How to Study

Become an Active Reader
I urge you to quiz yourself on written material to ascertain how well
you retain it. If this doesn’t work, try asking the questions before you
read the material.
For instance, even though I have been an avid reader throughout
much of my academic life, I had some trouble with the reading
comprehension sections of standardized tests the first couple of times
I attempted them. Why? I think I had a tendency to rush through
these sections.
Then someone suggested to me that I read the questions before I read
the passage. Presto! Great scores in reading comprehension (765
points on my verbal SAT for all of you doubters!).
While you won’t always have such a ready-made list of questions,
there are other sources—the summaries at the beginnings of chap-
ters or the synopses in tables of contents. Pay attention to these.
This technique will train your mind to hone in on those important
details when they arise in the story. It would also be a good idea to
ask yourself these questions immediately after you finish the chapter.
It will help you decide whether you “got” the important points of the
chapter and help you retain the information longer.
Chapter 3 
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How to Read and Remember
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Understand, Don’t Memorize
Approach any text with the intent of understanding it rather than
memorizing it. Understanding is a key part of memorization. Don’t
stop the flow of information during your reading (other than to under-
line and take notes). Go back and memorize later.
Organize the Material
Our minds crave order. Optical illusions work because the mind is
bent on imposing order on every piece of information coming in from
the senses. As you read, think of ways to organize the material to help
your mind absorb it.
I always liked diagrams with single words and short phrases connected
with arrows to show cause-and-effect relationships. Or I would use
a special mark (a triangle) to highlight in texts the reasons things
occurred.