TOEIC Part 5: question types and the 20-second method

TOEIC Part 5 is 30 incomplete sentences (questions 101–130), four answer choices each, opening the 75-minute Reading section. Work at 20 seconds per question — 10 minutes total — to keep 65 minutes for Parts 6 and 7. Read the answer choices first to identify the question type, and never leave a blank: guessing is not penalized.

How many questions are in TOEIC Part 5 and how much is it worth?

Part 5 opens the Reading section: 30 incomplete sentences, numbered 101–130, out of the 100 Reading questions to answer in 75 minutes. The format has not changed since June 2018 (ETS Global), and the August 2026 revision only touches the TOEIC 4-Skills — the Listening & Reading test is untouched. Reading is scored 5–495, and every Part 5 point weighs exactly as much as a Part 7 point. That is the whole strategic argument: Part 5 questions are the cheapest points on the test, provided you refuse to overspend time on them.

Reading part	Questions	Time budget	Pace
Part 5 — incomplete sentences	30	10 min	20 s per question
Part 6 — text completion	16	8 min	30 s per question
Part 7 — reading comprehension	54	55 min	~1 min per question
Final bubble check	—	2 min	—

Hold this grid and Part 7 — the part where most candidates run out of time — gets the minutes it needs.

What are the Part 5 question types? The full taxonomy

The four answer choices reveal the question type before you read a single word of the sentence, and the type dictates how much of the sentence you actually need.

Type	Typical share	How to recognize it in the choices
Word form (part of speech)	~25–30%	Four words share one root: decide / decision / decisive / decisively
Vocabulary (meaning)	~20–25%	Four unrelated words, same part of speech
Verb form and tense	~15%	The same verb conjugated four ways
Prepositions	~10%	in / on / at / by
Connectors and conjunctions	~10%	although / despite / however / because of
Pronouns and determiners	~10%	he / his / him / himself; other / another / others

The shares above are typical of official-style practice material: roughly 60% grammar, 40% meaning. Worked examples for each major type:

Word form: solve it from five words

The marketing team submitted a ______ proposal for the spring campaign. (A) detail — (B) details — (C) detailed — (D) detailing

The blank sits between an article (a) and a noun (proposal): only an adjective fits → (C) detailed. You read five words, not the sentence. Let suffixes guide you: -tion, -ment, -ness signal nouns; -ive, -ous, -ful, -ed signal adjectives; -ly signals adverbs.

Verb form: hunt the time marker

By the time the auditors arrive next week, the finance department ______ the quarterly report. (A) completes — (B) will have completed — (C) has completed — (D) completed

By the time plus a future reference (next week) calls for the future perfect → (B). Time markers (since 2024, last quarter, currently, by the time) decide almost every tense question. Check subject–verb agreement first: it often eliminates one or two choices in two seconds.

Prepositions: memory, not logic

The new safety guidelines comply ______ European regulations. (A) to — (B) with — (C) at — (D) for

Comply with, like rely on, responsible for, interested in, is a fixed collocation → (B). There is nothing to deduce; these pairs are learned. The 600-word TOEIC vocabulary list with flashcards tags the high-frequency verb–preposition pairs.

Connectors: grammar first, meaning second

______ the flight was delayed by three hours, the delegation arrived in time for the signing ceremony. (A) Despite — (B) Although — (C) However — (D) Therefore

Structure first: the blank introduces a full clause (subject + verb), which eliminates Despite (followed by a noun) and However (an adverb that cannot link two clauses this way). Meaning second: contrast → (B) Although.

Pure vocabulary: the only type that needs the full sentence

The company decided to ______ its product launch until market conditions improve. (A) postpone — (B) purchase — (C) persuade — (D) prevent

Four unrelated verbs, all grammatically valid: read for meaning → (A) postpone, confirmed by until market conditions improve. This is the one type where spending the full 20 seconds is legitimate.

How does the 20-second method work, step by step?

1. 0–3 s — scan the choices, not the sentence. Same root = word form; same verb = tense; small grammar words = preposition or connector; four unrelated words = vocabulary.
2. 3–15 s — read only what the type requires. Word-form, agreement and pronoun questions are solved from the three or four words around the blank. Only vocabulary and connector questions earn a full-sentence read.
3. 15–20 s — eliminate, then decide. Cross out choices that break agreement or structure. Eliminating two options turns a blind guess into a 50% shot.
4. At 20 s — guess and move. The TOEIC applies no penalty for wrong answers; a blank is the only guaranteed zero. Pick a fallback letter, bubble it, forget it.
5. Checkpoint: question 130 bubbled by minute 10. Past minute 12, switch to choices-only mode for what remains: Part 7 and its 54 questions are worth more than a perfect Part 5.

Train the reflex on timed 30-question sets in the Part 5 training module — untimed practice builds accuracy but never the 20-second rhythm.

What are the most common Part 5 traps?

• -ing vs -ed participles. The ______ results exceeded expectations: choose surprising, not surprised — the results cause the feeling. Rule: -ing causes, -ed experiences.
• Despite vs although. Despite + noun phrase; although + clause. Both express contrast, which is exactly why ETS keeps pairing them in the same question.
• During vs while vs for. During + noun (during the meeting); while + clause (while we were meeting); for + duration (for two hours).
• Almost vs most. Most employees and almost all employees are correct; almost employees is not. Directly before a noun, most wins.
• Another / other / others. Another + singular noun; other + plural noun; others stands alone, never before a noun.
• The seductive tense. A choice can be perfectly grammatical in isolation and still wrong against the time marker in the sentence. Confirm against the marker, never against what sounds right.
• Over-reading grammar questions. Reading the full sentence on a word-form question costs 10–15 extra seconds for zero accuracy gain — repeated over 30 questions, that is the 5–7 minutes Part 7 desperately needs.

The 20 grammar points behind these traps each have a dedicated sheet in the TOEIC grammar guides.

How do you train Part 5 efficiently?

• Always timed, always 30 questions. Simulate the real block: 10 minutes on the clock, answer sheet filled as you go, no pausing.
• Log every error by type. Tally your mistakes against the six-type taxonomy above; most candidates find the bulk of their errors concentrated in just two types, which turns revision from vague to surgical.
• Learn collocations, not isolated words. Preposition questions and a large share of vocabulary questions test fixed pairs (comply with, subject to, in charge of) — the exact format spaced-repetition flashcards handle best.
• Convert practice scores properly. ETS publishes no raw-to-scaled formula. Use the interactive score conversion table to translate full practice tests into the 5–495 Reading scale, and check the CEFR section minima: 385 in Reading for B2, 455 for C1.

Put it into practice

Run the full sequence under real constraints with a free TOEIC practice test: 200 questions, exam timing, an estimated score on the 10–990 scale and per-part accuracy — the only reliable way to verify that 30 Part 5 questions in 10 minutes actually holds under pressure, before test day runs the verification for you.