How to comprehend what you read

July 17, 2018 By Ariel
SAT (Test Prep)    High Schoolers (Study Improvements)   

Standardized tests can be difficult, or maybe just plain annoying. One part of these tests that many students struggle with is the reading comprehension section. Here’s a list of 5 tips that can help you when you’re dealing with a passage on a standardized test.

1. Read the passage through once.

When you first get the passage, take time to read it through in its entirety; this will help you orient yourself. If it helps, take a few small notes for yourself while reading.

2. Note what parts you struggled with and review.

If there is a particular paragraph that is challenging in the passage, make note of it on your first read-through. Don’t worry about it too much during your first reading-through. Then, once you’ve read the whole passage, go back to that tricky section and read it again slowly. Take the time to understand.

3. Summarize the passage for yourself.

Once you’ve completed your initial read-through, jot down a couple sentences summarizing the passage. Use your own words. Sometimes when I’m doing this, I imagine that I’m trying to explain the passage to a friend through the summary.

4. Organize the passage for yourself.

Come up with a story-board or a flowchart to illustrate how the movement passage. This can be very helpful when organizing your thoughts and answering questions.

5. Deduce the purpose of the passage.

Many questions about reading comprehension on standardized tests are about the overall purpose of the passage. Try to answer this question for yourself: why was this text written?

These tips can be helpful when you’re taking the test, but remember to practice them before test day. Practicing these tips with sample reading passages will help you become familiar with the writing style and put these tips into action. Also, practicing reading comprehension will help make these tests seem a bit less scary. And if you need more help with reading comprehension, Inizian tutors can give you additional guidance. Happy reading!