| The Paragraph Comprehension subtest has 15 | | | | for the main idea. You should be able to easily |
| ASVAB questions with a total time limit of only 13 | | | | disqualify a few of the answers because they will |
| minutes which works out to about 51 seconds per | | | | be contradictory or extreme. |
| question. There are four types of question and | | | | Inference Questions |
| the subject matter will quite often be unfamiliar | | | | If by reading the question first you discover that |
| by design. | | | | you have an inference question, this is a good |
| Be prepared to address the following ASVAB | | | | indication that you need to read the passage very |
| question types: | | | | carefully. You must rely solely on the information |
| | | | in the passage and not what you think you know |
| 1. Main Idea | | | | about a subject or how you feel about as |
| 2. Details | | | | subject. The answer is there but not in plain sight. |
| 3. Inference | | | | Stick with the facts and what is directly implied in |
| 4. Vocabulary in Context | | | | the passage. |
| The passages could be long or short and more | | | | Sometimes, the tester will trick you into thinking |
| than one question will often apply to a single | | | | you have an inference question when it is really a |
| passage. Even fast readers need to employ some | | | | detail question by asking you what is implied while |
| sort of strategy for the greatest chance of | | | | the answer is explicitly stated within the passage. |
| success in the Paragraph Comprehension subtest. | | | | Vocabulary in Context Questions |
| I consistently recommend the following approach | | | | The correct answer will be a word that replaces |
| which seems to pretty well and is not hard to | | | | the word in question without changing the |
| execute. | | | | meaning of the sentence. As you are reading, |
| Step 1: Read the Question First to find out | | | | think of your own words that might work in the |
| exactly what they are asking for. This will indicate | | | | sentence. See if a similar word is one of the |
| what type of question it is and allow you to | | | | answer choices. Also look for words that are the |
| employ further strategy as described below. | | | | opposite of what you are thinking so you can |
| Step 2: Read the Passage. | | | | disqualify those choices. The answer may come |
| Step 3: Consider the Answers. You should look | | | | to you through process of elimination. |
| for disqualification clues as you go. If an answer is | | | | Tips for Slow Readers |
| extreme or seems to contradict the passage it is | | | | If you are a slow reader, you could be in trouble |
| usually incorrect. Words like always or never are | | | | on the Paragraph Comprehension subtest. The |
| typically good disqualification words. | | | | techniques I described earlier will certainly help you |
| Main Idea Questions | | | | and probably improve your score on this section |
| Very often you will find the main idea stated in | | | | but you are going to have to increase your |
| the first or last sentence. If you notice words like | | | | reading speed to do well on this section. |
| but, however, nonetheless, yet and although the | | | | You should set aside an hour per day for |
| idea is usually changing direction. These are called | | | | recreational reading. You can read a magazine, the |
| "contrast clues" and the main idea is typically | | | | newspaper, books or internet articles. It does not |
| found soon after in the passage. | | | | matter so much what you read as how often |
| Detail Questions | | | | you read. You may even try exercises like |
| The correct answer in a detail question is most | | | | paraphrasing articles or having a friend ask you |
| commonly a paraphrase of something you find in | | | | some details about an article after you read it. |
| the passage. Do not over analyze and do not look | | | | |