<p>I am a slow reader. When ever I take a practice test, I usually don't even have time to finish the passage because of my solving and reading speed. Sometimes I am forced to go straight onto the questions. It's that bad. Can someone give me some advice. Or tell me how i can increase my reading speed in a short amount of time?</p>
<p>I was bad at that too when I started taking standardized tests (state ones in elementary and jr high). I read quickly when I just read books or whatever, but test passages went slow for some reason.</p>
<p>Anyway my state (Michigan) and school district requires all HS juniors to take the ACT so they worked hard to prepare everyone for it (different test I know but same idea). Our AP English teacher worked on reading with us a lot, so here's what helped me</p>
<p>Practice is the best way. I know it sounds dumb to practice reading in high school but it really does help. Read SAT practice passages quickly and answer the questions, then go back and read them regularly and answer the questions again. Don't time yourself at first, just focus on reading. Take random magazine articles & read them quick, go back, and read them slowly again to see if you correctly understood it going fast. (Be careful with newspapers and magazines though, only read them if they have SAT-level text. Most periodicals have easy, low-level text that will not help you prepare for the SAT's harder passages)</p>
<p>Sometimes skimming the passage tells you enough that you know the author's view and writing style. This will help you answer some questions when they send you back to interpret a specific set of lines. Obviously it's always best to actually read the passage but if you know you're almost out of time, go ahead.</p>
<p>Good luck on the test</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice svtcobra.
Did you start off poorly on ur ACTs then eventually gain speed as you practiced in highschool? Or were you only bad at standarized tests in elementary and middle school? Also, are you suggestign that i should practice skimming?</p>
<p>Taking a bunch of practice tests under timed conditions helps ALOT.
You learn how much time to spend on each type of question and how to pace yourself.</p>
<p>Did you read a lot when you were younger? The more you read, the faster you read. That's it.</p>
<p>Google speed reading. I hear that the most efficient way to read is not to have a "voice inside your head" reading the words out loud but to visualize them and understand them.</p>