Cheat sheet · Short on time in reading?
5 steps for any reading text.
Read for the answers, not every word. The same five steps work for multiple choice, gaps and matching.
- Check 1
Questions first
Read the questions before the text and underline the key words. Now you know what you are looking for.
ExampleWhy did the writer leave her job?
- Check 2
Skim the whole text once
Read the title, the first line of each paragraph and the last paragraph. About a minute: just what each part is about.
- Check 3
Find the place, then read closely
Scan for the question's words, or words that mean the same. Then read that part slowly, sentence by sentence.
- Check 4
Same meaning, different words
The right answer rarely repeats the text's words; wrong options often do. Match the meaning, not the words.
In the textShe couldn't stand the long hours.
In the answerShe found the working day too long.
- Check 5
Never leave a blank
Out of time? Rule out what is clearly wrong and choose from the rest. A guess can score; a blank can't.
