Abstract This study investigated the reading strategies employed by preparatory school students when they read academic materials. In particular, the study examined the reading strategies use of Merawi preparatory school students in terms of sex and academi~ achievement. In order to attain this goal, the following four leading research questions were pertained: 1) what type of reading strategies do male and female students at the preparatory level use while they are reading academic materials? 2) Which reading strategies are most and least favored by the students under study? 3) Is there any significant <, difference in the reading strategies use between male and female students? 4) Is there any relationship between the reading strategies use and academic achievement of the students under study, as reflected in semester average...{;sult? The data were collected from 209 (106 male and 103 female) grade 11 students of Merawi preparatory school in the 2010/ 11 academic year. These samples were selected randomly from a total of 708 (m=549 and f=249) grade 11 students in the school using stratified sampling technique. Data concerning the reading strategies use and sex were collected through a questionnaire called Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS), which was developed by Sheorey and ' - ~okhtary (2002) to measure the reading strategies use of adolescent learners in ESL/EFL contexts. In addition, a document analysis, on the 'Roster' in which students academic achievement result is recorded, was made in order to collect data on the respondents' semester average scores. Descriptive statistics, such as mean and standard deviation were used in line with the strategy usage level criteria \ ' establish by Sheorey and Mokhtari (2002) in order to examine the students' use-of the reading strategies. In addition, t-test was employed to determine the reading strategies use in terms of sex. Pearson product correlations were also performed between the overall reading strategies use mean scores and semester averages scores of the students. The results reveal that the students in both groups of sex show a Moderate use (means between 2.50 and 3.50) on more than half of the total (30) individual reading strategy items, while both sample groups reported High use on the remaining items. Similarly, both groups reported Moderate use on each of category as well as the overall reading strategies, except that males were found to be High users on the Global category. In te' rms of frequency, more than half of the five least and five most favored individual reading strategies by both groups of sex are Global items. Consequently, of the three categories, Global reading strategies are the most favored, followed by Support and then Problem solving categories. The results obtained from the comparison of males' and females' use of the reading strategies show statistically significant differences on six individual reading strategies, in which males are higher than females on four items. In addition, males show higher mean scores than females on each category as well as the overall reading strategies. The use of Pearson product correlation between mean scores on the overall reading strategies use and semester average scores of the respondents show significant correlation only for the Satisfactory group of male as well as female samples. •