Tips for those Taking State Certifying Exams: Reading/Question Order

As we mentioned at the beginning of the unit, you have some options with which strategies you want to use on your exam. One option you have is the order that you review the material. You could read first, then answer questions, or review questions first and then read – it's up to you to decide what works best.

This brief article describes both strategies. You can practice each and choose which you prefer in the practice exercises for this unit.

Questions or Reading First?

Reading tests can be daunting. There is a lot to read in a short amount of time, and you need to understand it well enough to answer a series of questions correctly. When asked how to best accomplish this, we often hear two different pieces of advice:

  1. Read the passage, annotate, then answer the questions
    OR
  2. Read the questions, then read the passage and annotate based on the questions you remember


Which is it? How should you approach a reading test?

The answer: There's no one right way to do it. If you practice, you'll find the strategy that works best for you to get the most correct answers in the shortest amount of time.

Let's go over both options, and you can try them out on the Unit 1 quiz to see which you prefer.

Option 1: Read the passage, annotate, then answer the questions

For this strategy, you read the passage first (remember to keep in mind how much you have and how many passages you have to read) and annotate. Use the annotation strategies we learned about earlier in Unit 1 to keep track of importNt information.

When you're done reading, complete the questions, starting with the most general question first. For example, a question that asks for a summary or central theme is better to start with than one that asks for a specific word's inference.

Use your annotations to help you answer the more specific questions. Only refer back to the reading if you need to check something specific that you are unsure of based on your notes.


Option 2: Read the questions, then read the passage and annotate based on the questions you remember

This strategy flips things around. In this strategy, review the questions first. Skim them for key phrases like "according to the reading" or "based on the text" to see where you may need to remember specific details.

Then turn to the reading and annotate it with the questions in mind. When you're done reading, turn back to the questions and answer the most specific ones first (since those details will still be clear in your mind). Then answer the more general questions. As with option 1 only turn back to the reading a second time if you absolutely need to.


Practice each strategy and decide which one helps you best manage your time and remember the details from the reading. Once you have a strategy you prefer, practice it on different passages until you're comfortable and confident in its use.

Source: Saylor Academy
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Last modified: Thursday, May 19, 2022, 12:55 PM