SQ4R METHOD

We call this method a classic because students have found it useful since the early 60's. It's
probably worth your time to try all the steps at first, then choose and apply only those that work
effectively for each of your course texts. Although using the SQ4R method may seem time
consuming at first, once you know the steps the process takes only a few minutes.

S = Survey
Before you crack open your book to page one and dive in, take a few minutes to read the preface
and introduction to the text and browse through the table of contents and the index. This will tell
you the main topics that the book will cover, the author's particular approach to the subject (i.e.,
why he/she wrote another text on the subject when there are probably twenty on the market), and
what the basic organizational structure will be.
A similar process is repeated before each chapter. Read all the titles and subtitles, study any
pictures, charts or graphs, and, if there are any, read the summary at the end of the chapter and
any study questions. Surveying a chapter in this way gives you the "big picture; a framework of
the main ideas which will help to hold the details together later.

Q = Question
Before beginning to read, take the subtitle of the section (or the first sentence of a paragraph) and
turn it into a question. For example, if you're reading part of a chapter called "Functions of the
Spinal Cord," ask yourself, "What are the functions of the spinal cord?"

R#1 = Read
Then read; not passively sliding your eyes over the words, but actively engaging the text, trying
to find the answer to your question. Be cautious, however, that you don't end up skimming for
the answer to your question and missing other important information.

R#2 = Respond
Once you've read the section, close the textbook and answer your question, either orally or on
paper, in your own words. If you can't answer the question, you should re-read that section until
you can. If, after several tries, you still can't answer your question, go on to the next few sections
and see if things become clearer. You may find that you need to change your question. For
example, you may have first posed the question, "What is the Treaty of Versailles?" for the
subtitle "The Treaty of Versailles," but, after reading the section, you may find that a better
question is, Why was the Treaty of Versailles created?" If changing your question doesn't help
clarify the reading, it's time to get some help. Your instructor or LRC tutors are good places to
start.

R#3 = Record
Once you've understood the material and can summarize it in your own words, the next step is to
record the information in some way. Some common methods are to highlight and/or mark the
text, or take notes, or some combination of both. Whichever method or combination of methods
you choose (some pros and cons are summarized next), it's critical to remember to read and
understand the material first and then go back and record.

SQ4R METHOD
Highlighting
The Pros
Takes less time than note taking.
Charts and graphs from text readily available.
The Cons
Very easy to do badly; can fool you into thinking you're learning material when what
you're really doing is coloring.
Tendency to mark too much to avoid missing something important; experts say highlight
10-15%; students usually highlight 70-80%.
Because fragments of sentences are highlighted, tendency is to read whole sentence for
complete meaning and so most of the book ends up being re-read.
Necessary to study for tests from heavy, clumsy textbook.
Difficult to integrate with lecture notes.
Textbook ends up looking very used and reduces resale value.
Note taking
The Pros
Because it's time consuming, encourages you to be concise and more selective of
important information.
Information is in point form but still grammatically complete.
Provides a portable, easy-to-manage study tool text not often needed for studying.
Condensed study notes can be made in margins as you go, saving time when preparing
for exams.
Easy to integrate text and lecture notes if done on looseleaf paper.
The Cons
Time-consuming.
Tendency to copy text rather than take notes in your own words.

R#4 = Review
In courses where there is a lot of factual material to remember, a regular review period (usually
once a week) can be a very effective strategy for retaining information. Integrating a weekly
review period into your study routine will help you remember more of the information longer,
thereby changing the nature of the studying done at exam time. Rather than relearning material
that has been forgotten because you haven't looked at it since reading it or writing it down,
preparing for an exam can include a review of familiar material and rehearsal strategies like
trying old exams.
The secret to making regular review periods effective is to start from the beginning of the
course in each review session. The volume of material to review increases as the semester
progresses, but the amount of time needed to review older material decreases. After you've
reviewed the first week's material a few times, it will take only minutes to skim over it and recall
the key points.