1. Reading Comprehension

2. The Kaplan Method for Reading Comprehension
Read the passage strategically
Analyze the question stem
Research the relevant text in the passage
Make a prediction
Evaluate the answer choices

3. Read the Passage Strategically
Identify the topic and purpose of the passage
Note the structure and main points
Recognize the main idea, conclusion, arguments, meaning, tone, and implications

4. Analyze the Question Stem
Be cautious and try not to allow the nature of the stem to influence your interpretation of the passage
The question stem may indicate a relationship between the answers

5. Research the Relevant Text in the Passage
You should have a good idea of where to find the answer in the text based on Step One

6. Make a Prediction
You will often have the opportunity to formulate a prediction to the questions
Try to form a response in your mind or find the choices that will most likely contain the answer

7. Evaluate the Answer Choices
It is important to read and consider each answer choice
Eliminating incorrect answers may narrow down the choices for questions that are hard and validates the section you are considering

8. Approaching Reading Comprehension Questions
Think of Reading Comprehension as a book
The correct answer to every question is somewhere in the book
Reading comprehension questions are tricky
Test takers often spend too much time trying to understand what they have read
Your critical thinking skills may cause you to overanalyze the text

9. Short Passages Usually 12-15 lines Read the entire passage quickly
Identify the topic sentence, skim the middle, and read the last line carefully

10. Medium Passages Usually 16-20 lines Read the entire passage quickly
Read the first two lines, skim the middle, and read the final line carefully

11. Long Passages Usually 40-50 lines
Read the first line of each paragraph and skim the rest of the passage
Identify trigger words
Carefully read the last line of the entire passage

12. Types of Questions Fetch Questions Reasoning Questions
Asks you to “fetch” information from the passage
Generally asks for the meaning of a word, the author’s tone, a fact from the reading, or the main idea of the passage
Reasoning Questions
Asks you to use critical reasoning skills
May ask questions about conclusions, premises, and assumptions
May ask why the author used a particular word, the inferences you can draw from the passage, or the author’s intended audience

13. Question Formats Single Answer Multiple Answers
The traditional multiple-choice questions with five answer choices, of which you must select one.
Multiple Answers
These questions provide three answer choices and ask you to select all that are correct; one, two or all three of the answer choices may be correct. To gain credit for these questions, you must select all the correct answers, and only those; there is no credit for partially correct answers.

14. Question Formats Select in Passage
These questions ask you to click on the sentence in the passage that meets a certain description. To answer the question, choose one of the sentences and click on it; clicking anywhere on a sentence will highlight it. In longer passages, the question will usually apply to only one or two specified paragraphs, marked by an arrow (); clicking on a sentence elsewhere in the passage will not highlight it.