STEPS FOR

STUDYING A TEXT
Secondary school students, baccalaureate and adult students
(vocational training, university, entrance exams...)
READING AS THE MAIN
INGREDIENT
6 STEPS

01 INITIAL APPROACH 04 OUTLINE OR SUMMARY

02 RAPID READING 05 INITIAL MEMORISATION

READING FOR MEMORISATION

03 COMPREHENSION
06 AND REVIEW
WHAT MATTERS MOST WHEN
STUDYING A TEXT
READING AS THE MAIN INGREDIENT
Study techniques are not just outlines and summaries. Of the many mistakes made, the most
important one is the lack of reading for understanding.
The following steps are usually followed:
1. Reading superficially once or twice
2. Drawing up an outline which does not serve as a script
3. Trying to memorise again and again, unsuccessfully. A lot of time is usually devoted to
the final point. However, reading must be the basis: it is very hard to assimilate
information which is not understood
 INITIAL
01 APPROACH
STEP 01
INITIAL APPROACH TO THE TEXT
Take a quick look before you start reading, like warming up before a race. Important to revise:
● The title: What is the text about? What am I going to learn?
● The sections and subsections it consists of
● Important boxes, tables or graphs
Deduce in a few minutes the theme of the text. If the theme is of interest, it can be used to look
for additional information, relate with prior information (for example, if it is the theme of a
subject, relate with a previous or subsequent theme). If it is a theme with lots of sections and
subsections, before carrying on, a short table of contents can be drawn up ONLY with the titles
and leave it visible whilst carrying out the successive readings. It is important to devote the
necessary time to this step: the more complex the text, the more necessary this is
02 RAPID READING
STEP 02
RAPID READING
Normal or superficial reading, without stopping anywhere to underline or note down, but
reading the full text from start to finish. This stage will be the warming up
 READING FOR
03 COMPREHENSION
STEP 03
READING FOR COMPREHENSION
This is not just one reading, but there is no specific number. It means reading in detail,
paragraph by paragraph, word by word, inspecting the text and taking out all the information
required to understand it as clearly as possible
This reading includes:
● Underlining and highlighting: there is no perfect way of underlining, but it is important
for the underlining to offer the visual information required to, in just one glance,
remember and locate relevant information, which will facilitate the next step.
● Notes in the margin
● Search for information
 04
OUTLINE OR SUMMARY
STEP 04
OUTLINE OR SUMMARY
Don’t do it until you have understood fully. Differentiating between the outline that you do for
your teacher and the one you do for yourself. The latter should be personalised. Although there
are several types (summary, development outline, key outline…), each person must use
whatever helps them most (which shall also depend on the study objective)

What matters most is for the outline to be used as a script to be memorised:

1. The aim is to reduce the text information and be left with something smaller, but which
contains all the information which needs to be remembered
2. A good outline must be effective: a script so you don’t have to go back to the text every
time
 INITIAL
05 MEMORISATION
STEP 05
INITIAL MEMORISATION
Use the outline or summary as a script and verify whether it can be used to remember what was
read. If you need to go to the text constantly to remember, then the outline is not effective. You
will have to include the information that is missing
 06
MEMORISATION
AND REVIEW
PASO 6
MEMORIZACIÓN Y REPASO
● You can study in a quiet voice, but talk out loud (which is called the production effect).
It is more effective to move around the room talking out loud, act like the teacher, record
a video or audio or present to someone else
● Studying in motion also promotes memorisation
● A review is the successive memorisation repetitions on subsequent days
● It is important to study sufficiently in advance to carry out the necessary reviews before
the day of the exam
FINAL TIPS
The number of readings required shall depend on:

COMPLEXITY OF THE CONTEXT STUDENT’S ABILITY

HOW AND HOW MUCH TO STUDY

CONCENTRATION LEVEL STUDY OBJECTIVE

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