GMAT Ninja’s Guide to Leisure Reading, Part 1: Nonfiction

GMAT Ninja’s Guide to Leisure Reading, Part 1: Nonfiction

Don’t fall out of your chair, but here’s a shocking fact: reading can improve your GMAT reading comprehension skills.

Research shows that reading for at least 15 minutes a day can result in accelerated reading improvement, and that just over 30 minutes of daily reading will maximize the speed at which reading comprehension improves.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that reading comprehension “gains” are cumulative, with improvement measured over the course of months or even years -- which means that reading for 100 hours straight before your test will not do much for your GMAT score.

Bottom line: if you need to improve your reading comprehension level to reach your target GMAT score, add at least 30 minutes of reading time into your daily schedule and be realistic about the fact that it can take months or years to become a fundamentally better reader.

What level of text should you read to improve your GMAT reading skills?

The research is divided on this one. Some studies show that most reading comprehension gains are made by reading at the "frustration level" (sounds fun!), in which students understand about 85% of the words in a given text. Other studies pinpoint the "instructional level" of text -- in which students recognize 93-97% of words -- as the optimal level to improve reading comprehension.

Either way, the key is to ensure that you don’t understand every single word that you’re reading. By choosing a text outside of your comfort zone, you will both improve your vocabulary and stretch your ability to stay engaged in a difficult GMAT passage.

Why you should read nonfiction for the GMAT

The benefit of reading nonfiction in preparation for the GMAT seems obvious: GMAT RC passages are nonfiction, so it just makes sense to practice with nonfiction materials. In particular, if you feel uneasy about certain subjects that appear on the GMAT -- science or literature, for example -- gaining some comfort with those topics might be helpful.

Nonfiction also lends itself to the basic GMAT reading comprehension strategies that we recommend in our RC Guide for Beginners and in our live YouTube RC videos.

As you read, focus on the following:

• Stop at the end of each paragraph and ask two questions: why did the author write this, and how does it connect to the rest of the text?
• Note any words that you don’t know, but don’t look them up right away -- instead, use context clues to determine the meaning of the word, since that’s what you’ll have to do on the GMAT. Then, look up the word at the end of your reading session and commit it to memory.

…but what about fiction?

Reading fiction can also improve your RC skills! In part 2 of this series, we say a whole lot more about the unique benefits of reading fiction to improve your GMAT score.

Which nonfiction books should I read?

Honestly, there’s no right or wrong answer to this, as long as the texts are at least somewhat challenging for you. But here are a few nonfiction books that the tutors at GMAT Ninja have enjoyed:

• The Drunkard’s Walk by Leonard Mlodinow: A breezy introduction to the various ways our intuition is often at odds with statistical reality. A genuinely fascinating read that manages to incorporate GMAT quant concepts and GMAT Critical Reasoning logic.
• Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: A less breezy -- but no less interesting -- look at the underpinnings of behavioral economics. Ever encounter a brutal GMAT CR prompt in which you’re asked to evaluate a mind-bending study involving false positives and false negatives? This book will help you understand why you’re so prone to being led astray by the trap answers that often come with such questions.
• How Not to be Wrong by Jordan Ellenberg: A fun primer about how mathematics can help us make sense of the world.
• The Best American Science and Nature Writing: Does your heart sink when you encounter a tough, science-y GMAT reading comprehension passage? This anthology of articles, with topics spanning from psychology to ecology to cosmology, will help you stretch your ability to read scientific material. And you might learn some legitimately interesting things, too.

Books are long. Got any other recommendations?

Sure! If you prefer to consume your nonfiction in shorter formats, here are a few of our favorites:

• The Electric Typewriter: 150 articles that will make you think
• Brain Pickings: A collection of articles focused on art, philosophy, and literature
• Scientific American: A science magazine, if that wasn't immediately apparent
• National Geographic: Classic, thoughtful magazine, featuring long articles that can challenge your ability to stay focused. (Shoutout to IN2MBB2PE for this one.)
• The Economist: A periodical focused on business and current events

Want more?

• GMAT Ninja’s Guide to Leisure Reading, Part 2: The Benefits of Reading Fiction to Improve Your GMAT Score
• Beginner’s Guide to Reading Comprehension
• All GMAT Ninja LIVE YouTube videos by topic
• Carcass’s verbal question bank and directories
• Using LSAT materials for extra practice on CR and RC
• BB’s long-running thread about the best books to read
• A short and interesting post about gmatexam439 's efforts to improve his reading skills
• Carcass's list of favorite magazines and periodicals