It has been reported that second language learners’ proficiency development is associated with their recognition and use of various learning strategies. The present study sets out to examine Korean university students’ awareness and enactment of L2 English reading strategies with a focus on whether and to what extent their metacognitive awareness and actual use of strategies differ. On the assumption that a triangulated study is necessary to obtain more reliable data, questionnaire surveys, think-aloud tasks, and retrospective interviews were administered to 38 students at different proficiency levels. The results show that there are substantial differences between self-reported awareness measures and actual strategy use as a function of proficiency level. Most notably, intermediate-level students are apparently aware of a wider range of strategies than advanced and lower-level students, but they do not seem to make use of them as effectively as advanced students do. Think-aloud tasks and interviews further affirm that advanced students are capable of using a select set of strategies in a more automatized and personalized way.