Reading Comprehension Study Guide for the HESI Exam

General Information

Most careers require a firm grasp of reading and writing. In nursing, having above-average reading comprehension skills is paramount to your success. If you cannot read a chart, or worse yet, read a chart and cannot immediately understand everything that is written, you could be endangering the lives of your patients. Nurses need to read at a high level in order to function in a professional manner.

The Reading Comprehension section of the HESI exam asks you to read a short scientific paragraph and answer multiple questions about its content. You will be given 60 minutes to answer 47 questions. Here are some key concepts you should familiarize yourself with to do well on this portion of the exam:

Main Idea

The main idea of a paragraph is the essence of a text. If you were to summarize a passage or paragraph in a single sentence or idea, you would find the main idea.

Passage and Paragraph

The passage is the full writing piece you are provided on the exam; this can range from a few paragraphs to a few pages. The paragraphs are the individual blocks of writing within the larger passage.

In some instances, you will be asked to find the main idea of a paragraph, whereas in others, you will be asked to identify the main idea of the overall passage. To find the main idea of an individual paragraph, read the sentences closely and try to identify how they all relate.

To find the main idea of the passage, you should be looking at every paragraph from a “bird’s-eye view.” Ask yourself: What do all of these paragraphs have in common? How could I summarize the whole passage in one sentence?

Topic

The topic and main idea are often confused by readers. Whereas the main idea is the main message the author wants you to take away from the text, the topic is the umbrella subject the main idea falls under.

For instance, an author may write a passage on the decreasing number of sea turtles because of plastic in the ocean. The main idea is “Plastic is causing the endangerment of sea turtles.” On the other hand, the topic could be “marine life” or “animal endangerment.”

Passage Content

All or most of the information in a passage should relate to the main idea. Once you identify the main idea, it will become easier to eliminate answer choices that are irrelevant to the topic.

For instance, if you have identified the main idea as the ethics and morals regarding animal testing, answers in multiple-choice questions that do not pertain to the main idea can be easily crossed off as plausible options. In addition, if you are asked to identify parts of the passage that “do not fit” or “do not belong,” look for sentences that have no relation to the main idea.

Location of Main Idea

Whether you’re looking at an individual paragraph or a larger passage, it’s helpful to read the whole thing before identifying the main idea. However, there are portions of the text that commonly hold clues to help you find the main idea.

For example, the main idea of a passage can usually be found in the introduction paragraph, in which information is initially presented, or the conclusion paragraph, in which the information is summarized.

On a smaller scale, for a paragraph, the main idea can sometimes be found in the first sentence of a paragraph. However, we still recommend reading the whole paragraph to truly understand the author’s main message.

Details

Details are pieces of information that are not on the same level of importance as the main idea, but definitely contribute to the reader’s understanding of that idea.

Purposes of Details

Details, sometimes called “supporting details, exist to support the main idea. In a paragraph, these details usually come after the topic sentence―the first sentence in a paragraph, and before the final sentence. Supporting details serve as pillars to “hold up” the main idea of a passage or paragraph, and could also be identified as proof or evidence of an idea.

Types of Details

There are many different types of details you will find within the reading passages on the exam. However, a few of the most important are background, anecdotes, facts, examples, and statistics.

Background and Context

Details regarding background and context provide the reader with all the necessary information needed to fully understand the passage. These details can range from the year something is taking place, to a definition of a word that will be used often throughout the work, or a character’s background. This is any detail that gives the reader a stronger grasp of the information.

Anecdotes, Examples, Facts, and Statistics

Anecdotes (stories), examples, facts, and statistics are often used to prove an author’s point or support an argument. To convince the reader of a claim, the author needs to back it up with evidence, and this evidence comes in the form of specific details.

For example, if an author wants to prove the positive effects of solar panels on a home, they may provide statistics about the decrease in electric bills among people who have converted to solar energy. Similarly, an author trying to prove a historical figure’s impact on the country may provide an anecdote about how they changed policies or laws in America.

Locating Details

Details are often marked by transition words or introductory phrases.

Some transition words relate to time or order; these are words like first, before, next, last, and finally. These could be used to order specific details in an argument or events in a timeline.

Introductory phrases can be used to introduce details. Look for these phrases: for example, for instance, such as, and more. Some phrases can show similarities and contrasts as well, such as on the other hand, similarly, whereas, also, and others.