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Read the Questions First
When to read the passage questions is a common point discussed among test-
takers. Often there are differing opinions
and rationale presented to justify one side or the other. When thinking about how to strategically approach Reading
Comprehension questions, taking into account the limited amount of time you have for each question and the amount
of information you are usually required to read, we suggest you read the questions after you read the passage. 
There is a reason the Reading Comprehension tasks are organized the way they are: the passage, the question stem, and
then the answer choices. This is because it makes logical sense to read the passage, understand the various question
tasks, then approach the answer choices. Aside from simply reading the passage as it is presented, there are some other
key justifications for reading the questions after you read the passage:
• You have 30 minutes to answer 20 questions. Every second is valuable. Oftentimes, when people read the questions
first, they then read them again after reading the passage. That time could be better spent navigating the answer
choices or referring back to the passage for additional information if needed. 
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• A common justification for reading the questions first is that it helps you identify what you are looking for in
the passage. While this may ring true in some instances, given the complex reasoning included in many of the
passages, this typically has the opposite effect. When you read the question first, it primes you to look only for
specific information, often at the expense of overlooking other critical premises and supporting evidence that is
necessary to consider in order to get to the correct answer. 
• Sometimes the question stems introduce new information that is not in the actual passage. If you are looking
specifically for that information, you may be confused when going back to the passage and may end up spending
more time trying to re-
read and understand each question than if you had simply read the passage first.