TMS reading comprehension (Textverständnis): free online practice with timer
In reading comprehension you read factual texts from medicine and the natural sciences and check which statements can be derived from them. Here you practise with four texts and 20 tasks in 50 minutes, as in the planned TMSnat, with instant scoring and a reason for every statement. No registration. Page status: 2 October 2026.
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Reading comprehension at a glance
- Planned TMSnat: 20 tasks in 50 minutes (planning status 26.06.2026). The group lies between the memorising and recall phases of memorising facts.
- Previous TMS: four texts with six tasks each, 60 minutes.
- No specialist knowledge needed: According to the sample task collection, the statements can be judged without specialist knowledge. Only what is in the text counts.
- Notes allowed: In the original test booklet there is space for sketches and notes after each text.
How the 20 tasks in the TMSnat are distributed across the texts has not yet been published. Our practice uses four texts with five tasks each.
How the tasks are structured
Each text deals with a topic from medicine or the natural sciences, often a control loop or a sequence of steps. The questions refer only to the content of the text. Besides simple questions with five answers, there are combination tasks: three statements I to III are checked one by one, and you choose the matching combination. An example from our practice, on the text about calcium balance:
Question: Bei einer Operation wurden versehentlich alle Nebenschilddrüsen entfernt. Welche Folgen sind dem Text zufolge zu erwarten?
I. Muskelkrämpfe · II. vermehrte Ausscheidung von Phosphat im Urin · III. verminderte Bildung von Calcitriol in der Niere
Solution: Nur I und III. Without parathyroid hormone, calcium falls and calcitriol formation is no longer stimulated. Phosphate excretion, on the other hand, decreases, because parathyroid hormone promotes it.
Often you have to think one step further than the text: it describes what a hormone does, and the question asks what happens when it is missing.
How the practice works here
- Each round draws four of eight texts at random. Each text is followed by its five tasks.
- With the time limit you have 50 minutes, i.e. around 12 minutes per text.
- After scoring, you see for every combination task which statements apply and why.
Keep paper ready for notes and sketches, as in the test. Nothing is stored and nothing is sent.
Strategies
The official sample task collection recommends the following, summarised here in our own words:
- Structure on first reading: Underlining, margin notes and arrows help to organise the wealth of details.
- Sketch control loops: For regulatory processes, such as hormones, a simple sketch of what promotes or inhibits what is worthwhile.
- Mark sparingly: Targeted underlining seems better than generous underlining; more than two colours or line styles rarely pay off.
- Find your own method: Some people manage without sketches. What matters is an approach that gets you through all texts in time.
Our additions, not requirements of the test providers: in combination tasks, check each statement on its own and then cross out the combinations that no longer fit. Watch out for phrases like „dem Text zufolge“ (according to the text): what is not in the text cannot be derived, even if it is factually correct.
Frequently asked questions
Is reading comprehension part of the TMSnat?
Yes. According to the planning status of 26.06.2026, the group comprises 20 tasks in 50 minutes. It lies between the two phases of memorising facts. The order of all groups is on the page TMSnat structure.
Do I need prior medical knowledge?
No. According to the sample task collection, the statements can be judged without specialist knowledge. Prior knowledge can even tempt you to tick things that are not in the text.
May I take notes?
Yes. According to the sample task collection, there is space for sketches and notes after each text in the original test booklet. Memorising facts is different: notes are not allowed there.
Are these original texts?
No. All texts and tasks are written by us. You will find official examples in the free collection on tms-info.org.
How can I practise the other groups?
On the home page you can choose all task groups available here. A plan for all groups is on the page TMS preparation.
Sources
- „Beispielaufgaben zur Vorbereitung“ (PDF, © 2025 ITB Consulting GmbH): structure of reading comprehension in the previous TMS, advice on working through it.
- „Geplante Zusammensetzung des TMSnat“ (PDF, status 26.06.2026): number of tasks, time and order in the TMSnat.
Checked on 2 October 2026. In case of discrepancies, the information in the sources always applies. The German version of this page is authoritative.