2021 / 2022 ASVAB For Dummies. Angie Papple Johnston

reading skills.

      For many people, 13 to 27 minutes is enough time to read all the passages, understand the questions, and choose the correct answers. But slow readers may have more difficulty answering all the questions before time is up. Don’t despair: Take the suggestions in this section to help build your reading speed. Of course, they require work, but you knew the mission came with its challenges, right?

      Read more, watch less

      If you’re a slow reader, chances are you don’t do a lot of reading. If you have plenty of time before you’re due to take the ASVAB, start reading more — right now. It’s in your best interest.

       You don’t have to pick up A Tale of Two Cities or War and Peace; you can start with the newspaper, a biography of a person you admire, or magazines you find at the library. (Sorry, but the instruction guide to your favorite video game doesn’t count.) You don’t need to enroll in a speed-reading course. If you devote at least one hour a day simply to reading, you’ll see your reading comprehension and speed increase within a month or so.

       Several studies have shown that folks who enjoy reading as a pleasurable pastime score better on reading comprehension tests than individuals who dislike reading. Sounds obvious, right? So why study it? The idea is if you grow to enjoy reading, you’ll want to read more. You’ll become a better reader and thereby score better on reading comprehension tests. How do you discover an enjoyment of reading? Simple — choose reading material in subject areas that interest you.

      Become a lean, mean word machine

      People sometimes read slowly because they don’t have a large vocabulary and don’t understand everything they read. If you can identify with this situation, improving your vocabulary is your first step toward increasing your reading comprehension and your reading speed. (Chapter 4 gives you info on building your word knowledge. Check it out.)

       Keep a pocket dictionary or a smartphone dictionary app handy while reading so you can look up words you don’t know. If you’re reading articles on the Internet, keep a tab open to one of the online dictionaries (such as www.dictionary.com, www.yourdictionary.com, or www.m-w.com) so you can quickly find the definition of words you find confusing. Your reading will become more enjoyable, and you’ll be adding to your vocabulary knowledge to boot.

      Build your confidence

      Another reason people read slowly is that they don’t have confidence in themselves. They’re not convinced that they understand what they’re reading, so they read a passage several times, trying to make sure they haven’t missed anything. But just like people who check that the front door is locked 15 times before leaving for vacation and still lie awake at night wondering whether they locked the door, you’ll find that reading and rereading a passage doesn’t give you confidence that you understand the text. You get confidence from proving that you understand it.

How do you prove to yourself that you understand what you’re reading? Here are a few tips:

       Get out a textbook or reference book (preferably one that contains some subject matter that interests you) and read one or two paragraphs straight through without going back and rereading anything. Then set the book aside (keeping your place marked) and write, in your own words, a brief description of what you’ve read. Finally, turn back to the passage and compare your description to the information on the page.

       Play the 20-questions game. Read an article from a magazine, reference book, or textbook. Then ask someone to pick out facts from the article and ask you questions.

       Create motivation and interest by reading the daily newspaper or news magazines. Discuss the news events with your classmates, friends, or co-workers. Stronger interest equals greater comprehension.

      Is your written version of the article close in meaning to the original? Are you getting most of the 20 questions correct? Do you feel comfortable discussing current events with others? If so, you understand what you’re reading, and that should build your confidence. If not, don’t toss the book or magazine aside in frustration or go ballistic on your mom for asking you tough questions. Keep working on it, and your comprehension will improve. Do the preceding confidence-building drills a few times a day until you feel like you can read any paragraph or two and understand the content without having to reread the information.

       The Paragraph Comprehension subtest tests your ability to understand what you read, not how quickly you can read it. When you sit down to take this subtest, try to go as quickly as you can without sacrificing accuracy. Being methodical in your reading isn’t a bad thing as long as you’re getting the answers right. Just try to read a little faster than normal without panicking or missing the point. It’s better to read the paragraphs carefully and answer the questions correctly on half of the questions and guess on the other half of the questions than it is to speed through all the reading and get none of the answers right.

Test-Taking Tips for Reading and Gleaning

      Although no shortcuts exist for improving your reading comprehension skills (besides practice), you can do a few things on test day to make sure you score as high as possible on this part of the ASVAB.

       If you’re running out of time on this subtest or you’re not sure whether you can identify the main idea of a passage, take a guess. (But be careful: Guessing and getting too many questions wrong at the end of the subtest may result in a penalty against your score.) If you think that’s a good piece of advice, check out these tried-and-true tactics for test day:

       Read first, ask questions later. Read the passage all the way through before glancing at the question and answer options.

       Take it one question at a time. Some passages have more than one question associated with them, but look at only one question at a time.

       Understand each question. What’s the question asking you to do? Are you supposed to find the main point? Draw a conclusion? Find a word that’s nearest in meaning? Make sure you know what the question is asking before you choose among the answer options. This tip may seem obvious, but when you’re in a hurry, you can make mistakes by misunderstanding the questions.

       Read each answer option carefully. Don’t just select the first answer that seems right. Remember, on the Paragraph Comprehension subtest, one answer is often most right and others are almost right. You want to choose the most right answer, not the almost right answer. And to do that, you have to read all the answers.

       Check your feelings at the door. Answer each question based on the passage, not your own opinions or views on the topic.

       Don’t choose vague answer options. They’re incorrect 99.99 times out of 100. (Oh heck, call it 100 times out of 100.) If an answer strikes you as not quite true but not totally false, that answer is incorrect. The ASVAB test authors have put those answers in there to throw you off. Don’t give them the satisfaction of falling for their trap!

       (Almost) never select never. For the most part, answer options that are absolutes are incorrect. Never,