SIFT Reading Comprehension Test: 20 Questions in 30 Minutes

Format and timing

Source: SIFT FAQ V2.0. The RCT is one of seven subtests behind a single SIFT score from 20 to 80, and 40 is the minimum to apply to Army aviation.

Scoring and the retest rule

The RCT has a fixed number of questions, and the SIFT FAQ says anything unanswered is scored as wrong. A wrong answer costs no more than a blank, so every question gets an answer. On a hard one, cross out what the passage contradicts and choose from the rest.

The formula is proprietary and compensatory, so strong reading can offset a weaker subtest; any SIFT score in our app is an estimate. Pass or fail shows the moment you finish. A pass can't be retaken; after a fail you get one retest, after 181 days per the SIFT FAQ or 45 days per Fort Novosel's cadet FAQ. Confirm with your test control officer.

What it tests

Whether you can separate what a passage says from what you already believe. Our question is usually: which statement is best supported by the passage?

The technique: find the proof sentence

For any option you choose, you should be able to point at the sentence that proves it. No proof sentence, no answer. Test options against the text, not against your memory.

Two worked examples

Passage 1. Honeybees don't hibernate. In cold weather the workers pack into a tight cluster around the queen and make heat by shivering their flight muscles without moving their wings. Bees on the cold outer layer gradually trade places with bees inside. The cluster burns stored honey to do this, so a colony that enters winter with too little honey can starve before spring.

Which statement is best supported? A. Honeybees sleep through the winter. B. Every bee in the cluster stays equally warm. C. A colony's winter survival depends partly on its honey stores. D. Bees shiver because they are sick. E. The queen makes most of the cluster's heat.

Answer: C, proved by the last sentence. A contradicts the first sentence; B ignores the cold outer layer. D and E have no proof sentence: the workers make the heat, and sickness never comes up.

Passage 2. Last spring, a city removed every other bus stop on its busiest route. Buses spent less time stopping, and the average trip got about six minutes shorter. Some riders, though, now walk an extra block to a stop. The city will review ridership after a full year before changing any other route.

Which statement is best supported? A. Removing stops made the route more popular. B. The change helped some riders and inconvenienced others. C. The city will remove stops on every route. D. The buses now reach a higher top speed. E. Riders preferred the old stops.

Answer: B. Shorter trips and longer walks are both stated. A and E need ridership or opinion data the passage doesn't give, C contradicts the plan to review first, and D confuses fewer stops with more speed.

Traps

• True but unproven. The option matches what you know about the topic, but no sentence in the passage says it.
• Too strong. Every, always, never, only: a short passage rarely proves a claim that broad.
• Reversed logic. The passage says A led to B; the option says B led to A.
• One word off. The option copies a phrase from the passage and changes one word, so some becomes most.

Pacing

Ninety seconds a question splits into about 30 to read, 40 to test the options and 20 in reserve. At the 15-minute mark you should be near question 10. If you're behind, stop re-reading whole passages and go straight to the sentence each option is about.

Practice it here

The questions above come from our original passage bank. Use practice mode, where every explanation names the proof sentence, then a timed set: 20 questions in 30 minutes, the SIFT's own pace. Taking the Navy's OAR as well? Its reading test is adaptive, with different rules; see OAR Reading Comprehension.

How to answer a SIFT reading question

1. Read the question first so you know you're looking for support, not truth.
2. Read the passage once for its main point.
3. For each option, find the sentence that proves it.
4. Cross out options with no proof sentence, even if they are true in real life.
5. Cross out options with words stronger than the passage, such as always or every.
6. Choose the option with a clear proof sentence; if two remain, take the narrower claim. Never leave a blank.

FAQ