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Reading Strategies for the NSW Selective Test
Reading rewards careful thinking, not fast skimming. These are the techniques that change a score — what to do with a passage, how to choose between two plausible options, and how to spend the 45 minutes.
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Read for meaning before you answer
- ✓Read the whole passage once, for sense, before looking at the questions.
- ✓Notice the shape: what changes between the beginning and the end?
- ✓On a long passage, glance at the questions first so you know what to hunt for.
Answer from evidence, not memory
- ✓Find the line that proves your answer before you commit to it.
- ✓If you cannot point at a line, you are guessing — narrow it down instead.
- ✓Read the sentence either side of your evidence; the meaning often sits next to it.
Eliminate wrong answers
- ✓Cross out options that are too extreme or absolute.
- ✓Beware answers that are true but do not answer the question asked.
- ✓When two options say nearly the same thing, neither is usually the answer.
Work out what is implied
- ✓Ask what the writer suggests but never states outright.
- ✓Test a choice by asking: could this be false and the passage still make sense?
- ✓Prefer the modest reading over the dramatic one — the text has to support it.
Manage your time
- ✓Budget time per passage and stick to it.
- ✓Flag a hard question and move on — come back with fresh eyes.
- ✓Do not let one tricky question cost you three easy ones.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Choosing an answer that’s true but not what the question asked.
- Relying on memory of the passage instead of re-checking the text.
- Rushing the final passage and losing easy marks.
Try these on a real paper
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