Ok, so you are one of the many students dreading the reading section of the SAT´s. Relax, beating this section is much simpler than it seems at first glance.
Yes, you only have 25 min. to digest the excerpt and answer the many questions on the section…impossible, I agree…unless you prove sneakier than the test makers.
Let´s face it. In life we read for a variety of reasons: To learn more about a chosen topic…(Not the case with SAT!) , or for entertainment…(NOT the case with SAT).
In most cases the chosen reading tasks are exactly that…TASKS. But you can´t just ask for a different passage, you have to find the way to connect with the reading in front of you in order to make the process more pleasant AND productive.
Once you have brainwashed yourself into loving the reading piece you have been dealt, you still have to face that two armed, taunting monster—The ticking clock!
You can´t just sit back and enjoy your reading because there simply isn´t enough time. There is, however, a pair of reliable tricks you can practice for mastery.
Skimming: If you are a fast reader you may feel bold enough to quickly (and we DO mean quickly) skim over the entire passage without stopping to dwell on the details. You will then go to the questions (remember to start with the ones that refer you to specific line numbers.) Upon reading the questions you will then go on a hunt for those details you overlooked in the first reading because NOW you know which are important. This is a great method for those who are adept readers, but what about those of us who are not swift readers? Ah…relax…for all of you there is the…
CHUNK method: In this case we ONLY read the portion in italics at the very beginning of the passage before turning directly towards the questions (again, we begin by looking for the specific line number questions.) You will then turn to look for the information requested in those specific lines. You will read a CHUNK of the text consisting of more lines than the strictly mentioned in the question. This method assures you will be reading for a purpose, which is answering the question at hand.
The best tip is to test both approaches by doing several full Critical Reading sections and comparing which technique yields the highest scores for you.
As always, remember that all possible answers are phrased in such a way that they all sound pretty good…so don´t be sucked in by their clever trick answers…read all the options and eliminate those that DON´T stick to the text. If you are left with two great possibilities, re-read the specific lines in the question and go for it! You have a good chance of acing it! If you can´t narrow your choices to less than two then skip it and move on…it´s too much of a time consuming risk to continue struggling with that one; come back to it if you have time at the end.
Reading may well be one of the toughest sections in the SAT but it is not impossible to tackle if you follow a few simple tips. Ma
