The first step, survey or skim, advises that one should resist the temptation to read the book and instead first go through a chapter and note headings, sub-headings and other outstanding features, such as figures, tables, and summary paragraphs. This survey step only takes 3 - 5 minutes, but it provides an outline or framework for what will be presented. The reader should identify ideas and formulate questions about the content of the chapter.
according to the sq3r method to survey a chapter means to
go through a chapter and note headings, sub-headings and other outstanding features, such as figures, tables, and summary paragraphs