Reading Strategies

First of all, let us be absolutely clear in saying that there is no substitute for thorough and focused reading. However, with that said, how can we streamline the reading process so that readers do not simply read the words without understanding what they mean? This is an all-too-common phenomenon I observe in many students, so what can be done about it?

This is where this talk of reading strategies comes in. It, again, may be cliché but the key to understanding any type of literature is to read smarter, not harder. What does that mean?

Perhaps you are familiar with the idea that if you do not understand something, read it again and again until you do understand it? That is reading harder, is it not? You are spending more time and more effort to force yourself to understand a piece you may well understand using other, more efficient means. Of course, the probability that you understand something may increase, if marginally, if you read it a hundred or a thousand times. But do you have enough time while taking the SAT to read something a hundred times?

Clearly, the answer is a resounding“NO”. What other things can we try? Is there a speed leveling method to get to the final boss in record time and then take him down using a glitch? In metaphorical terms, yes; it is possible to achieve a better reading ability that allows you to comprehend more material in less time, but again, it is not as powerful as simply reading for its own sake. For many international students, studying English is sort of a last-minute phenomenon, the critical reading section being almost the first time any of them have ever touched a fully English text outside of school. For those students, it is remarkably different to achieve high scores in Reading or Writing—because everyone is essentially the same in terms of their unfamiliarity with English. But, again, was there a better way of doing this? Was there a different way of breaking in youth?—in other words, could we grind out a result better than even those who took the test this year?

Again I reiterate that there is no substitute for real reading. But strategically speaking... there are definitely ways to overcome the barriers you face. I would not recommend relying on reading strategies alone, because it is somewhat like studying three-variable calculus without knowing what a derivative is. In other words, advanced techniques aren' t suited towards beginners. But if you' re not a beginner, feel free to ignore that previous warning and continue.

So let' s take a look at some strategies you can use to better understand reading passages：