ACT / SAT Strategies for the Reading Section

READING STRATEGIES - For reading section of ACT and critical reading section of SAT - These are merely strategies or guidelines. In order for the following to help raise your score, you must not only apply them to the test, but also practice applying them. Use a practice test or online source and practice applying the different strategies. At first, these strategies will take you some extra time, but after practicing them, they will begin to save you time--very important on both tests!

General Strategies

1. Take 30 seconds-1 minute to skim through the reading selections. Decide which ones are easiest look like the easiest for you to read. Sometimes this can mean easy vocabulary, a topic you are familiar with, or even length. Once you have determined which one looks the easiest (again, spend no more than a minute on this). Choose this selection to complete first--saving the hardest for last. This way, if you run out of time, you have run out of time on the more difficult passage rather than the easy passage.

2. Read the questions of the passage you have decided to tackle first (don't read any answers-just the questions). Let the questions guide you in your reading, but don't try to memorize them, just skim through them and get a general idea of what kind of information the questions are asking for.

3. Read any and all introductory information they give you about the passage. Sometimes there will be a sentence or two about the author or the passage in italics at the beginning of the selection. If it is included, it is important information and needs to be read.

4. Begin reading the passage. As you read, underline or mark main ideas in each paragraph. If it's a particularly difficult passage, try to summarize the paragraph in your own words before attempting the questions. Try to jot down an overall summary as well (no more than a few words).

5. Don't let words you don't know stop you. Just keep reading and try to use context clues to find the meaning. If you let unknown words stop you or take you away from the overall meaning, you are taking away precious test-taking time.