More Than Just Reading the Passage: What Test-Taking Research Reveals

When we think about reading comprehension tests, most of us picture students carefully reading a passage and then answering questions about it. We assume that their scores reflect how well they understood the text.

But new research shows that there’s another layer to the story—one that happens in a place every student visits during a test: the question section itself.

Why Questions Matter as Much as the Passage

A 2025 study by Ardoin and colleagues followed 248 students in Grades 3, 5, and 8 as they read six short texts and answered multiple-choice questions. Using eye-tracking technology, the researchers could see exactly how long students spent reading each question and its answer options.

They found:

• The way students read questions and answer choices was linked to their overall reading achievement.

• Struggling readers often used less effective strategies—not just when reading the passage, but when reading the questions themselves.

• Differences in comprehension performance can stem from how students approach the question region, not only the text region.

Strategies That Make a Difference

The researchers suggest two important teaching implications:

1. Read the passage first

   Encouraging students to read the full text before looking at the questions appears to benefit most readers.

   
   

2. Eliminate easy distractors for struggling readers

   “Poor foils”—incorrect answer choices that are obviously wrong—can waste time without improving question quality. Removing them in classroom settings may help struggling readers focus and finish more efficiently.

Why This Matters Beyond Testing

If students’ test results partly reflect their question-reading strategies, then instruction and practice need to address this directly. Otherwise, we risk underestimating a child’s true reading comprehension ability.

For educators, that means:

• Teaching test-taking strategies alongside reading skills

• Providing guided practice in navigating multiple-choice formats

• Coaching students to manage time effectively and avoid rushing through the question section

For parents, it means recognizing that test scores are influenced by more than just understanding the passage—how a child approaches the questions can also impact results.

Our Perspective at Baumgarten Child Psychology and More

We follow studies like this because they remind us that learning and assessment are complex processes. A child’s performance on a reading comprehension test isn’t a single, pure measure—it’s shaped by multiple skills and strategies.

When we work with students, we look at the whole process: how they read, how they think about questions, and how they manage time and attention during academic tasks. This broader view helps us create support plans that target the real source of difficulty—whether that’s comprehension itself, strategy use, or both.

Reference

Ardoin, S. P., Binder, K. S., Novelli, C., & Robertson, P. L. (2025). The common element of tst taking: Reading and responding to questions. School Psychology, 40(5), 607–613. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000671