Read instructions carefully
- Don’t skip the instructions so as to save time.
- The instructions tell you what kind of answer to give.
- They contain clues about information contained in the passage.
- Likewise the questions provide valuable hints for specific information to look for.
Read the passages actively.
- Avoid passive reading.
Read as little as possible
- While finding answers to questions
- There is too much material for us to be able to read everything and answer all questions in the time available
Read around the Keywords/Phrases in the passage
- Locate the first instance of the keyword in the reading passage.
- Read around the keyword.
- If the answer is not there, than find another location of the keyword.
- Sometimes the keyword is located much before the answer in a passage.
- The answer is usually found in the same paragraph as the keyword/phrase.
- The corresponding keywords/phrases in the passage may contain substituted words or they may be phrases with a similar meaning.
Circles dates
- If you get a text with a lot of dates, circle them as you go along – chances are the dates are going to be important.
- If you circle them you can find them again easily.
Circle names
- Likewise with names; even if there aren’t a lot of names, circle the ones you find so you can find them again easily.
Increase Reading Speed
- Read a lot on a variety of topics.
- Read in groups of words that form logical units of thoughts within sentences.
- If you read each word in a sentence, you will not understand the meaning at the sentence level.
Get rid of your negative attitude
- Test takers get easily discouraged by the difficulty level of the passages or the vocabulary or the topics that are unfamiliar to them.
- However the difficult vocabulary or unfamiliar topics has nothing to do with our ability to answer questions and score bands.
On the exam day
- Read the instructions quickly and understand them as well.
- Do not also waste time by reading the explanatory information slowly.
Verify answers
- Even if you know the answers, you must verify it from the text.
Make logical guesses
- Some answers require a logical guess.
You needn’t answer questions in the order in which they are given.
- For instance you may prefer to do the summary or a headings questions first
No Repetition
- The answer to one question will never be given in another question
Spend one minute on each answer.
- If you are still unsure of the answer, then make a sensible guess.
- You can return to these answers later
- Do not leave any answer blank as you do not lose marks for incorrect answers.
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