Logistics of practicing RC problems

Question

After completing MGMAT in SC, practicing problems for SC seems pretty straight forward; do all the assigned problems in a section and review. With RC however there are no sections but rather a bunch of problems. What's a recommended strategy for practicing RC with OG/VR? Practice X amount of problems in Y time? Do you look ahead and determine if it a short or long passage and set a time limit based on that? Do you pick a set time and try to get through as many passages? Just curious what is the most optimal way. Just unclear what is best approach to practice RC.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi TOB2020,

RC tactics vary from GMAT company to company, so you might need to 'experiment' a bit with the different approaches and find the one that best matches your personality.

It's difficult to commit a set amount of time to any given prompt because there are so many variables involved (length, subject matter, "density" of language, and number of questions - this last one you won't have any information on).

How long have you been studying?
What resources have you used so far during your studies?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

GMATPill · Answer

When it comes to RC, the best practical advice I can give you is that you should stop reading about how to improve your reading -- and instead watch and learn.

Let someone SHOW you how to approach RC -- not tell you about it. Here's a sample video RC passage explanation from us: https://www.gmatpill.com/practicequestio ... tions.html

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

We used to say to judge based on the passage length. For a shorter passage (fewer than 40 lines in the OG), you'd give yourself 6 minutes to read and do 3 q's, and for a longer passage you'd take 8 minutes to read and do 4 q's. We no longer give this specific advice, because the GMAT doesn't necessarily hold to that pattern, and as Rich said, your reading time will naturally vary depending on the content. However, these can serve as good *rough* guidelines. It's certainly a good idea not to do all the questions in one timed set, because you'll never see 6 q's on the real test. By the time you get to question 6, you'll be an expert on the passage and your performance will be unrealistically high.

Here's what I recommend:

*Start by doing a few passages for which you simply note the elapsed time for each element. How long does it take you to read and analyze the passage? How long does each question take?
*Keeping in mind your current performance as well as the general guideline of 2 min/q (including reading time), start doing timed sets in which you hold yourself to a set amount of time to read the passage and answer 3-4 q's.
*You can do the rest of the q's under separate time or set them aside in case you want to revisit the passage later with new questions. The main thing is not to use them to gauge your accuracy. For instance, if you get 4/7 correct but it's the last 4, that would mean 0-1 correct on the test!

Also, it sounds like you're going for high-volume practice, e.g. doing a bunch of problems or passages in a row. You're much better off doing one passage at a time and really learning from it before moving on. If you're reviewing correctly, the review process should take significantly longer than the original timed experience, and that's before you even check your answers. Ideally, you should be able to explain the following:

1) The author's point and how each part of the passage relates to that point.
2) The meaning of each question and (if possible) the prephrased answer (i.e. What answer should we expect before looking at the answer choices?). What material in the text supports that answer?
3) Why each answer choice is right or wrong. Be as specific as possible.
4) If you catch any mistakes on your part, what led you to those mistakes? How might you have avoided them?

	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

Logistics of practicing RC problems

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards