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Missing words (and even sentences) when reading.

Saul GoodmannSaul Goodmann Member
in General 10 karma

Hello, I have noticed that many questions which I miss when taking practice tests are due a failure to read/mentally process words (and sometimes entire sentences) in the question/answer text. I know that sounds absurd but imagine reading a sentence only to have your mind glaze over and even sometimes change certain words in the sentence. Just to be clear, this is not a vocabulary problem, it is more of a 'reading' problem. As you can imagine this issue plagues me in all aspects of the test.
This issue becomes more prominent with more time pressure: the faster I try to read the worse my comprehension is.
I was wondering if there was anyone out there that has had this problem and what techniques they used to overcome it? Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions on the matter!

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  • kpj744___kpj744___ Alum Member
    edited March 2019 231 karma

    So there are a couple things you can try, and scaffold yourself out of each as you practice (in other words, try one for a while, then slowly reduce the number of times you do that strategy).

    1. Read out loud.
    2. Read with your pencil under each word, or use a ruler to keep the line straight so your eyes have to focus on that specific line. Sometimes, when stressed/ tired, people's eyes will jump to various places in the stimulus.
    3. Try using a sticky note to cover the answer choices so you aren't overwhelmed by the text.
    4. Use a highlighter for now, and mark off key transition words such as 'however', 'and', 'therefore', 'so', 'but', 'yet'. That might help you with parsing out the sentences better.
    5. You could also try reading 2x, where the first time you only read the key stuff -- so focus on subject and predicate (verb) phrases only, skipping over the things in commas (the extra info/clauses). That will help you get a main sense of what's going on. Then on the 2x through, read the whole thing, and make sure those clauses (within commas) aren't changing the meaning of anything. Often, that's where "filler" is.

    Lastly, if timed, sometimes it's just a way your brain is telling you to SKIP IT and move to the next question -- and then go back and look at it fresh when you've tried something else. Sometimes it's amazing how clear the answer becomes when you step away from it for a moment.

    You could also get a tutor -- @"Cant Get Right" is amazing in helping you parse the language of sentences to figure out the meaning, especially when it's subtle.

  • KeepCalmKeepCalm Alum Member
    807 karma

    Hey! I had a very similar issue as yours. The time constraints left me feeling extremely anxious and I could not process information. This is why blind review is so helpful. We allow ourselves to answer the questions without time being a factor. This has helped me in many ways and I believe it will help you too. I saw progressive improvement because of the time I spent analyzing and pretty much dissecting each question (lol). Yes, the exam questions are all completely different but they are fairly consistent as well. With continued BR, you will start to build confidence when you are reading exam questions which will help relieve the anxiety you may have from time pressure. Questions will seem familiar to you and you will read with ease. Soon, comprehending will be a piece of cake :wink:

  • KeepCalmKeepCalm Alum Member
    807 karma

    @kpj744___ said:
    So there are a couple things you can try, and scaffold yourself out of each as you practice (in other words, try one for a while, then slowly reduce the number of times you do that strategy).

    1. Read out loud.
    2. Read with your pencil under each word, or use a ruler to keep the line straight so your eyes have to focus on that specific line. Sometimes, when stressed/ tired, people's eyes will jump to various places in the stimulus.
    3. Try using a sticky note to cover the answer choices so you aren't overwhelmed by the text.
    4. Use a highlighter for now, and mark off key transition words such as 'however', 'and', 'therefore', 'so', 'but', 'yet'. That might help you with parsing out the sentences better.
    5. You could also try reading 2x, where the first time you only read the key stuff -- so focus on subject and predicate (verb) phrases only, skipping over the things in commas (the extra info/clauses). That will help you get a main sense of what's going on. Then on the 2x through, read the whole thing, and make sure those clauses (within commas) aren't changing the meaning of anything. Often, that's where "filler" is.

      Lastly, if timed, sometimes it's just a way your brain is telling you to SKIP IT and move to the next question -- and then go back and look at it fresh when you've tried something else. Sometimes it's amazing how clear the answer becomes when you step away from it for a moment.

    You could also get a tutor -- @"Cant Get Right" is amazing in helping you parse the language of sentences to figure out the meaning, especially when it's subtle.

    Yes! @kpj744___ this is a great list!

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