Test Strategy

• Do a think-aloud sprint of 8 to 10 Reading question stems, shown one at a time on screen with a short excerpt when needed
• For each stem, name the question type and the first move (where in the passage to look) within about 10 seconds, without fully solving
• Sort the types into 'fast' (key detail, vocabulary in context) and 'slow' (inference, paragraph function, paired comparison) and agree to answer the fast ones first within a passage
• Check your pacing against your own plan (34 or more: about 9 minutes per passage; otherwise about 10), and the order rule: specific and line-reference questions first, whole-passage questions last
• Then take the full timed Reading section in the practice area and debrief it yourself: score it, name one habit that worked, and review only the misses

Reading facts: 36 questions in 40 minutes, four passages of 9 questions, about 10 minutes per passage, and you may do the passages in any order. Type cues and first moves: main idea, reread the first and last paragraphs. Key detail, scan for the keyword and find the line. Vocabulary in context, cover the word and predict a replacement. Inference, find the supporting line and take one small step. Function of a paragraph, read the sentence before and after and name its job. Author's purpose or tone, recall the overall attitude and reject extreme words. Paired-passage comparison, state each author's claim in one sentence. Most students run out of time because they reread the passage too many times. A workable split is about 3 to 4 minutes reading and 6 to 7 minutes on the 9 questions. When the time for a passage is up, guess on what is left and move on. The time per passage comes from your target: 34 or more, about 9 minutes, which leaves a few minutes to check; otherwise about 10. Order within a passage: answer the specific and line-reference questions first and the whole-passage and main-idea questions last, because the specific questions teach you the passage. When two choices survive, compare them word by word and find the one word (scope, strength, or who did what) that the passage does not support; top scorers lose most Reading points in that last comparison. After the timed section: score it, name one habit that worked, and review only the misses.

• Use the timer in the practice area for each passage, and check your time after each one.
• If you consistently run out of time, answer the detail and vocabulary questions first, then the inference questions.
• Remember: you do not need to understand every sentence. You need to answer 9 questions correctly.