When you opened your syllabus the beginning of your semester, did you groan aloud at the 100 page reading assignments? If you’re in the last minute rush before finals you may be overwhelmed with all this undone reading. And while I posted a few weeks about boosting reading speed, if you aren’t understanding what you’re reading, speed is pretty much irrelevant.

There is more than one way to increase your reading comprehension, and perhaps by now you have one that works for you. The most basic thing you can do to enhance reading comprehension is to have a clear idea of why you are reading. When you sit down to read, ask yourself (although probably not out loud, unless you’re in that soundproofed cave we talked about earlier), “What is the point of me spending my time to read this material?” Are you trying to memorize facts? Understand a complicated physiological process? Obtain a working knowledge of an issue?

Then, as you read, stop after every main topic, paragraph, or sentence if you have to, and ask yourself, “What did I just read? What does it mean? Why is it important? How does it apply?” If you are reading clinical material and have started your rotations, try to relate the information to someone for whom you have provided care. For example, you won’t forget the physical changes that sometimes occur with long-term steroid use if you’ve ever seen a patient with a “moon” face.

Another way to reinforce what you’ve read is to take notes or outline as you go. If your instructors have a tendency to put questions on the exam that come directly from the book (rather than testing solely on lecture content), these notes may come in handy when it is time to study for an exam. If you find that your instructors don’t usually ask questions about topics from the book that they didn’t cover in lecture, however, extensive note taking may slow down your reading without yielding much benefit.

Many students underline in their books as they read, whereas others think underlining is a waste of time. Although underlining may not increase comprehension and retention the way that taking notes does, it may help you interact with the text and move from passive to active reading. Underlining also provides a handy way to pick out important points when you go back later to study the reading in a more in-depth way. Sometimes, though, I go back to what I’ve underlined and think, “Good grief! Why did I think that was important?” It’s a good idea to underline in pencil so you can erase the marks if you find you’ve been off track. This has the additional advantage of greatly increasing the chance that the bookstore will be willing to buy back your used text if you find yourself strapped for cash when you go to buy books for next semester.