This can help you answer the questions better. If the passage's are short then go through then very quickly to find the answers. Do not waste time in reading the texts for a very long time.

If you are short of time in reading section then start answering the questions right away. Do not waste time in reading the text. Everyone should start experimenting with all the different constraints in Reading section. Practice is the only way to crack the Reading module

Skimming and scanning are the two main techniques that people use to read and answer IELTS reading tests

Skimming is the process of reading the text/paragraphs very fast to get an idea of the passage. Speed is the important factor with Skimming. One way of doing is reading the whole passage very quickly not stopping at words that are difficult and then getting the idea of the passage. Another way of doing this is reading the headings, sub-heading and titles. Pictures also give you a clear idea of the paragraph. By noticing all these we can get a Gist of the passage which will help in finding the answers really quickly.

Scanning is another very important technique for the IELTS Reading Tests. This is the technique that you use when you are reading a telephone book or a dictionary. You are not starting at the top and reading every line back and forth as you would read a novel. You are moving your eyes around the text, back and across and up and down. You are searching for some specific information: a word or name. This is an important technique in IELTS reading as you are often searching for some specific information. You read the question and then you search for key words or ideas associated with the question. This is a bit more difficult to practice than skimming.