How Students Can Improve Their Reading Comprehension: Q&A with Giovanni

Giovanni: There are a few major reasons that students struggle with their reading skills. The biggest and most common issue I see is that the majority of students read passively. They move through the words without really engaging with the text; they look for the “plot” or the “main point” without considering style, argument, structure, tone, or rhetorical devices. Students don’t understand that reading—and particularly reading literature—is an art, not a science. Rather than looking for the one main point or seeing a given text as information being transmitted, they should look beneath the surface to interpret and analyze the language, structure, and overall composition.

Another major struggle is students’ limited vocabulary. On the one hand, a broad vocabulary is an asset for the reading comprehension portions of standardized tests, as students are often asked to define selected terms. But a broader vocabulary is also fundamental to understanding written materials more generally—put simply, you can’t make sense of a text if you don’t understand half of its words. While many students assume that you can crack open a thesaurus to develop these skills, it isn’t that simple—meaning is often contextual and dynamic, and the best way to develop one’s vocabulary is by reading.

Finally, particularly when it comes to standardized tests, students struggle with speed. The ACT and SAT not only require students to comprehend and analyze written material thoroughly, they also require students to do so quickly. Students need to familiarize themselves with a wide range of texts—literature, social sciences, natural sciences—in order to move between genres quickly on test day.

Giovanni: Both tests assess your ability to understand, interpret, and analyze texts—but they go about it differently. Understanding what each test is looking for is the first step toward improving your performance.

The SAT places heavy emphasis on evidence-based reading. Students might be asked to use a graph to support a claim in the text or to cite a passage that best supports their answer. It’s therefore all about finding and using evidence effectively. Students need to employ smart test-taking strategies, such as eliminating answers that aren’t explicitly supported in the passage or identifying key words in the questions that indicate where to look in the passage.

The ACT, on the other hand, moves at a faster pace. It typically includes more questions about specific details—which means you need to be good at recalling facts and citing particular lines. The ACT can feel more intense because it offers less time per passage than the SAT.

In either case, it’s not just about understanding what the author is saying—but also why they’re saying it and how the text is structured. What’s the argument? What’s the tone? How does the author develop their point? The more students can consider these deeper questions when they first encounter the passage, the more equipped they will be to answer the questions each test poses quickly.

Giovanni: Reading more is always advisable, but the key ultimately lies in the quality rather than the quantity of your reading. Improving reading comprehension requires the development of active reading habits. That means annotating passages, summarizing as you go, asking questions, looking up unfamiliar words and writing their meaning in the margins, and reverse outlining texts to better understand their structure. Every student learns differently, so I encourage my students to develop their own active reading process through trial and error. What matters most is that students move beyond simply skimming the surface of a text and actively engage with it.

Aside from independently developing their reading skills, students can also take practice SAT and ACT tests to familiarize themselves with the test-taking format. Doing so is particularly helpful for understanding the correct pacing and timing of the tests. When reviewing practice tests, don’t just check if your answers were right or wrong—think about why you picked the answers you picked. Why was one answer correct and another one not? Are you consistently falling for trap answers? Are you misunderstanding tone or argument structure? Noticing these patterns can help you avoid making the same mistakes next time.

Giovanni: A lot of students and parents are looking for a magic title that will “fix” their reading comprehension issues—unfortunately, that doesn’t exist. Developing reading skills requires patience and practice, and one book won’t alleviate all of the struggles. That being said, I recommend a few things that can help students cultivate reading skills over time. First, I encourage students to read across a variety of genres. Pick up The New York Times and The New Yorker; read higher-level nonfiction and fiction you enjoy. Additionally, literary classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Pride and Prejudice will help a student develop a taste for more sophisticated prose than they would find in the average YA fiction they might be inclined to read. Finally, diversifying the topics and the genres you read can help prepare you for standardized tests—read history, natural science, social issues, and personal reflections, paying attention to the differences in styles and vocabulary in each. Comparing and contrasting these different materials might allow you to notice elements of a text that you would otherwise miss.

Giovanni: At Command, we tailor our approach to each student, which is critical for those who face learning gaps or who haven’t yet been taught effective reading strategies. The first step is meeting them where they are, understanding their current reading habits and how they approach texts. I always ask my students, “What works for you?” Do they like annotating? Summarizing? Talking it through? There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, so I try to build off of whatever they already know to be effective for them.

From there, we build a personalized strategy to help them read more actively and effectively. I help them not only discover what works for them to become better active readers, but also find texts that they will enjoy and connect with as they practice their skills.

Finally, when it comes to test prep, we work closely with students to identify the types of questions they tend to miss and build targeted strategies for improvement. We don’t just want to understand which questions students struggle with, but why—what their thought process is and how they can adjust their critical thinking to see lasting, long-term improvement. Just as importantly, we help students build confidence. I want my students to feel that these passages aren’t too hard for them. I work with them to shift their mindset from viewing reading comprehension as a struggle into seeing it as a strength.