This article presents three prerequisites for effective reading and studying of expository text: (a) accessible conceptual knowledge in relevant domains, (b) a schema for exposition that specifies how ideas in text are related, and (c) text-processing strategies. Two strategies, ongoing summarization of important information and strategic backtracking to resolve comprehension or memory difficulty, are discussed in detail. Development of expertise for each strategy is discussed; data-based descriptions of progression from strategic deficiency to strategic inefficiency to strategic efficiency are presented. Prescriptions for instructional assistance derived from the research literature are also offered.