Exam Formats & Question Types

Every major exam has its own structure and its own signature question types. These guides break down the format of each test — sections, timing, adaptivity, and what to expect — so you can practice with the format in mind.

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English proficiency

Tests of English for study, work and migration — here we cover the reading and use-of-English question types you can practice.

TOEFL iBT

The TOEFL iBT measures academic English for university admission. A major format update takes effect on 21 January 2026, making the test shorter and adaptive. This guide covers the Reading section — the part built from selectable, answerable question types.

IELTS Academic

IELTS Academic assesses English for higher education and is taken by millions each year. Its Reading paper uses 11 well-defined question types — the focus for practice with a study tool.

TOEIC Reading

The TOEIC Reading test measures everyday workplace English. It is entirely multiple choice — 100 questions across Parts 5 to 7 in 75 minutes.

Cambridge English

The Cambridge English qualifications run from A2 Key (KET) up to C2 Proficiency (CPE). Across levels they reuse a recognizable set of Reading and Use of English question types — the answerable parts of each exam.

PTE Academic

PTE Academic is a fully computer-scored English test known for integrated items that assess more than one skill at once. Its Reading section contains the selectable, answerable formats covered here.

Duolingo English Test

The Duolingo English Test (DET) is a short, computer-adaptive online English test. Its Interactive Reading block bundles several connected task types around a single passage.

University admissions

Undergraduate and graduate admissions tests used mainly in the US, several of them computer-adaptive.

Digital SAT

The SAT is now fully digital and section-adaptive. It has two parts — Reading & Writing and Math — each split into two modules, where the difficulty of your second module depends on how you did in the first.

ACT

The ACT is a US college-admissions test built almost entirely from multiple-choice questions across four subjects.

GRE General

The GRE General Test is used for graduate and business school admissions. Its Verbal and Quantitative sections use distinctive question formats, and the test adapts between sections.

GMAT Focus Edition

The GMAT Focus Edition is the current GMAT, used for business-school admissions. It has three equally weighted sections and is fully question-adaptive, including the famous Data Sufficiency format.

MCAT

The MCAT is the medical-school admissions test in the US and Canada. It is long (about six and a quarter hours of content) and built from passage-based question sets plus standalone discrete questions.

LSAT

The LSAT is the main US law-school admissions test. As of August 2024 it no longer includes Logic Games (Analytical Reasoning); the scored content is Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension.

School & secondary

High-school and pre-university qualifications and national exams from around the world.

AP (Advanced Placement)

Advanced Placement (AP) exams let high-school students earn college credit. Most are two to three hours and include a multiple-choice section alongside free-response tasks; this guide focuses on the answerable multiple-choice section.

IB Diploma Programme

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme assesses students through teacher-marked internal assessment and externally marked written papers. Paper 1 is the most objective — often multiple choice or source-based.

GCSE & A-Level

GCSE and A-Level are the UK’s main secondary qualifications. Science papers, for example, blend a small amount of multiple choice with short-answer and calculation questions.

Gaokao

The Gaokao is China’s national college entrance examination and one of the highest-stakes exams in the world. It combines compulsory core subjects with regional electives.

IT certifications

Industry IT certifications built around multiple-choice and scenario question types.

CompTIA

CompTIA certifications (A+, Network+, Security+ and more) test entry-to-intermediate IT skills. They mix multiple-choice questions with hands-on performance-based questions (PBQs); this guide focuses on the multiple-choice questions.

Cisco Certification

Cisco certifications such as CCNA validate networking skills using a varied question mix — from multiple choice and drag-and-drop to scenario-based testlets.

AWS Certification

AWS certifications validate cloud skills from foundational to professional level. The exams are scenario-driven and use a focused set of objective question types.

Microsoft Certification

Microsoft role-based certifications (Azure, Microsoft 365, and more) use a rich set of selectable question formats, including drag-and-drop, build list and hot-area items.

Professional certifications

Finance, accounting and project-management certifications built around objective tests and case scenarios.

ACCA

ACCA is a global accountancy qualification. Its computer-based exams combine objective test (OT) questions with OT case questions built on a business scenario.

CFA Program

The CFA Program is a globally recognized investment-management qualification with three exam levels. Each level uses a different question structure, and notably every multiple-choice item has only three options.

PMP

The Project Management Professional (PMP) is a leading project-management certification. Its exam pairs multiple choice with several interactive formats, and a 2026 update adds new question types.

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