Three-pass reading and the SQ3R method
The reference strategy for difficult texts: three passes at different speeds.
Why three passes
On a difficult text, one slow reading is the worst choice: you advance with no map, you exhaust yourself on details before knowing what matters, and you forget the beginning before you reach the end.
Three fast passes beat one slow one, for three reasons: the structure is known by the end of pass 1, the testing effect operates at each repeat, and the spacing improves consolidation.
The three passes
Pass 1: mapping, five to ten per cent of the time
Objective: the structure. Headings, subheadings, first and last sentence of each section, diagrams, conclusion. Speed: skimming. Expected output: a written outline in five to ten points.
Pass 2: the substance, sixty to seventy per cent of the time
Objective: the ideas and the arguments. Reading with a guide, at a sustained pace, skipping redundant examples. You mark difficult passages instead of stopping on them: a line in the margin, and you carry on. Expected output: the main notes, or the mind map from chapter 5.
Pass 3: the difficulties, twenty to thirty per cent of the time
The rest is part of the Speed Reading module
Unlock this lesson and the other 15, with the 4 practical resources and the complete protocol.
Lifetime access · Instant access
Would you rather try first? Read the free lessons