Scanning

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You should not be reading when you are scanning.

What is scanning?

Scanning is trying to find the keyword in the paragraph. You are searching for a word rather than reading the paragraph. You should know which paragraph to scan from you skim read.

Why do I scan for words?

It is a very useful time saving technique. You are able to locate the answer quickly.

What if I cannot find the word?

It is likely a synonym of the word from the question.
You might be in the wrong paragraph.

Steps involved in using scanning

Step 1 - choose a keyword from the question. This should be an unusual content word (noun, verb, adjective, adverb). You should know which words were uncommon from your skim read.

Step 2 - think of synonyms for that word. The word in the passage is often different from the word used in the question.

Step 3 - think of the correct paragraph to scan. You should know this from your skim read.

Step 4 - scan the relevant paragraph for the keyword.

Step 5 - read carefully around the word for the answer and check the question again carefully.

Scanning techniques

There are various different ways to scan as shown below. You should try different methods and find the one that works best for you.