3. Best-kept test prep secret: Read more! How to get more "outside reading" into your everyday life without even trying

(….this tip is a little different than you might expect)

Verbal reasoning passages are derived from topics in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and the arts. The single best preparation for the verbal sections of any of the graduate/professional entrance exams is to consistently read from a variety of diverse resources throughout your entire undergraduate experience. If you're already a "reader," great. If you're not, don't despair.....even 5 minutes a day, starting now, can make a big difference.

To most students, the thought of "reading widely" outside a full load of course work sounds overwhelming. It’s not.

Don’t approach the task of "reading widely" like it’s studying. Approach it from the perspective of relaxation, or diversion, or even as an experiment…..

WHAT: Start by getting a selection of periodicals (focus on what you can get for free---try your library, ask your friends and profs for personal copies they're about to recycle...). Some suggestions to get you started: (You're looking for meaty reading, stuff that will make you think in ways you may not have done before....) New Yorker Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Scientific American, Psychology Today, Smithsonian, New England Journal of Medicine, Harvard Review, New York Times Book Review, New York Review of Books... Add a book of poetry (especially if you seldom or never read poetry!) Find political articles that support an opposite viewpoint from your own. Find religious articles which differ from your own beliefs. Become familiar with the major philosophies. [Remember, these suggestions are merely a starting point....]

WHERE: Next step: Put some of this reading material in your bathroom; put some of it next to your bedside; carry lightweight periodicals in your backpack. In other words, put it in places where you will be able to pick it up and read for 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes.

WHEN: For the first couple weeks of this experiment (or until you get the hang of it….), don't read these things like you read your textbook. Just pick something up and start reading….even if you only get through a single page or just a few paragraphs.

HOW: At first, don’t think about reading to "learn," just read for the sake of reading something different. Don’t think about whether you’re even paying attention to what you’re reading. Just read. ---So, what’s the point, you may ask?

WHY: Why bother? At first, the point is basically to read words and ideas in a meaningful context. It’s almost like feeding your brain with a healthy snack. Those words and ideas acquired in a meaningful context may sit dormant for days or weeks, but then one day you’ll read or hear something that triggers the memory of what you read last week or last month and suddenly that memory merges with this new information and the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Once you get in the habit of reading, all kinds of things may change: you'll be better informed, more interested in the world around you, more interesting to people around you, a better student, a more informed citizen and consumer, and maybe even enjoy life a little more.

Reading well takes practice, just like anything else.

One of the primary test-related benefits of this kind of reading is that your brain is acquiring a lot of new information, new words, new concepts...all in "context" and usually at a time when you're relaxed and receptive. Instead of worrying about lists of words to memorize, you're quietly acquiring information that makes sense. You'll be surprised to find out how often such "contextual knowledge" will help you make the best "educated" guess on those middle-of-the-road test questions.

Once you’ve gotten the hang of "reading widely outside your course work," you’ll find that the articles you begin reading will start to hold your interest and, rather than having a hard time picking up something new to read, you’ll have a hard time putting it down. Much like the way exercising is a drudge until the endorphins kick in, reading (for non-readers) feels like a drudge until "reading endorphins" kick in! (i.e., "intellectual stimulation!")

BEYOND READING: In addition to reading widely, make a point of listening to National Public Radio news and commentary. Watch public television and take in cable tv shows on the History Channel and other learning channels. Tune in to C-Span and, in the state of Michigan, watch Michigan Government Television. Whenever you read or hear a word that’s unfamiliar to you, look it up in your dictionary! (Keep a spot in your notebook free for jotting down words, or just keep a slip of paper in your wallet handy for this purpose.) Keep your dictionary out and convenient----make a point of looking up the meaning of at least 1-2 words a day. Words, meanings, contexts, interpretation, understanding: what is school all about, if not this? Read. Read often. Read widely. It’s the single best preparation for success on your test and success in graduate school…..and has the wonderful side benefit of contributing to your enjoyment of life.