Sensei_mike -

Here is some advice that I recently posted - it ended up in the strategy forum rather than in this one so I should post it here as well.

Let me know if this makes sense to you and if you have any additional questions about it. Basically, this strategy is designed to promote three goals: 1) To not have to re-read the passage 2) To know the primary purpose (main idea) of the passage 3) To be able to quickly go back to re-read for the specific questions.

Anyway this is the earlier post. Let me know if I can expand or clarify...

"I guess that everyone does have a different strategy for addressing reading comprehension. But, no matter what strategy you use, the most important thing is that you find a way to get engaged in reading the passage at the correct level of detail. I can see problems in the way that the strategies you mention might be implemented. For example, the suggestion to read only the first and last paragraph, or any suggestion to skim the passage would be counter-productive because you need to know several things when you have finished reading the passage: the main idea of the passage, the tone of the passage, and what is in each paragraph so that you can return to find specific answers. There is no reason to treat the short and long passages differently.

It is also unproductive to read the passage 2 or 3 times and then not return to the passage at all. About 75% of reading comp questions can best be addressed by returning to the passage and rereading the correct portion. Reading the passage over and over would not be a substitute for this and would take way too long. Better to stop at the end of each paragraph and write down just a few words (6-12) that capture the main idea of the paragraph - this will help you return to get correct answers.

Writing down the main idea for each paragraph does not take too long. Also, you should be actively reading, anticipating what the author is going to say next and noting when the author makes her opinion known. Be thinking in terms of the scope of the passage and the tone as well. Don't be afraid to take some time to read the passage and to understand it. There are only 3-4 passages, while there are 14 questions and 70 answer choices. It is in the answer choices that you can save time. Understand each passage, not at the level of writing down dates and names - this actually obscures the main point of the passage - but rather at the level of the main idea of each paragraph. And take the time to look into each question before you answer it. If it is a question that is specific enough to send you back to a specific paragraph take the time to go there."