Test Strategy Reading Verbal Comprehension

Use your pencil as a pointer. Guiding your eye along each line helps you focus on details, preserves attention during a long test, and typically speeds up your reading pace. The steady movement of the pencil draws the eye along at a consistent rate.

Circle key words and phrases. You're not reading for vague general understanding — you're reading for precise detail. Circle words that are critical to understanding each point without overmarking the passage so much that it becomes hard to re-read.

Read short passages (seven to eight lines) carefully the first time. You can retain the main ideas from one careful reading — wasting time on a second read of a short passage is inefficient. Careless first readings also plant false impressions that are hard to correct.

For long passages, look ahead at the question stem and answer choices before reading. If the questions ask for specific details, you can often skim to find them rather than reading every word.

Don't get bogged down on a word or sentence you don't understand. You may get the main idea without it. If a concept is needed to answer a question and you still don't understand it after re-reading once, move on and return if time allows.

Picture what you read. Form a mental image as you move through the passage. Read as if you are an illustrator hired to provide pictures for the text. Ask yourself after each sentence and each paragraph what the author was saying — paraphrasing internally improves comprehension significantly.

Another strong strategy: read the questions before you read the passage. Not the answer choices — just the question stems. Knowing what you'll be asked alerts you to the details, ideas, and specific locations in the passage that matter most.