3.Skim the chapter to get a sense of the author’s viewpoint.
Ask questions to define your purpose in reading. Use any
summaries or review questions to guide your reading.
4.Do a thorough analytical reading of the text. Do not
proceed from one section to the next until you have a clear
understanding of the section you are reading—the concepts
generally build upon each other. To proceed to a new section
without understanding the ones that precede it is, at best,
futile.
5.Immediately upon concluding your thorough reading, review!
Write a summary of the concepts and theories you need to
remember. Answer any questions raised when you skimmed
the text. Do the problems. If possible, apply the formulas.Technical material is saturated with ideas. When reading it, you must
be convinced of one fact: Every individual word counts! You will want
to read such material with the utmost concentration—it is not meant
to be sped through.
Good readers know that such material demands a slow read that con-
centrates on achieving the greatest level of retention.
■ Every definition has to be digested.
■ Every formula must be committed to memory.
■ Every example needs to be considered.To improve your reading of such technical material, you will want
to hone the skill of identifying the devices an author uses to commu-
nicate. In so doing, you will be able to connect the chain of thought
that occurs. When reading such texts—or attempting to work out
technical problems—try the following “tricks”:
■ Whenever you can, “translate” numbers and formulae into
words. To test your understanding, try to put your translation
into differentwords.58 How to Study