This study investigated the cognitive strategies used by Persian EFL (English as a foreign language) graduate students while reading a hypermedia text. Prior to the start of the study, the Nelson-Denny Reading Test was used in order to measure the reading ability of the students. Data was collected through think-aloud protocols, and the strategies used by the proficient group and the less-proficient group were compared. A semi-structured interview was also conducted. Results indicate that there was a considerable difference in the strategies used between the two groups; strategies used by the proficient group were mainly skimming and using prior knowledge. In contrast, the less-proficient group mostly used paraphrasing, translation into L1, and referring to the dictionary as major cognitive and metacognitive strategies. (Contains 2 tables.)