Quick question for whoever can answer, I’d really appreciate it. I understand speed while maintaining comprehension is crucial on the SAT Reading section. However, I still read the passage (skimming at times, but mostly avoiding that if I can). My peers say that they don’t read the sections at all, they simply skim the passage in a minute or two and proceed to the questions. I try to read the passage in about 3 to 4 minutes – five if necessary. Should I try to transition into skimming? Or maybe only for passages I don’t like? I’d greatly appreciate insight on the matter.
Of course you should try it. It might work for you. If you do skim, I strongly recommend that you look at the questions first, noting key words. The question first method is quite accurate, but tends to work better for fast readers.
(SAT tutor here)
It is particularly important in the Reading section to try various approaches, and see what works for YOU. The reading section, more than any other section, is timing critical. In other words, if given unlimited time, most students could do quite well on the reading section (whereas in math, for example, even with unlimited time, many students will not be able to answer all questions.
In reading, in order to answer the questions, you MUST have time to go back and find support for the questions. Even if you read the passage very thoroughly and carefully, the vast majority of students will not be able to answer the questions correctly without looking back at the text. Many sharp students can eliminate 1 or 2 answers, but in order to choose between the remaining 2 questions, you really must go back to the text. Therefore, it’s my general recommendation that students err on the side of skimming and leaving time to check the answers afterwards. That’s my general recommendation. Here are some specifics:
The science sections in particular lend themselves to skimming. I encourage my students to try to map the science readings – Para 1 outlines the problem; Para 2 sets up an experiment; Para 3 identifies problems in the experiment and describes changes to the experiment; Para 4 describes results … something like that. Do NOT try to understand all technical terms in the science section. Just be aware where the details are, and go back to them only when you read the questions.
The other extreme is fiction. Fiction does not lend itself to skimming. Nuances are important and important nuances can show up anywhere. I strongly recommend that my students read the fiction section carefully the first time AND also allow time to go back and find support for questions. This might mean allowing more time for the fiction section; that shouldn’t matter as you can make it up with other sections that do lend themselves to skimming and mapping.
When skimming, do “smart” skimming. Read the first sentence and last sentence of each paragraph carefully. Skim the stuff in between, and pay attention to transitions. “However” and “On the other hand” etc. indicate contrary information to follow. “Notably” and “Importantly” and “Crucially” etc. indicate that what follows will be important – read it fully.
For the paired passages, be sure to answer the passage 1 questions immediately after reading passage 1, and then read passage 2. It’s terribly confusing if you read both passages first and then try to answer the questions.
I’m not a fan of reading the questions before reading the passage, but go ahead and give that a try if you think it might be helpful to you.
Good luck!
Oh, another point which is really, really helpful, believe it or not!
Have a positive internal conversation with yourself while you take the test. Even if you are lying and you know you are lying.
Do NOT say to yourself, “UGH, a science passage. I HATE science passages! I can’t wait to be done with this SAT!!” I hope you can see that if you have such negative thoughts you are undermining your ability to do your best.
Instead, whether you mean it or not, say to yourself something like, “Oh good! A science section! This is going to be so interesting, I can’t wait to see what I will learn!!” Seriously. By having that positive conversation with yourself (even if you are fibbing), you will ready your brain to do your very best. You will notice more. You will absorb more. My daughter, who achieved a perfect SAT score, told me that this was one of the best pieces of advice that truly made a difference for her.
Thank you so much for your help, i really appreciate it and I think it will make a notable difference regarding how I perform in the reading section. Thank you!!
Agree that it really depends on the individual and that you should try different strategies to see which one works the best for you. I would say though that in general if speed is an issue, skim very quickly first to get a gist of what the passage is about, then go to the questions and focus on the section(s)/sentence(s) that are the topic of the question for a more thorough understanding. You can waste a lot of time trying to absorb irrelevant information if you fully read the entire passage first.
(I’m an SAT Tutor)
Read slowly so you can answer quickly. I recommend that all my students read the passage carefully before answering the questions. If you understand the passage well, you will be able to answer the questions more quickly. You will know where to look for evidence and therefore you will be able to find the evidence more quickly. You will also be able to answer the questions with greater confidence. Also, if you just skim the passage and then look for evidence you might find evidence supporting that answer, but you might also miss contradictory evidence that rules out that answer. You will also miss a lot of details and nuance if you merely skim.
In my experience, students who understand the passage really well, get all the questions on that passage right. When students get questions wrong, it is generally because they didn’t understand the passage (or at least a part of it) very well. You won’t be able to answer the questions correctly if you don’t understand the passage.
I should note that students generally think they understand passages better than they actually do. Reading ability is generally what holds students back.
I find this method works quite well, but it takes practice. When I work with students on reading, we spend most of our time dissecting passages. I try to make sure students understand each sentence and how it fits into the passage as a whole. I try to make sure that they understand the significance of various details. Always ask yourself what the author is saying or what is going on. This takes time, but students get faster at it with more practice and become more perceptive readers in the process.
On a separate note, I have a question for those who recommend skimming. Namely, what does your practice consist of? What is is that you are getting better at that makes you improve from, say, a 650 to a 750? I imagine that you get better at dissecting questions, but this only helps so much and doesn’t take a ton of practice. Maybe you get faster at finding evidence, but you can only get so much faster. When my students improve, it is their reading abilities that improve. There is something I can point to that is improving. I question if this is the same for skimming. I’d be happy to hear responses.