Regardless of the subject matter, most university courses require a significant amount of reading. Reading can be one of the most difficult aspects of student life to keep up with, with dozens of pages assigned each week. Even if you stay on top of your readings, the content can start to blur from one module to the next, and be easily forgotten. But don’t give up yet! With the SQ3R method, you can read in a way that will help you retain the most important information, without taking too much of your time. Here is how you can use the SQ3R Method to study.
Survey
When you start your reading, you may have the instinct to start at the beginning and dive right in. Instead, briefly look over the entire essay or set of pages. Make note of headlines or subtitles throughout. If there are no subtitles, look at the topic sentence of each main paragraph. This will give you a good overview of what you’ll be learning about before you even begin.
See also: How To Ask More Questions In A Lecture
Question
Before you read, write down any questions you have going in. Then, as you read, continue to write down any questions that come up. These don’t have to be significant theoretical or thematic questions — it can simply be about the meaning of a word or highlighting areas that you might need additional context to understand. This will make it easier to build your understanding later, either by asking your lecturer or researching on your own.
Read
With the big themes of the reading and your questions in mind, read through the text. Actively take notes as you go, identifying at least one bullet point for each major paragraph. See if you can find the answers to any of the questions you have so far.
Recite
Once you’re finished reading, put everything you learned into your own words. This does not have to be a long entry, only a few succinct sentences.
Review
Finally, do a review of the whole process. Are there any questions you had that remain unanswered? Are there any new questions that have come up now that you’re done? This is also a stage where you can begin to draw connections with other topics.