Quick Tip: Save your MP questions for last!
Many students jump into the Reading Comprehension section without a question order strategy. One way to maximize your score is to save a passage’s Main Point question for the end of the passage question set. That way, you can read and become more familiar with the passage before getting to the most difficult questions.
Lean Away from Detail
Reading Comprehension is commonly rumored to be a section that is difficult to improve, but that is not the case! We can change the way we approach our analysis to maximize the time we have to confirm evidence and answer choices.
Rather than reading a passage with the goal of remembering all of the details about what the passage says, make your brain explain why each sentence is where it is in the text. Identifying each segment of the passage as an introduction, conclusion, or specific argument part better helps us understand the big picture.
In order to improve in Reading Comprehension, students need to experiment with a series of notation and analysis methods to find the right fit for them. Next time you read a passage, try leaning away from the detail to spend more time on answer elimination. Thinking about why a sentence was written rather than what it says accomplishes this while maximizing the time we have to debate answer choices.
For one study method to hone your Reading Comprehension skills, check out the memory method here!