READING COMPREHENSION TIPS

Every question is like a puzzle. Every piece is there for a reason. ONLY the correct answers (pieces) will fit within the information they’ve given you (rest of the puzzle). If you need to change/ignore parts of the puzzle to make an answer fit, then it’s wrong (creates a false statement). If the piece fits within all of the conditions of the puzzle, then it’s right (creates a true statement). For this reason, you should NEVER, ever use the strikeout tool within the question or passage. Every single word is there for a reason. It either defines the shape of the missing piece (correct answer) or tells you that another piece cannot fit (incorrect answer). Use strikethrough only for canceling out incorrect answers that cannot fit into the puzzle they’ve provided. Use the highlight tool only in the passage or question, for pertinent words that specify the exact shape of piece you’re looking for (i.e., key words like required, must, need, and any information you recognize from the reference materials). The corners of the puzzle are the reference materials. NCARB rarely asks about those directly (i.e., memorization questions), rather they set up scenarios that connect to these corners. That’s how they can prove that there is only one correct answer to their questions, the reference materials make the statements true or false. You don’t have to know every single page of those references to pass, but you need a good understanding of them (or applicable work experience). Puzzles go much quicker & easier when you have all four corners set up. If you have at least one corner, then you can use the highlight and strikeout tools in the way I’ve explained above. This’ll increase your chances at making a correct, educated guess. Flag the question and move on. Sometimes, you’ll find another corner/puzzle piece in the rest of the exam. If that happens, you can quickly return to the question, read only the highlighted words and find the correct answer within seconds. Every second counts. Use the tools they give you to increase your speed and to finely tune your reading comprehension skills. I hope this helps! Best of luck!