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17 Jul 2011, 03:05
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Hi,
I have hit a roadblock with RC questions. I use the strategy of reading the passage first, taking simple throw away notes for each paragraph. But so far my accuracy is stuck in 70-80% correct range. The imply, inference questions hurt me the most.
Any refining tips would be greatly appreciated.
Crick
I have hit a roadblock with RC questions. I use the strategy of reading the passage first, taking simple throw away notes for each paragraph. But so far my accuracy is stuck in 70-80% correct range. The imply, inference questions hurt me the most.
Any refining tips would be greatly appreciated.
Crick
Aximili85
Joined: 15 May 2011
Last visit: 16 Oct 2016
Posts: 241
Given Kudos: 134
Location: Costa Rica
Concentration: Healthcare, International Business
Schools: Duke '15 (D) Haas '15 (D) Kellogg '15 (WA) Insead '13 (M) Wharton '15 (D) Ross '15 (A) Booth '15 (D) LBS '14 (WA)
GMAT 1: 710 Q42 V45
GMAT 2: 740 Q48 V42
GPA: 3.3
WE:Research (Consulting)
Schools: Duke '15 (D) Haas '15 (D) Kellogg '15 (WA) Insead '13 (M) Wharton '15 (D) Ross '15 (A) Booth '15 (D) LBS '14 (WA)
GMAT 2: 740 Q48 V42
Posts: 241
Hi Crick
Regarding RC, I was acing this section in my previous attempt last year but have neglected it this time and its my main weakness in Verbal. Here's what I did last time and am trying to ramp up this time as well.
Some things I don't recommend you do:
1) Taking para notes: I had joined the Princeton Prep center in New Delhi - they advocate jotting down quick notes like you're currently doing for each para so you can refer back quickly for questions. I tried this on my first attempt, all I can say is its a bad idea. It slows you down and caused me to have timing issues (I almost never have timing issues now on Verbal). This is an individual preference though. To reach that point where you can quickly summarize paras in your head required reading practice (let me get to that below).
2) Falling for a trap answer: I've noticed RC will very often list an answer which has a direct text quote, you'll think "hm that's corroborated right there I'll pick it" in a rush, whereas the answer is a bit more subtle or elusive. Being constantly weary of these trap questions during RC and double checking whether that specific answer meets all the demands of the question is crucial.
3) Second guessing not always good: That said, if you always second guess you might miss an obvious answer because you tell yourself its too easy! Practice will cure that. OG 12, 11 or 10 is a MUST do. On top of that, I haven't bought extra books but I have taken Manhattan tests and done some of the free online ones.
4) Picking options which state 2 points: These are more subtle traps. I noticed in the OG verbal supplement answers, for a question I got wrong, that I'd picked an option which was only half right. It made two claims, one of which was substantiated and the other which was bogus. Be careful of answers which state more than two things.
What you should be doing:
These strategies would differ from person to person, but RC in general is the hardest section to improve upon for most of us, and may not simply involve blind practice:
1) If you have some time before you write, get into the habit of reading newspapers/good magazines. When somebody who'd scored well first recommended this, I didn't value its importance since its an obtuse approach. Do it like this: Read a newspaper article, build your redaing speed over time, ensure after a while that yuo do NOT need to re-read to absorb info, as you go from one para to another, summarize the previous para real quick in your head, maintain flow of info between paras. This overall approach has helped me greatly.
2) Core strategies for different passage types: My colleague who just got a 740 recommended having core strategies, i.e. categorizing the passage into "science" vs "business" vs "humanities/art". I need to pick her brain a bit more on this, but she mentioned that if its science, the majority of questions tend to be literal, therefore, don't read the passage too much in depth. Science passages are meant to bog you down with detail. Read one quickly and summarize paras in your head e.g. para 1 introduced hypothesis on enzyme function, para 2 talked about alternative enzyme etc., so when the question asks "How does enzyme A inhibit.." you'll know where to go back and check. Humanities/arts: These are generally a tougher read, require more time, and have more "inference based questions. Spend more time on these understanding overall point, what is the tone of the author, has he taken a side on the argument etc. Business/econ: Not so sure about these ones. Read in depth too I guess as they generally involve concepts.
3) Beware of questions that start with "According to the author/passage": Alarm bells should go off when it says that, I just finished RC from t he supplement today, and I got one of these wrong. When I checked the answer, it literally took a direct quote which I'd missed to substantiate the answer.
4) Make notes on answers you got wrong. Do you have an answer sheet for OG practice? What I do is I keep one sheet with numbers. Recently for RC, every questions I get wrong, I'll make a quick note on it as to why I got that wrong. That means reviewing the OG answers in depth, which is key!!, and which also really pushes lazy people like me who hate to read in depth into answers.
5) Read the first question quickly before diving into passage: This is a mixed one. Try it, see if it works, sometimes its one of those "by saying ABC in para 2 does the author mean"/"Which one of the following is NOT a benefit the author mentions" or something, which makes you focus during the read on that point.
6) Practice OG questions in sets of 3/4 passages each under a timer (~1:45 per question). Doing a lot of RC in one go takes endurance., which the GMAT will of course test you on. I feel anymore than that number in one go and your wasting your time. Analyze mistakes IN DEPTH. Make notes for types of errors you made, on that sheet for back reference (i JUST started this as Im exhausting my OG resources ).
7) Timing: Referring to the timing point above, I checked my per questions RC time on Manhattan, and I was spending between 2:30 - 3:20 minutes on the first RC question (as I was reading the passage), and then above 1 min on the rest. To have more time to read the tougher passages, you need to perfect SC/CR so you minimize time there. This one's obvious I wont elaborate.
I hope this helps. RC is subjective I feel and has to vary from person to person, depending on how familiar they are with quickly summarizing/analyzing large amounts of text. Try some of the above points, and keep in mind good prep material is hard to come across for RC, so use the OG stuff well.
Aximili
Regarding RC, I was acing this section in my previous attempt last year but have neglected it this time and its my main weakness in Verbal. Here's what I did last time and am trying to ramp up this time as well.
Some things I don't recommend you do:
1) Taking para notes: I had joined the Princeton Prep center in New Delhi - they advocate jotting down quick notes like you're currently doing for each para so you can refer back quickly for questions. I tried this on my first attempt, all I can say is its a bad idea. It slows you down and caused me to have timing issues (I almost never have timing issues now on Verbal). This is an individual preference though. To reach that point where you can quickly summarize paras in your head required reading practice (let me get to that below).
2) Falling for a trap answer: I've noticed RC will very often list an answer which has a direct text quote, you'll think "hm that's corroborated right there I'll pick it" in a rush, whereas the answer is a bit more subtle or elusive. Being constantly weary of these trap questions during RC and double checking whether that specific answer meets all the demands of the question is crucial.
3) Second guessing not always good: That said, if you always second guess you might miss an obvious answer because you tell yourself its too easy! Practice will cure that. OG 12, 11 or 10 is a MUST do. On top of that, I haven't bought extra books but I have taken Manhattan tests and done some of the free online ones.
4) Picking options which state 2 points: These are more subtle traps. I noticed in the OG verbal supplement answers, for a question I got wrong, that I'd picked an option which was only half right. It made two claims, one of which was substantiated and the other which was bogus. Be careful of answers which state more than two things.
What you should be doing:
These strategies would differ from person to person, but RC in general is the hardest section to improve upon for most of us, and may not simply involve blind practice:
1) If you have some time before you write, get into the habit of reading newspapers/good magazines. When somebody who'd scored well first recommended this, I didn't value its importance since its an obtuse approach. Do it like this: Read a newspaper article, build your redaing speed over time, ensure after a while that yuo do NOT need to re-read to absorb info, as you go from one para to another, summarize the previous para real quick in your head, maintain flow of info between paras. This overall approach has helped me greatly.
2) Core strategies for different passage types: My colleague who just got a 740 recommended having core strategies, i.e. categorizing the passage into "science" vs "business" vs "humanities/art". I need to pick her brain a bit more on this, but she mentioned that if its science, the majority of questions tend to be literal, therefore, don't read the passage too much in depth. Science passages are meant to bog you down with detail. Read one quickly and summarize paras in your head e.g. para 1 introduced hypothesis on enzyme function, para 2 talked about alternative enzyme etc., so when the question asks "How does enzyme A inhibit.." you'll know where to go back and check. Humanities/arts: These are generally a tougher read, require more time, and have more "inference based questions. Spend more time on these understanding overall point, what is the tone of the author, has he taken a side on the argument etc. Business/econ: Not so sure about these ones. Read in depth too I guess as they generally involve concepts.
3) Beware of questions that start with "According to the author/passage": Alarm bells should go off when it says that, I just finished RC from t he supplement today, and I got one of these wrong. When I checked the answer, it literally took a direct quote which I'd missed to substantiate the answer.
4) Make notes on answers you got wrong. Do you have an answer sheet for OG practice? What I do is I keep one sheet with numbers. Recently for RC, every questions I get wrong, I'll make a quick note on it as to why I got that wrong. That means reviewing the OG answers in depth, which is key!!, and which also really pushes lazy people like me who hate to read in depth into answers.
5) Read the first question quickly before diving into passage: This is a mixed one. Try it, see if it works, sometimes its one of those "by saying ABC in para 2 does the author mean"/"Which one of the following is NOT a benefit the author mentions" or something, which makes you focus during the read on that point.
6) Practice OG questions in sets of 3/4 passages each under a timer (~1:45 per question). Doing a lot of RC in one go takes endurance., which the GMAT will of course test you on. I feel anymore than that number in one go and your wasting your time. Analyze mistakes IN DEPTH. Make notes for types of errors you made, on that sheet for back reference (i JUST started this as Im exhausting my OG resources ).
7) Timing: Referring to the timing point above, I checked my per questions RC time on Manhattan, and I was spending between 2:30 - 3:20 minutes on the first RC question (as I was reading the passage), and then above 1 min on the rest. To have more time to read the tougher passages, you need to perfect SC/CR so you minimize time there. This one's obvious I wont elaborate.
I hope this helps. RC is subjective I feel and has to vary from person to person, depending on how familiar they are with quickly summarizing/analyzing large amounts of text. Try some of the above points, and keep in mind good prep material is hard to come across for RC, so use the OG stuff well.
Aximili
23 Jul 2011, 14:44
Kudos
Bookmarks
I studied RC to the point where I ended up mastering it and have a few pointers I can give you. I put my strategies into video and a PDF - so if you want to check out the PDF which is free, here it is:
https://www.gmatpill.com/ebook/GMATPill' ... eworks.pdf
The RC strategies that Aximili85 mentioned can be a starting point. Let me try to break down some strategies and pitfalls.
1. After reading an RC question you have a choice. Do you
A) start reading through the answer choices
B) start looking through the passage
C) a combination of both?
2. How do I read the RC Passage on first pass?
3. I pick an answer that is right and seems right to me, but then when I check it, I'm wrong! What am I doing wrong?
So these are common issues and I've given detailed explanations on my thinking process to help you get through all of this. I think video is the best way to communicate. RC Questions with text explanations just don't correct me on the spot. I can figure out what I did wrong afterward...but it will never change how I think as I read through that passage for the first time.
So, my answer:
1. Categorize the RC question into two types. If the question is general with no specific details mentioned in the question, you should READ THRU the answer choices FIRST.
Very general question. For these questions, you should draw upon your first read and the "connecting dots" that tell the story, and use that to directly read through answer choices A thru E to get your answer.
This is a detailed question. Notice that the question replaced "in the passage" with "<lots of details>". When the question refers to a specific detail, you want to dive directly to the specific part of a passage where that detail is talked about.
What Aximili85's friend who scored a 760 said is partially correct. He/she said all the answers were within 2 or 3 sentences for all the RC questions. True but not for all types of RC questions because I've seen all types. Some times, there will be multiple references of the topic in the passage and so while you might think the answer choice is B from reading about the *first* instance where that topic is mentioned, if you keep on reading and you read over the *second* and *third* instance of that topic, your answer might change to C. So it's very important that for these detailed questions, you do a quick scan of the passage and pinpoint all locations in the passage where that detailed topic is mentioned. Then draw on those "3 connecting dots" to derive your answer. I know it's hard to comprehend so I show you exactly what I'm doing and where my eyeball is in the RC Pill videos (there are several free ones you can take a look at).
2. When reading the RC Passage on the first read, you've got to follow 4 simple rules.
1) Emotions! Pretend to be super excited about the passage even though the passage is boring!
2) First Sentence Focus - Get main idea, skim the details
3) Cut The Fluff - reduce complex sentence structures into simple subject+verb formats, will increase comprehension tremendously
4) Focus on Transitional Phrases (However, Moreover, Ironically, etc) and determine direction that author is taking. Every passage ALWAYS has a direction - explaining a concept, refuting a theory, providing support to a way of thinking, etc. What is it? Figure it out!
5) Connect the Dots
These are the steps. The BIG question is how to apply them. Again, rather than show you by text, you can check out my video explanations here
https://www.gmatpill.com/practice-questi ... -guide-rc/
3. "I pick an answer that is right and seems right to me, but then when I check it, I'm wrong! What am I doing wrong?"
I've gotten this a lot actually. This is because you're not fully reading the entire question. Your answer might be right, but it's not right in the context of the entire question that is asked. In other words, based on 80% of what a question asks, answer A might be the obvious answer. But answer A doesn't fully answer the remaining 20% of what that question is asking, therefore it CANNOT be correct. These are the traps that Aximili85 mentioned and they are very common for the "detailed" type questions. Because certain detail might fit, but not 100% of the answer choice will be correct, only most of it. And so GMAT test folks LOVE to trick you up here.
The foundation for all RC questions will always be the 10 seconds you take to CONNECT THE DOTS of the passage. You use the summary of your CONNECTING THE DOTS to answer all main idea questions, and to guide you where to direct your cannon firepower - pararaphs 1 and 2? or just specifically at the end of paragraph 1? All time efficiency decisions can be aided when you've CONNECTED THE DOTS properly.
https://www.gmatpill.com/ebook/GMATPill' ... eworks.pdf
The RC strategies that Aximili85 mentioned can be a starting point. Let me try to break down some strategies and pitfalls.
1. After reading an RC question you have a choice. Do you
A) start reading through the answer choices
B) start looking through the passage
C) a combination of both?
2. How do I read the RC Passage on first pass?
3. I pick an answer that is right and seems right to me, but then when I check it, I'm wrong! What am I doing wrong?
So these are common issues and I've given detailed explanations on my thinking process to help you get through all of this. I think video is the best way to communicate. RC Questions with text explanations just don't correct me on the spot. I can figure out what I did wrong afterward...but it will never change how I think as I read through that passage for the first time.
So, my answer:
1. Categorize the RC question into two types. If the question is general with no specific details mentioned in the question, you should READ THRU the answer choices FIRST.
Quote:
Very general question. For these questions, you should draw upon your first read and the "connecting dots" that tell the story, and use that to directly read through answer choices A thru E to get your answer.
Quote:
This is a detailed question. Notice that the question replaced "in the passage" with "<lots of details>". When the question refers to a specific detail, you want to dive directly to the specific part of a passage where that detail is talked about.
What Aximili85's friend who scored a 760 said is partially correct. He/she said all the answers were within 2 or 3 sentences for all the RC questions. True but not for all types of RC questions because I've seen all types. Some times, there will be multiple references of the topic in the passage and so while you might think the answer choice is B from reading about the *first* instance where that topic is mentioned, if you keep on reading and you read over the *second* and *third* instance of that topic, your answer might change to C. So it's very important that for these detailed questions, you do a quick scan of the passage and pinpoint all locations in the passage where that detailed topic is mentioned. Then draw on those "3 connecting dots" to derive your answer. I know it's hard to comprehend so I show you exactly what I'm doing and where my eyeball is in the RC Pill videos (there are several free ones you can take a look at).
2. When reading the RC Passage on the first read, you've got to follow 4 simple rules.
1) Emotions! Pretend to be super excited about the passage even though the passage is boring!
2) First Sentence Focus - Get main idea, skim the details
3) Cut The Fluff - reduce complex sentence structures into simple subject+verb formats, will increase comprehension tremendously
4) Focus on Transitional Phrases (However, Moreover, Ironically, etc) and determine direction that author is taking. Every passage ALWAYS has a direction - explaining a concept, refuting a theory, providing support to a way of thinking, etc. What is it? Figure it out!
5) Connect the Dots
These are the steps. The BIG question is how to apply them. Again, rather than show you by text, you can check out my video explanations here
https://www.gmatpill.com/practice-questi ... -guide-rc/
3. "I pick an answer that is right and seems right to me, but then when I check it, I'm wrong! What am I doing wrong?"
I've gotten this a lot actually. This is because you're not fully reading the entire question. Your answer might be right, but it's not right in the context of the entire question that is asked. In other words, based on 80% of what a question asks, answer A might be the obvious answer. But answer A doesn't fully answer the remaining 20% of what that question is asking, therefore it CANNOT be correct. These are the traps that Aximili85 mentioned and they are very common for the "detailed" type questions. Because certain detail might fit, but not 100% of the answer choice will be correct, only most of it. And so GMAT test folks LOVE to trick you up here.
The foundation for all RC questions will always be the 10 seconds you take to CONNECT THE DOTS of the passage. You use the summary of your CONNECTING THE DOTS to answer all main idea questions, and to guide you where to direct your cannon firepower - pararaphs 1 and 2? or just specifically at the end of paragraph 1? All time efficiency decisions can be aided when you've CONNECTED THE DOTS properly.
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