Verbal aptitude tests are a common part of many admission exams, selection tests, and academic and employment evaluations.
These tests assess the ability to understand and analyze information presented in the form of text. One of the key skills to succeed in verbal aptitude tests is reading comprehension: the ability to understand and process information effectively.
In this article, we will explore effective strategies to develop your reading comprehension skills and confidently face verbal aptitude tests.
Practice Active Reading
Active reading is a fundamental strategy for improving reading comprehension.
When reading a text, actively engage with the content by asking questions, summarizing key ideas, and making connections with your own knowledge and experiences.
Practice techniques such as underlining, taking notes, and making outlines to help you organize and process information as you read.
Strategies for Practicing Active Reading
Pre-reading
Before starting to read, it's useful to do a quick pre-reading of the text. This involves reviewing titles, subtitles, graphics, and summaries. This initial exploration provides a general framework of the content and main themes.
Question Formulation
Asking questions before and during reading keeps us focused and curious. Questions like 'What is the main purpose of this text?' or 'What evidence does the author provide to support their arguments?' guide our attention to the most important aspects.
Underlining or Annotations
Underlining key phrases and making annotations in the margins of the text helps highlight vital information and record our reflections and questions. This practice facilitates later review and study.
Summaries or Paraphrases
Summarizing each section of the text in our own words is an excellent way to ensure understanding. Paraphrasing requires the reader to process and reinterpret information, strengthening retention.
Discussion and Debate
Sharing our ideas and conclusions with others, whether in an academic setting or a reading group, enriches the reading experience. The exchange of perspectives broadens our understanding and allows us to see the text from different angles.
Rereading and Reflection
Rereading important passages and reflecting on the content allows for deeper understanding. This process helps consolidate knowledge and uncover new layers of meaning.
Expand Your Vocabulary
A broad vocabulary is essential for understanding complex texts and successfully tackling verbal aptitude tests.
- Dedicate regular time to learning new words and expanding your vocabulary.
- Read books, articles, and other varied reading materials to expose yourself to a wide range of words and contexts.
- Use dictionaries and vocabulary apps to study and practice new words.
Using Dictionaries
Consulting a dictionary to understand the meaning of an unfamiliar word is just the first step. Using a thesaurus allows discovering synonyms and antonyms, enriching our expression.
Practicing Creative Writing
Creative writing is an excellent way to incorporate new vocabulary into our linguistic production. By writing stories, essays, or even personal journals, we can challenge our vocabulary:
- Writing Exercises with New Words: Try to write paragraphs using newly learned words.
- Writing Games: Participate in games and writing challenges that encourage the use of a broad and creative vocabulary.
- Cultural Immersion: Traveling, watching movies, listening to music, and consuming media in the target language exposes us to new vocabulary in real-life contexts.
Improve Your Comprehension Skills
Reading comprehension is not just about understanding individual words, but also about grasping the overall meaning of the text.
- Practice identifying themes, main ideas, important details, and relationships between different parts of the text.
- Ask questions about who, what, when, where, why, and how to deepen your understanding and critically analyze the information presented.
Before starting to work on improving reading speed, it's important to know our starting point:
Measuring Current Reading Speed
Read a text of known length and measure the time it takes to complete it. Calculate words per minute (wpm) by dividing the total number of words by the time in minutes.
Evaluating Comprehension
After reading, summarize or answer questions about the text to assess comprehension.
Eliminating Subvocalization
Subvocalization, or the habit of mentally pronouncing each word while reading, can significantly slow down reading speed:
Practicing Silent Reading
Trying to read without pronouncing words in the mind, focusing on visualizing the words and their meanings.
Using Visual Guides
Running a finger or a pencil under the lines of text to maintain pace and avoid subvocalization.
Work on Reading Speed
Reading speed is another important aspect of reading comprehension, especially during verbal aptitude tests with strict time limits.
Practice techniques to increase your reading speed, such as eliminating subvocalization, using peripheral vision, and avoiding regression (flipping back to reread parts of the text).
However, make sure to maintain a balance between speed and comprehension to avoid overlooking important information.
Do Practice Exercises
Regular practice is key to developing your reading comprehension skills.
For this, you can do the following:
- Dedicate time to solving practice exercises similar to those you will encounter in verbal aptitude tests.
- You can find examples of such exercises in exam preparation books, online, or in mobile applications.
- The more you practice, the more familiar you will become with the types of questions and texts you can expect in the test, which will help you feel more comfortable and confident during the assessment.
Developing your reading comprehension skills is essential to successfully tackle verbal aptitude tests. By practicing active reading, expanding your vocabulary, improving your comprehension skills, working on reading speed, and doing practice exercises, you will be better prepared to understand and analyze texts effectively during the test.
With determination and practice, you can develop your reading comprehension skills and overcome any challenges you encounter in verbal aptitude tests.
