Introduction
It’s the time of year when many students are preparing for their final exams. If you’re one of them, don’t panic! I’ve got some helpful tips to help you improve your reading comprehension skills and ace those tests.
Read the textbook more than once.
When studying for an exam, you should read the textbook more than once. The first time through, you’ll be learning new information and may not remember it as well. However, each time you read a section of your textbook again (and again!), it will become easier to understand because you’ll have more context from previous readings and can focus on what’s important in each chapter without having to figure out how everything fits together from scratch every time.
The second benefit of multiple readings is that it allows for better recall later on–if something isn’t sticking with me after my first pass through a chapter, then revisiting that section again might help me remember what was going on there! Plus if I’m missing any key points or concepts while reading along in class or taking notes during lecture/tutorials etc., returning back over those sections makes them stand out more clearly against their surrounding material so they can get noticed by my brain instead of just blending into all those other facts floating around inside there somewhere.”
Go over your class notes, too.
Another great way to prepare for the exam is by going over your class notes. If you’ve been taking good notes in class, these can be a great resource for reviewing material. Studying from your own notes is also beneficial because it allows you to focus on the information that’s most important to you and skip over any parts that aren’t sticking with you as well.
If possible, try studying with a friend or classmate–this can help keep both of your minds working on exam prep instead of just one person doing all of the work!
Re-read chapters with a friend, or ask someone to quiz you on the material.
If you’re reading with a friend, you can ask them to quiz you on the material. You could also use flashcards to quiz yourself or even make your own questions and answers by reflecting on what is most important in each chapter. If you are reading with someone else, this can be an opportunity to help each other understand the material better!
Answer essay questions as if you were writing them for an exam.
- Read the question carefully. Don’t just skim over it and assume you know what it says.
- Understand what the question is asking of you. The answers may not be obvious, so take some time to think about what kind of answer would be best for this particular question.
- Make sure that you are answering the correct question (you can always ask your professor if there is any confusion).
- Use examples from previous experience or readings to support your answer
Practice outlining and other outlining techniques.
Outlining is a great way to organize your notes and get them into a logical order. For example, if you have a paper that’s due in two weeks, but you still haven’t started it, outlining will help you identify the gaps in your knowledge so that when you do start writing, it won’t be such an overwhelming task.
Outlining can also help you remember the material better because it puts things into perspective by providing structure for what would otherwise be just random facts and figures without any order or direction. This can come in handy when taking exams because test writers often try to trick students into thinking there are “tricky” questions on tests–questions that require special knowledge beyond what was covered during class time or through reading assignments. However, if we have already organized our class notes (and/or other sources of information) using an outline format before taking this exam then we’ll know exactly where everything fits within its broader context!
Take practice tests in advance of your exam so that you can detect what you still need to work on.
Taking practice tests in advance of your exam is a great way to identify what you still need to work on. As you take each practice test, keep track of how well you do on each section and then look over your results at the end of each section. If there are any areas where you consistently score lower than the other sections, use that information as motivation for further study!
Do whatever it takes to help you relax and focus during your exams; this could range from calming music to essential oils or bubble baths!
- Do whatever it takes to help you relax and focus during your exams; this could range from calming music to essential oils or bubble baths!
- If you have a hard time focusing, try using an essential oil diffuser. You can also use these during studying sessions as well. Essential oils are great because they’re natural and won’t dry out your skin like many other products do.
- Another option is taking a bath with Epsom salts or baking soda added to the water; both of these work as natural muscle relaxants so they’ll help you stay calm while studying for an exam (or taking one). It’s also good for detoxing from all the stress in life – especially before an important test!
Effective Exam Preparation Techniques for Improving Reading Comprehension
Effective Exam Preparation Techniques for Improving Reading Comprehension
- Re-read the question.
- Read the passage through once to get a general idea of what it’s about, then read it again and focus on each paragraph in turn. Don’t try to understand every word; just look for important ideas and concepts that will help you answer the questions.
- Write down any questions that come up while reading the passage or after finishing it (e.g., “How does this relate to X?”). You can always go back later if you have time during the exam or at home after taking it!
Conclusion
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of taking an exam, don’t worry. With a little preparation and some good study habits, you can make sure that your test-taking experience is as stress-free as possible. The most important thing is to remember that exams are not about memorizing facts–they are about being able to think critically about what you have read and apply it to real-world situations. So if reading comprehension isn’t your strong suit yet? Don’t panic! With enough practice (and maybe some essential oils), there’s no reason why anyone should struggle with this skill forever.
