Specific difficulties encountered when helping low-achieving students improve their college reading and study skills include pronunciation of new words, low vocabulary, inability to follow directions, spelling problems, and an inability to differentiate between main ideas and details. Some techniques that have been used at San Jose State College, California, to overcome these problems include analyzing in groups the pronunciation and meaning of student-selected new words; testing and correcting spelling in pairs; diagramming paragraph and article organization; following oral directions, such as machine operation; and analyzing creative writing in pairs. Also, the teacher must consider possible cultural differences, motivational problems, and fear of failure by the student when trying to help these low-achievers. A list of workbooks for reading improvement is given. (DE)