How should I attack the reading questions on the SAT and ACT? I feel like I need a strategy, but I don't know what to do.

Answer 1

The ideal strategy for you to use is going to depend on you. I believe the prior two answers on this question give wonderful and thorough responses, so I am going to walk through one common problem encountered in this section and how to strategize around it.

How Not To Run Out Of Time:

The SAT, ACT, GRE, etc are all high stress tests, and the time limits are certainly part of that.

The Problem:

Let me lay out a common enough scenario:

You read carefully through the passage before moving on to the questions. Question one asks you specific information about how a word is used in the passage. You return to the passage and search through until you find that word again, go back to the question to double check your options, back to the passage to check again, and then you answer the question.

This cycle will get you stuck wasting time, and the more time you lose on these questions the more stressed you will feel. You may not finish the section, or you may make simple mistakes out of pure anxiety.

The Solution(s):

This is where test taking strategy comes into play. How can you more effectively tackle passages so that you don't lose time searching?

1. Have Naturally Superb Memory
2. Somehow magically avoid the problem by having picture perfect memory and not needing to search the passage multiple times to find where things were said. Not usually an option, but yay for you if it is.
3. Questions First
4. Skim your questions first in order to identify what information you will need to draw from the text. Here, you should identify any specific words, phrases, or ideas the questions want you to look for. Write notes about these next to the passage. When you read the text, underline any relevant information to connect back.
5. Skim First
6. Instead of reading thoroughly, only skim the passage at first in order to notate any important information. Mark up the passage (underline, circle, etc) for text you believe relates to the purpose of the passage, the authors point of view, anything that is being compared/contrasted, or other things that stand out. With marks to refer back to, it will cut down your search time when you go to answer the questions.

These are all only options. I, personally, prefer to read questions first. It is important to pick what feels most natural for you, and forcing a strategy that does not flow for you may only trip you up.

Test out your strategy use on some free practice questions.

I also recommend checking out the Kaplan method. This will have some more information for you on what sort of key words to pick out of text!

Answer 2

To effectively tackle reading questions on the SAT and ACT, a strategic approach is indeed essential. Here's a refined strategy:

1. Practice Selective Reading: Focus primarily on the first and second sentences of each paragraph, as these usually contain the key ideas. The remaining content often provides supporting details which are less critical for most questions.
2. Hypothesize Before Answering: Formulate a potential answer in your mind before choosing an option. This helps in targeting your search for the right answer in the text.
3. Look for Synonyms: When you have a hypothesized answer, scan the text for words or phrases synonymous with your idea. This helps in validating your initial thoughts against the content.
4. Be Wary of Strong Diction: Avoid choices that use overly aggressive, cryptic, or absolute language. The SAT and ACT typically favor more balanced and nuanced language in their correct answers.
5. Time Management: Be conscious of the time. Spending too much time reading every detail can be counterproductive. Focus on efficiently extracting the main ideas and pertinent details.

Remember, regular practice with this strategy will enhance your reading efficiency and accuracy on these tests.

Answer 3

The Reading section can be tough! Having a well thought-out strategy for the passages can really help. Try each of these methods with a timer to see which one works best for you.

METHOD #1: THE NATURAL 

The most natural approach to taking the test is the obvious one: just read the passage and then answer the questions.  

👍 The main advantage of this tack is that it is simple and straightforward. There are no tricks to remember; you just go right to work.

👎 The main disadvantage of this approach is that it is probably only ideal for very strong readers. If you read fast and remember what you read — even under the pressure of taking a high stakes exam — then this might be the best approach for you.  

👎 Another problem with this method is that it can be time-consuming. You will spend precious minutes reading and trying to understand parts of the passage that you may not even need to know. You also might have to spend time re-reading parts of the passage that you have forgotten by the time you get to the questions.  

With that in mind, here are two alternative strategies. One or the other of these might work better for you. Try both and then choose one — or better yet come up with your own hybrid. Remember: what works best is just what works for you. 

METHOD #2: SKIM & ANSWER

The first alternate approach proceeds in the following way:

1. Quickly skim the text.  
2. Answer the questions. 
3. Close-read the text to the extent necessary for answering the questions.

By ‘skim,’ I mean do a quick read of around 2 or 3 minutes. This will involve employing the general reading comprehension tips we discussed earlier with the goal of getting through quickly. You should hope to come away with a rough mental outline of what the passage contains. You are actually reading selectively, skipping over details and trying to figure out the general form and meaning of the passage.

👍 The main advantage of the Skim & Answer method is that you won’t waste any time reading unnecessary material. If the questions require you to read more, then you can do that; if they do not require you to read more, then you have saved time that you can use for the other passages if necessary. 

👎 The disadvantage of this approach is that skimming is itself an advanced reading skill, one that is likely to be better accomplished by a strong reader. What’s more, it is quite possible to misunderstand the passage if you skim improperly. So, make sure you can do this successfully before you use it on a real test.

METHOD #3: BACKSOLVING 

This is the approach that I recommend for anyone who is not an especially strong reader — or at least not an especially strong performer on the SAT Reading Test.  Everybody is different, but a good rule of thumb here is that if you are averaging more than 2 missed questions per section, this might be a helpful approach for you.

Here’s how it works:

STEP ONE:

Preview the questions, annotating them as you go. 

This annotation consists in two parts:

First, use your pencil to mark the passage according to any line references or locations mentioned in the questions. For example, some questions will ask you about the implications of ‘remarks made in lines 27-25,’ or about ‘the second paragraph.’ You can do this with a line in the margin parallel to the referenced portion of the text.  

Second, mark more general references to the text, such as names, concepts, or key ideas. Underline the reference in the question, so that when you encounter that information in your reading you will remember that there is a question associated with it.

STEP TWO:

Read or skim the passage as you normally would, stopping to answer the questions corresponding to the marked portions of the text. This allows you to answer the questions while the relevant information is fresh in your memory. Skip any questions you are unable to answer. After you’ve finished reading the passage in this manner, answer the remaining questions, including any you may have skipped.

👍 The main advantage of this approach is that you won’t waste time re-reading, since you are answering questions when you first encounter the relevant material. This approach can also assist comprehension of difficult passages, since the questions can help to focus reading and understanding the passage.

👎 One disadvantage of this approach is that some people find it distracting to stop and start reading the passage again and again. Another problem is that since the main idea question will likely be answered last, you might not be as prepared to use the main idea to assist in reasoning through the other questions. 

FIVE POINT QUESTION ATTACK PLAN

Once you’ve worked out your general approach to reading the passage, you will still need to attack the specific questions. 

Here’s how to do it: 

1. Read. Pay attention to every single word! This takes a high level of focus, but it makes all the difference. Just one word can change the entire meaning of a question.

2. Predict. If possible, predict an answer before reading the choices. Sometimes students find it helpful to physically cover the options. This forces you to get clear on your understanding of the matter at issue, and can help you to avoid a not-quite-right answer.

3. Eliminate. Go through the answer possibilities, using your pencil to cross out any answers that are definitely wrong. This will keep you from needlessly cycling through the answers.

4. Skip. Consider skipping any questions you cannot confidently solve in less than a minute. Circle the numbers of the questions you have skipped, and then come back to them when you have done the other questions. This method can help you to use your time efficiently, since you might discover the answer for skipped questions as you do the other problems.

5. Guess. If you don't know the right answer, guess as intelligently as you can. And even if you can’t make a reasonable guess, you should still guess, since there is no penalty for wrong answers.