Skimming and scanning for PTE Reading

Many learners read a test passage the way they read a novel: every word, in order, with a small voice sounding out each one. That is a fine way to enjoy a book and a slow way to answer questions against a clock. Skimming and scanning are two faster ways of reading, and they are easy to mix up.

Two jobs for your eyes

Skimming is reading quickly to get the gist: what is this about, and where does the writer end up? You read the first sentence and the last, the opening sentence of each paragraph if there are several, and let your eyes glide over the middle.

Scanning is hunting for one specific thing: a name, a number, a date, a key word from a question. You do not read. You look for the shape of what you want and stop only when you find it.

Skimming gives you the map. Scanning takes you to one address on it.

Which task wants which

• Fill in the Blanks, drop-down and drag-and-drop: skim the whole passage for topic and direction, then read closely around each gap.
• Re-order Paragraphs: skim each box to learn what it is about, then scan for linking words, pronouns and dates.
• Multiple choice, single answer: skim for the topic, scan for the keywords of the question, then read the evidence sentence closely.
• Multiple choice, multiple answers: scan for evidence for each option in turn.
• Summarize Written Text: skim to find the main idea, then read the supporting sentences once.

In every case the close reading comes last and covers only a sentence or two. The skill is to arrive there quickly.

Read in phrases, not words

Slow readers tend to take in one word at a time, mouth the words, and go back to re-read. Try to take in a small group of words with each look: "in recent years", "a large part of", "it is widely believed". Two habits help.

• Stop mouthing. If your lips move, you are reading at talking speed. Keep them still. The inner voice can stay, but let it skip the small words.
• Keep moving. Use your cursor, or a pen on a printed article, as a pacer, and refuse to go back unless a question sends you back. Re-reading is often a habit and not a need.

A short worked example

This paragraph is my own, written for illustration.

Skimming. Read only the first sentence (night work is often a necessity, not a choice) and the last (employers can ease it). In twenty seconds you can already state the main idea: for many people night work is a necessity, and employers can make it easier to bear. The middle sentences would only add detail.

Scanning. Suppose a question asks which kinds of employer cannot stop at six o'clock. Take the distinctive words from the question, "stop" and "six o'clock", and let your eyes hunt for them. They land in the second sentence, and the answer sits just before them: "Hospitals, bakeries and delivery firms". You did not need to read the rest.

Two drills, two minutes each

Both work with any news article.

1. The 20-second skim. Choose a paragraph. Set a timer for twenty seconds and read only the first and last sentences, with a glance through the middle for words that repeat. Look away and say the main idea aloud in one sentence. Then read the paragraph properly and score yourself: right, partly right or missed. Three paragraphs take about two minutes.
2. The two-minute scan. Before you read, write five targets on paper: a person's name, a number, a place, a date and a quoted phrase. Give yourself two minutes to find all five in the article, underlining as you go. A news article will usually contain them all. If it does not, choose another.

Do one drill in the morning and one in the evening. After a week you should find that you know where to look before you start.

For your next step, try both drills tonight with an article you have not read, then do a reading task in the practice tests on this site and notice whether you skim first or start at word one. Two tasks where this pays off straight away are covered in the linking clues for Re-order Paragraphs and the single-answer method.