SQ3R
2026-01-12
Edited: 2026-05-31
Active Reading
SQ3R stands for survey, question, read, recite, review and is a pretty good approach for reading textbooks. It is essentially a form of active reading. The steps are as follows
- Survey: skim through the book and view its structures, reading only the table of contents, chapter headings, subchapter headings, and summary paragraphs, this should only take three to five minutes
- Question: from the survey, write questions about the headings and subheadings, ask stuff like: what is this chapter about, what is it trying to answer, how will this information help me
- Read: read actively and answer the questions you made before
- Recite: recite the content back from memory (oral or written) in your own words using the headings and answers to questions to guide you
- Review: review the material by repeating it back what the purpose of the passage is in your own words.
The process can then be repeated any number of terms on the same passage.
Alternatives
KWL
The KWL table simply a table with the headers, Know, Want to know, and Learned. Fill out Know and Want to know before reading, then fill out Learned after your finish. I was forced to use this in my younger years, and not going to lie, this kind of sucks for me.
REAP
- Read: read the text
- Encode: paraphrase the text in your own words
- Annotate: write notes and critical understanding
- Ponder: just ponder by thinking, talking to others, or reading related material
PQRST Method
- Preview: skim headings and table of contents
- Question: write questions using the preview
- Read: read through the material focusing on the generated questions
- Summary: summarize the topic through any method (notes, diagrams, whatever)
- Test: answer the generated questions