READING COMPREHENSION TIPS
BY THE LEARNING CENTER (Online Article)
Do you ever feel overwhelmed with the amount of reading you have? Do you ever have trouble
staying focused and motivated while reading? Do you sometimes have difficulty understanding and
remembering what you read? If so, you’re not alone. Many students struggle with these things
because reading in college can be challenging, time-consuming, and lot more rigorous than high
school; however, with some effective strategies, you can make your reading time meaningful, focused,
and productive.
Active reading
Research shows that you retain more when you actively engage and interact with texts, as opposed to
simply reading and re-reading without a clear purpose. Many students can relate to the type of
reading that involves copying down pages of notes word-for-word from the text or simply scanning
over pages without really reading them or interacting at all. While these two approaches are on
opposite ends of the spectrum, neither of them engages your brain in a way that elicits deep
understanding and retention. Active reading engages your brain in effective strategies that force your
brain to interact with the text before, during, and after reading and that help you better gauge what
you are (and aren’t) learning.
Before reading
Although many students don’t think about this step, engaging with a text before reading can crucially
boost your understanding and retention. Below are some active reading strategies to use before you
read.
Know your purpose
Yes, you’re reading because your professor told you to do so, but there is more to it than that. What
will you be asked to do with the information you gather from your reading assignment? Reading in
preparation for a multiple-choice exam requires a greater attention to detail (think keywords,
definitions, dates and specific concepts and examples) than reading to prepare for discussion or to
write an essay (think main points and relationships). Consider your purpose for reading and what you
need to be able to understand, know, or do after reading. Keep this purpose in mind as you read.
Integrate prior knowledge
You already know so much; why not help yourself out? Before previewing the text, determine what
you already know about the material you are to read. Think about how the reading relates to other
course topics, and ask why your professor might have assigned the text. Identify personal
experiences or second-hand knowledge that relates to the topic. Make a list of things you want to
know about the text or questions that you want to try to answer while reading.
Preview the text
Don’t jump in all at once. Give the text an initial glance, noting headings, diagrams, tables, pictures,
bolded words, summaries, and key questions. Consider reading introductions and conclusions to
gather main ideas. After you preview, predict what the section or chapter will be about and what the
main concepts are going to be.
Plan to break your reading into manageable chunks
Do you have five days to read twenty pages? Read four pages a night. Twenty pages in only one
night? Read four pages and then take a fifteen-minute break to rest your mind and move your body.
Taking breaks while reading improves focus, motivation, understanding, and retention. Plus, it’s
healthier for our bodies! Try using a weekly calendar or the Pomodoro Technique to break up and
schedule your time.
Decide whether and how to read from a screen
Especially if you are taking courses online or studying remotely, some of your course materials may
be in a digital format, such as online journal articles or electronic textbooks. Before you read, decide if
your reading is something you could and would want to print out. Sometimes it is easier to grasp
content when it is on paper. If this is not your preference or is not an option, make reading breaks an
even higher priority, consider adjusting your screen, and be strategic about the time of day when you
are reading in order to avoid eye strain or headaches.
While reading
Keeping your brain active and engaged while you read decreases distractions, mind-wandering, and
confusion. Try some of these strategies to keep yourself focused on the text and engaged in critical
thinking about the text while you read.
Self-monitor
The only one who can make sure you’re engaged while reading is you! If you are able to think about
what you will eat for dinner or what will happen next on that Netflix show you love, you are no longer
paying attention! As soon as you notice your mind drifting, STOP and consider your needs. Do you
need a break? Do you need a more active way to engage with the text? Do you need background
noise or movement? Do you need to hear the text aloud? What about a change of environment?
Before resuming, summarize the last chunk of text you remember to make sure that you know the
appropriate starting point.
Annotate
Overusing the highlighter? Put it down and try annotation. Develop a key/system to note the following
in the text: key ideas/major points, unfamiliar words/unclear information, key words and phrases,
important information, and connections.
Summarize
After reading small sections of texts (a couple of paragraphs, a page, or a chunk of text separated by
a heading or subheading), summarize the main points and two or three key details in your own words.
These summaries can serve as the base for your notes while reading.
Ask hard questions
Think like a professor and ask yourself higher level, critical thinking questions, such as:
What differences exist between ________________?
How is ______________ an example of ______________?
What evidence can you present for ________________?
What are the features of ____________________?
What would you predict from ________________?
What solutions would you suggest for ______________?
Do you agree that ________________? Explain.
What is the most important feature of ______________?
How is the text guiding the reader to come to certain conclusions?
Who is the intended audience?
What premises or prior knowledge does the text require to make its argument(s)?
After reading
Reading a text should not end at the end of the chapter. Using effective after reading strategies can
help you better understand and remember the text long-term.
Check in with yourself
Whether you read a printed text or an online document, the most important thing to assess is how
much you understood from your reading. This metacognitive skill is one of the hardest to practice
because if you truly missed the mark on what you read, you might not know until you get to class—or
worse, until test day.
Here are some ways to self-check your reading comprehension. Try “cross-referencing” the
information you read with simpler writings on the same subject and discussing your takeaways with
peers. If you and your peers vary widely in your takeaways, go back to the text to see if the
presentation of evidence can account for these discrepancies. Some key questions:
Are there multiple possible “answers” here?
Is there a blind spot in your knowledge on the subject?
Is the language of the text too difficult or unclear?
Are different sources on the same topic using consistent language, or are they using different
language to discuss the same or similar things?
Show what you know
• Create an outline of the text from memory, starting with the main points and working toward details,
leaving gaps when necessary to go back to the text for facts or other things you can’t remember.
Discuss the material with a friend or classmate.
• Call a family member and teach them what you now know.
Brain dump: write down everything you remember from the reading in 5 minutes.
• Ask yourself critical questions about the reading and answer those questions in a timed format.
Identify the important concepts from the reading and provide examples and non-examples of each
concept.
• Create a concept map from memory to illustrate your learning from the assigned reading.
Take screenshots from digital texts as a starting point for class notes or annotations.
Investigate further
If any information remains unclear, locate other resources related to the topic such as a trusted video
source or web-based study guide. Still have questions you can’t answer on your own? Make note of
them to ask a professor, TA, or classmate.
Self-test
• Create flashcards or an outline for the main concepts, terms, dates, etc. in the text.
Use the flashcards or outline to test yourself on what you read and see how much you remember and
can explain correctly.
• Cover the answers or explanations and don’t look at them until after you have already answered or
explained in your own words.
• Pause videos periodically and use your own knowledge to supply an answer or predict where the
video is going. Then hit play to see if you are on track.
• Self-testing in this way will help you synthesize and think through the information and recall it better
in the future.