SSAT Elementary Level Reading

A friendly introduction to reading comprehension skills for the SSAT Elementary Level.

Understanding Main IdeasFinding DetailsUnderstanding Vocabulary in Context
Making InferencesIdentifying Author's PurposeSequencing Events
Reading for Fun and LearningUsing Reading Skills in Everyday LifeSharing What You Read
Skimming and ScanningAnswering Multiple-Choice Questions
Understanding Main I...Finding DetailsUnderstanding Vocabu...Making InferencesIdentifying Author's...Sequencing EventsReading for Fun and ...Using Reading Skills...Sharing What You Rea...Skimming and Scannin...Answering Multiple-C...
Study Strategies

Skimming and Scanning

Quick Reading Tricks

Skimming means looking quickly over the text to get the general idea, while scanning is searching for specific information or keywords. These strategies can help you manage your time on the SSAT and find answers faster.

When to Use Them

  • Skim first to understand what the passage is about.
  • Scan when you need to find a particular fact or detail.

Helpful Hints

Practice these skills with short news articles or when looking for information in your textbooks.

Examples

  • Skimming the first and last sentence of a paragraph to get the main idea.

  • Scanning the passage to find the word 'puppy' when a question asks about the puppy.

Next
Answering Multiple-Choice Questions